Snoring affects millions of us every night and can be seriously disruptive. But there are ways to manage it...
Snoring can have a disruptive influence on not just your partner’s sleeping habits but also yours. Up to 38% of couples sleep apart because of snoring, while it drives nearly 2 in 5 to a lack of sleep.
Almost a third say their partner's snoring has a negative effect on their mood.
Here are a few tips on how to get your snoring under control…
1. Diet and lifestyle
It all starts long before you go to bed. A lot of snoring is based on how your body is put together. By being just a few kilos overweight, you can increase the levels of fat around your neck, which squeezes the airways and leads to snoring.
Alcohol before bed can also cause your muscles to relax allowing the back of the throat to collapse more readily – a major cause of snoring. Smoking is another snoring no-no as it irritates the lining of the nasal cavity and throat. This can causes the airways to swell and fill with catarrh.
2. Sleeping position
As shown in our infographic on the perfect sleeping position for you, you need to avoid lying on your back. Gravity pushes down on your tongue, throat and soft palette, making the airways narrower and increasing your snoring risk.
3. Stop-snoring devices
Many companies have claimed to have the snoring silver bullet, but no one device is proven to be more successful than other.
Nasal strips and inserts like those from Mute, which conducted the research, help open your airways, while both mouth guards and chin straps push the lower jaw forward slightly. This allows more air through your airways.
4. Medical options
Some serious snorers might have a medical issue, like enlarged adenoids, that are blocking the airways and need dealing with. Sleep studies can help shed light on these.
For others, things like allergies or colds can cause snoring. Try anti-histamines to reduce the symptoms of allergies or inhalants before bed to help open the airways.