Does the quality of sleep affect your everyday life? Yes, it surely does. Maybe, you would never have given this topic a thought if you had never experienced issues with how you sleep. But remember, not all sleeping issues are clear to everyone at first. You may be having problems with your sleeping patterns, but unless someone points it out, you may never know.
For example, you may be a heavy snorer at night. And if you know this or someone has ever mentioned it to you, you need to ask yourself, why do people snore? Delving into this topic may improve how you sleep in the long run. Consequently, it will increase your quality of life.
Snoring mainly is the sound that one produces when being asleep. It may not bother that person, but everyone else may be disturbed by the sound. In fact, some people can be completely unable to sleep when someone else is snoring nearby. It has various causes that you need to know about if you or someone you live with snores regularly.
Once you identify the causes, it will be easy to investigate why you keep snoring during the night, hence, you can address the issue immediately. Having suffered from insomnia for quite a long time, I have done a lot of research in this area to help myself and everyone else who suffers from the same problem.
Therefore, I have compiled this report to save you from continued suffering whereas there are numerous solutions that you can use. I will start with the meaning of snoring, then proceed to discussing the causes of snoring, learning how to know if you are a snorer, and the ways to address the problem. Follow all the tips, apply them, and you will see the benefits for yourself.
What Is Snoring?
Do you snore or know someone who snores? If you are a snorer, you may not be able to tell how bothering it is. But if you know someone who snores, I doubt you were in awe the first time you heard the sounds of the person’s snores. You may have been wondering how a person who is so adorable during the day might produce those funny and disturbing sounds at night.
But have you ever asked yourself about the meaning of snoring? Yes, you hear the sound when someone else is snoring, but what is it? The simple definition of snoring is that it is a noise produced when you are breathing.
The deeper meaning of snoring is that it is the vibration that occurs when air passes through a narrowed nasal passage between the throat and nose. The vibrations that occur as you breathe become the sounds that you hear when someone else is snoring. The sound may not be bothering in one day, but when it occurs repeatedly, it becomes an issue for the people living with the snoring person.
And the funny thing about it is that you may be thinking that you don’t snore just because someone has never mentioned it to you. However, that may not be true. Everyone snores at least once in a while for some reason. The only difference is that for some people, snoring becomes regular to the extent that it turns into a chronic illness.
What Causes Snores in Human Beings?
Since you now understand the meaning of snoring, and you know that everyone is vulnerable to producing the sounds, it is necessary to examine the main causes of snoring. When you understand what causes snoring, you may be able to deal with the problem or help someone close to you. Below, I will discuss some of the common causes as they are important to understand before you start finding ways of stopping such behavior.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, OSA
Snoring may be caused by an illness known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep disorder that can occur to anyone. It is characterized by irregular breathing during the night. Medical doctors argue that OSA occurs when an individual’s throat muscles relax so that they block the passage of air.
The blockage of air, therefore, causes an individual to strain, hence, he or she ends up producing the snoring sounds. Unless you see a doctor, you may not be able to tell whether you have sleep apnea. As a result, you may also not have an opportunity to apply the technique that stops snoring.
Narrow Airways May Lead to Snoring that Requires Snore Aid
Some people happen to have narrow airways naturally. It is not a disorder nor is it something to worry about too much because you can deal with the underlying cause by finding snoring aids. Obese and overweight individuals are a major group that snores because of narrow airways.
In this case, the result of the extra weight is that these individuals accumulation blocks the airways, making them narrow down. If you are in this situation, you should start smiling. Why? Because you can reverse it.
Once you start working on a program that will help you to cut weight, you may be sure that your sleep will become better in the future. Otherwise, you will have to find a snoring aid to work with until you reduce your weight to a manageable level.
Insomnia and Sleep Deprivation
When you deprive yourself of sleep, do not be surprised when your partner or roommate complains about your snoring during the night. Once you deprive yourself of sleeping, you experience irregular sleep patterns. The irregular patterns then cause you to lack quality deep sleep. As a result, you may experience vibrations when breathing at night because your body wants to rest, but you keep fighting it.
