Changing your sleep position, reducing nasal congestion, and quitting smoking are ways to stop snoring. Snoring is the result of air going through a partly closed or constricted airway. It may be a harmless nightly disturbance or indicate an underlying health condition likea deviated septum or sleep apnea.
Almost everyone knows someone who snores, even if that person may be you. About 45% of adults in the United States snore occasionally, and another 25% snore regularly. Read on to learn why people snore and how to stop snoring as soon as possible.
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Snoring happens if air cannot move through your mouth and nose. Something usually blocks the airways, which prevents air from flowing. This blockage causes the walls of your throat to vibrate, creating a harsh noise.
Blocked or Narrowed Airways
Certain health conditions can block or shrink the airways, causing you to snore, such as:
- Deviated septum:This is acrooked nasal septum, or the bone and cartilage of your nose.
- Nasal polyps:These are small growths in your nasal passages.
- Sleep apnea:This condition causes breathing to stop for more than 10 seconds while sleeping. People with sleep apnea may suddenly gasp when breathing starts again. They typically do not recall waking up.
Certain physical factors can narrow the airways.Having a large tongue, short or square jaw, small mouth, enlarged tonsils, or a polyp can block the airways. Sleeping on your back can also block your airways.
Nasal Congestion
Snoring is common among people with a cold. Nasal congestion might cause you to snore if you breathe solely out of your mouth. Allergies may also be the culprit if your snoring coincides with pollen season.
Overweight and Obesity
People who are overweight or have obesity may be more likely to snore due to excess tissue in the neck. This tissue places pressure on the nasal passages, keeping air from freely flowing. Obesity is also a risk factor for sleep apnea.
Relaxed Airways
Naturally, when a person sleeps, their muscles relax slightly, a process that can cause the airways to shrink. A few factors can worsen that.For example, airways close the most during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, typically in the morning. Sedatives, such as sleeping pills, antihistamines, and alcohol, may relax your airways by loosening your muscles.
Swollen Tissues
Swollen tissues in the mouth may also block your airways. The roof of your mouth or uvula (which hangs at the top of your throat) can swell and cause snoring. Pregnancy is a common cause of tissue swelling.
How To Stop Snoring
There's no one-size-stops-all-snoring plan. Planning to stop is much easier once you have narrowed down why you are snoring.
1. Change Your Sleep Position
Laying on your back causes your tongue and the tissues in your mouth to obstruct your airway, causing snoring. Sewing a tennis ball into the back of your shirt helps you roll back onto your side if you sleep on your back.
2. Limit Alcohol and Sedative Use
You can reduce snoring by limiting alcohol and sedative use before bedtime. Alcohol and sedatives relax the muscles in the mouth, which may cause them to obstruct the airways and cause snoring.
3. Quit Smoking
Smoking causes inflammation and swelling of the tissues in the mouth and nasal passages, which obstructs the airways. You may also be more likely to have nasal congestion since smoking increases mucus production.
Quitting smoking can decrease inflammation, swelling, and nasal congestion that leads to snoring. It can be difficult to quit smoking, but a healthcare provider can help you.
4. Reduce Nasal Congestion
Nasal congestion makes it harder to breathe smoothly, which may cause you to snore. Using a humidifier at night can clear your nasal passages if you have a cold or allergies. Inhaling steam or using decongestant can also decrease nasal congestion.
5. Use a Nasal Dilator
Nasal dilators may help people withallergies. Some evidence suggests that nasal dilators improve daytime sleepiness by reducing the number of times you wake up during the night due to snoring.
6. Utilize an Oral Appliance
An over-the-counter (OTC) oral appliance that opens the passageway can help if you have an obstruction, such as a large tongue or small mouth. Research has found that oral appliances might reduce the risk of complications from sleep apnea, like heart disease. Consulting a dentist or ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) can help you choose the right option.
7. Wear a Nasal Strip
Nasal strips can open up your nasal passage if you have narrow airways. These adhesive bands stick to the outside of your nose and keep your nostrils open while you sleep. This makes it easier to breathe, possibly reducing snoring.
Consult a healthcare provider if your snoring is loud enough to wake others in the house or even yourself. You may also want to consult a healthcare provider if you have:
- Daytime drowsiness
- Feeling tired or having a headache when you wake up
- Making gasping noises while sleeping, which is a symptom of sleep apnea
- Trouble focusing or concentration
- Weight gain
A healthcare provider can also help figure out if an underlying health condition is the cause of your snoring, such as sleep apnea. Snoring severity increases with sleep apnea severity. A healthcare provider can advisetreatments to address your snoring if you have sleep apnea.
A healthcare provider can also diagnose and treat physical blocks. They may suggest electrical stimulation, which trains the tongue to stay forward if your tongue causes snoring.
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A Quick Review
Snoring is a common condition that can disrupt sleep, including that of your loved ones. Changing your sleep position, reducing nasal congestion, and quitting smoking are ways to stop snoring.
Snoring is often a harmless nightly disturbance that impacts sleep quality, but it can also indicate underlying health conditions like sleep apnea. Consult a healthcare provider if snoring disrupts your quality of life or if you often make gasping noises while sleeping.