Loard Eva
Do you snore? Well, if positive, you’re not alone. About half of us all do it while in sleep. It’s an all-natural process when air flows through your throat and vibrates the relaxed tissues of your throat.
All though we all are not concern on it, snoring is not only a nuisance but also a serious health issue. 75% of the people who have snoring problem also have sleep apnea. On top of that, it can lead to several cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, stroke etc.
Now the question is, how to fix loud snoring? Do you want to fix it by a $2-3000 surgery or stop snoring with a few natural practices?
Surely, we would prefer the second one. And this is what the entire article is about. Stick around and we will show you.
Causes of Snoring While Sleeping
People who have obesity problem often found having extra bulky tissue in the throat. This vibrates when you breathe while you are sleeping. Thus it results in snoring.
During menopause
Menopause refers to a time when women go through a major hormonal as well as physical changes. Along with other problems like hot flashes, sleep disorders are also very common. Menopausal women often have insomnia, short breathing. Snoring is also common and if more critical, causes obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
General aging
Normal aging tends to relax tongue and throat muscles. And snoring can occur when these muscles are relaxed. So snoring is very common among aged people. Also, when you are gradually aging, snoring can be a sign.
Nasal & sinus problem
Snoring can an indication that you have sinus or any other nasal problem. Nasal congestion, caused by swelling of tissues or blockage, narrows the nasal cavity. Partial nasal blockage can be a result of sinus, cold, flu, allergy etc.
A permanent nasal blockage occurs because of nasal polyps or a deviated septum. The former is a growth inside the nasal cavity and later is a deformed nasal wall.
While sleeping, you naturally try to breathe only through the nose. But as the cavity is narrowed now, your body automatically forces your mouth to open and breath. It develops a greater amount of negative pressure behind the soft palate and uvula. Thus greater vibration in uvula and soft palate creates the noise known as ‘snoring’.
What Types Of Snore Are You?
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Mouth Shut Snore: Yes, snoring with mouth closed is a real thing. This is possible when your tongue blocks the air and it can’t reach the lungs. And this happens when excess bulky tissue adds to the base of the tongue because of obesity.
It also happens to people with growing age when the tongue and tissues relax more. A common test to find out whether you are a mouth shut snorer or not is given below.
First, make snoring sound keeping your tongue inside the mouth. Now stick it out and make the noise again. If the noise is reduced, then you are a mouse shut snorer.
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Mouth Open Snore: While snoring if your mouth is open then you are an open mouth snorer. If you snore due to a nasal problem, along with mouth breathers, you fall into this category. How nasal blockage or congestion causes snoring has been explained earlier.
If you have problem breathing with one nose closed with fingers, then probably you are a nasal snorer.
You can test whether you are a mouth snorer or not by another method. First, open your mouth and try to make the sound of snoring. Now shut the mouth and try the same. If you are not able to make the same sound with your mouth closed, then you are a mouth snorer.
This type of snores is common with people who sleep usually on their back or side.
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Back Snoring: When you sleep on your back, the natural airway inside your mouth is congested. It’s because the relaxing muscles of your throat and tongue then collapse backward. This partially blocks the upper airway. It leads to the loud vibration and consequently snoring creates.
Natural Ways to Stop Snoring Permanently
1. Change Your Sleeping Habit
Your sleeping position can alleviate and aggravate snoring. Sleeping on Side is the ideal position for snorers. If you are a tongue snorer, sleep on your side instead of your back. Tapping a tennis ball to tour back can be a gentle reminder. Using a body pillow is even more helpful. So if you are worried about how to fix loud snoring, you can try by switching sleeping position.
Or you can tilt back the bed so that your head is up when you sleep, though this can cause neck pain.
In addition to this, stick to a well-set sleeping schedule. It helps you to have the right amount of sleep regularly which is again helpful to snoring problem. If changing sleeping position doesn’t help to prevent snoring, then see a doctor.
2. Change Your Sleeping Pillow
Old pillows can be snore alleviators as they are possible sources of allergens. Again old pillows accumulate dust mites can lead to snoring.
Therefore, replacing old pillows and mattresses every year is conducive to serious snorers. But you can extents the lifespan by putting them in the dryer once in two weeks.
3. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking
Alcohol works as a sedative that affects the nervous system. It results in decreasing in resting muscle tone in the back of your tongue and throat. As a consequence, you start snoring while sleeping even if you don’t snore normally. People who snore if drink alcohol four to five hour before bedtime, snore worse.
Smoking cause irritation to the tissues of your throat and nose. It results in swelling the tissues that again obstructs the way of airflow. Therefore, snoring is common with chain smokers. However, it’s not only the direct smoker who have the impact of smoking. Indirect smoker i.e. people surrounding the smoker are also at a risk.
Avoiding alcohol is an effective way to stop snoring naturally for alcoholics.
4. Stay Well Hydrate
Out of dehydration, the secretions in your nose and throat become stickier. As a result, the sound of snoring amplifies. Drinking enough water will help to lubricate the nasal cavity. It’ll also keep the mucus moisture. The Institute of Medicine recommends 16 cups of water from all drinks and food for men. And women requires 11 cups.
5. Reduce Bedroom Allergens
Vacuum and mop the drapes and the floor regularly. Also, change the pillow cover and bed sheets and clean them frequently.
If you are a seasonal allergic, then using an air purifier will be very beneficial. It’ll help to keep the air free from allergens, pollen grains, and mold which can’t be cleaned by only vacuuming.
Again, allowing animals on your bed can also contribute to snoring by pet dangers. The pet hair or fur is a common source of allergens. So if you are allergic to pet hair, then keep the dog or cat out of your bedroom.
Also, to keeps the dust mites to a minimum, use a protective pad over the mattress and clean it time to time.
6. Get Your Body Weight Normal
If you’ve recently put on some weight and started snoring, this is because of your overweight. Gaining weight especially around the neck squeezes the diameter of the airway. Losing some weight will obviously help in such case to stop snoring naturally. But it may not turn off completely if you have other reasons for snoring too.
When You Need To See A Doctor?
Some Stop snoring products will be helpful. Various types of stop snoring devices are available at the market. They help to keep the airway open so that you can breathe comfortably. Like-
- Anti-snoring nasal clip (for nasal snorers)
- Snore solution mouthpiece (for tongue snorers)
- Sleep tight mouthpiece (for mouth snorers)
These mouth guard devices are able to eliminate snoring completely. But they are only effective if the nasal problem or snoring is created for a temporary reason. For chronic and more serious cases you must consult a doctor.
No wonder when you snore it bothers your partner. Or you are bothered by your partner’s snoring. But if your own snoring starts bothering you and disturbs you sleeping, then it’s time you saw a doctor. Following are the signs you should consider as serious enough to consult a doctor.
- Falling asleep during working hours
- waking up with a headache
- feeling tired in the morning
- Irritating behavior
- depression
- Loss of concentration
If snoring is a result of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), then snoring is not a matter of joke anymore. It’s a condition which obstructs your breathing during sleeping. Even you can actually stop breathing for some seconds. Then you wake up jumping and start breathing again. This keeps happening several times a night. And interestingly you may not remember them in the morning.
However, OSA is dangerous as it can lead to the long-term consequences. For example, heart attack, sleep deprivation, diabetes, high blood pressure etc.
It’s Important! Before You Go
If your dear ones are snoring, don’t just ignore them or make fun of them. Find the reason that causes him/her snoring and also the solution. Otherwise, it can turn to be a serious health issue.
Have a sound and hygiene sleep.