Sleep deprivation is different from insomnia as it is voluntary. Insomnia, on the other hand, is involuntary. It is a general lack of sleep that may occur when you are stressed or have other issues. If you suspect that you are snoring because of one of these two issues, you need to address the problem immediately. It will be beneficial for you and the people around you in the long term.
Uncomfortable Sleeping Position
Before you find a stop snoring aid, you need to find out if the sleeping position is the main culprit. Sometimes, you may think you have a serious problem, while in reality, the issue is very simple. When your partner awakens you and argues that you are snoring too much, find out what position you were sleeping in as it could be the main cause.
If you sleep on your back, you are most likely to be a victim of gravity. It could pressure you so much to the extent of narrowing down your airways. Therefore, if you awaken in the middle of the night because of snoring, the first thing you need to do is to change the sleeping position. Once you do that, the snores may end immediately, and you will not be bothering anyone again.
Taking Alcohol Before Bedtime
Have you ever tried many ways of how to get someone to stop snoring, and all of them did not work? If you have, I bet you had spent the whole night cursing and wishing that things could have changed. One thing you may have missed is to check if that person had taken alcohol before bedtime. But maybe you did not know that there could be a connection between the snoring and the alcohol.
Well, now that you know, alcohol could be making you or someone you know snore. How does it cause that? Once you consume alcohol, your body feels relaxed. Your muscles also relax completely to the extent that you may be unable to control your body.
When this happens, the relaxation of your body muscles could constrict your nasal passage. The narrowing of the passage then leads to snoring because you struggle to breathe. And you cannot make your snore stop until you become sober and take control of your system.
Who Is Prone to Snoring and How to Identify if You Usually Snore?
If you are not a snorer, you may think that there is no point in searching for information on how do you stop snoring. However, you may be wrong because one or more people in your household could be snorers. Therefore, you have no option but to search for the information to help your loved ones. So, who is highly prone to snoring?
Men are more likely to be snorers as compared to women in the household. Surprising, right? There are many reasons why men snore more than women. One of them is that biologically, men have narrower air passages compared to women. Therefore, when they sleep, the relaxation of their bodies narrows the air passages even more, hence leading to snoring.
Some men have complained of being abused by their spouses while asleep because of snoring. What their spouses do not know is that they can stop snoring abuse because there are many techniques for minimizing the behavior. Continue reading, and you will find many methods of minimizing snoring or getting rid of it.
Apart from men being naturally snorers, children may also snore, even more than adults. Their bodies are still in the development stage, hence, if the air passages are not fully developed, these individuals may snore.
The easiest way to know if you are a snorer is to ask someone whom you have shared a room with. That individual will definitely tell you if you snore during the night, and he or she will tell you how common it is. The person will tell you if you snore too loud, every day, or just once in a while.
Another way of knowing if you are a snorer is to use SnoreLab, an iOS and Android application that tracks how you sleep. The app records your snoring patterns and then creates a graph that shows you how frequently you produce sounds at night and how intense they are. Therefore, by using the app or asking a friend to know if you are a snorer, you may then proceed to the next step, which is finding out methods that you may use to stop snoring.
Available Alternatives to Help You Stop Snoring
You could probably be among the 45% American adults that the National Sleep foundation claims to be snoring or making certain sounds in their sleep. If you are not among them, your partner is probably in this category. The thing you have to know about snoring is that it is a problem for both the person who snores and those they are sharing a room or bed with.
For those who snore, this challenge has led to experiencing stress and developing fear of sleep. Extreme cases result in self-medication with non-prescribed pills that may worsen the problem or cause other illnesses. However, there is no predefined medication that you can rely on to end your snoring problem completely.
There are more theories than you can think of how to stop someone from snoring. Nevertheless, none of them has been documented as the universally accepted way of doing it. This should tell you that they are just ways of helping you to manage the situation. In this respect, there are several techniques, as discussed below, that can be used in dealing with this issue.
How Can I Stop Snoring? – Change the Sleeping Position
How you sleep greatly contributes to your snoring problem. I have actually discussed it in this article as one of the reasons why people snore. Therefore, if you are wondering how to stop snoring at night, your first remedy should be changing your sleeping habits.
The science behind this concept is that once you sleep on your back, the tongue’s base and soft palate cave in to your throat’s back wall, which makes it more difficult for you to breathe. This, in turn, triggers vibration while sleeping, which is manifested by snoring.
How do I stop snoring triggered by poor sleeping habits? Medical professionals recommend sleeping on your side. The idea is that your tongue will be more relaxed, hence will not block the airway.
Further, to minimize this blockage, ensure that you get a good pillow that helps keep your spine aligned to the neck. In this regard, consider purchasing an anti-snore pillow. Alternatively, you can buy a body pillow that offers support to your full body. This way, it is easier to maintain the side sleeping position all night.
Another home-based remedy for maintaining the appropriate sleeping position is by fixing a tennis ball at your pajamas back. Those people that champion this remedy consider it as more of a training solution to avoid sleeping on your back.
The secret is that trying to sleep on your back will cause the ball to press on your back, which causes some discomfort. This, in turn, causes your body to automatically switch into a new sleeping position, ideally on one of your sides. This exercise should be continued until your body gets used to this sleeping position.
Nutritional Solutions – How to Stop Snoring Naturally
It does not come as a surprise to me that issues to do with nutrition are among the causes of snoring. The reason is the fact that reckless lifestyles are to blame for most of the health conditions people are facing these days.
For example, an overweight person snores more than an individual with a healthier body. Therefore, to avoid snoring, you will want to minimize food that contributes to the increase in your fat matter.
From a medical perspective, your objective should be cutting on foods that fall under the inflammatory diet category. These are simply those that cause excess mucus production, which in turn triggers snoring through constricting the airway.
Refined carbohydrates form the largest category of the inflammatory diet. These are the foods you should consider to minimize consuming before going to bed. So, what foods can help minimize our snoring problem?
- Honey
Top of the dietary solutions to minimize snoring is honey. Scientific research has led to the classification of this bee product as a strong antimicrobial. This is generally any substance that is capable of destroying disease-causing microorganisms. This is why you will find people recommending it as a good remedy for your cold.
The working principle is the same in both cases, it will soothe your throat and nasal pathway, thereby eliminating congestion and allowing for free movement of air. This will effectively help reduce your snoring.
- Peppermint
Most people are probably not familiar with this herbal plant. There is a good reason for this. It is rare, and you will find it only being used as a spice in beverages like tea. However, individuals who maintain a detox routine appreciate the peppermint leaves as good antioxidants. In terms of snoring, it may have other benefits too.
It will effectively minimize the involuntary contraction of your throat muscles, which allows for free movement of air as you sleep. For a greater impact, it is recommended that you put the leaves in boiled water and directly inhale the steam.
- Turmeric
Another product that is rich in anti-inflammatory properties is turmeric. This is a spice that is common in Indian dishes. Similar to peppermints, it soothes your throat, hence minimizing the involuntary contraction of muscles in this area. While it can be used as a supplement in food, it is most effective when added in a glass of warm milk and drank half an hour before going to sleep.
- Garlic and onions
Garlic is one of the spices with huge amounts of anti-inflammatory characteristics. For this reason, certain people will recommend the consumption of raw garlic as part of home-based snoring remedies. Onions, on the other hand, are good natural antioxidants.
They are actually very reliable in fighting off certain disease-causing bacteria. This property is particularly helpful to people that snore because it is also known to eliminate that cause of congestion in the throat and nose area.
Onions consumed in your food are enough to minimize your snoring. However, I have known people eating raw onions as a part of their salads. Whichever way you consume it, the impact is the same.
- Olive oil
A major reason why you are advised against taking saturated oils at night is because of their tendency to cause acid reflux. This makes you vulnerable to conditions such as heartburn, and in extreme cases, it will cause inflammation in your esophagus.
Eventually, it may cause you to start snoring. This is a situation you can easily avoid by adopting the healthier option of olive oil. For one, it does not cause acid reflux, and it will also help minimize inflammation.
- Pineapple
In the list of healthier diet options I have highlighted, there is no mention of fruits. That is why I feel compelled to include pineapple into this list. This is one of the natural decongestant and anti-inflammatory remedies. In this regard, you can enjoy it at night to help minimize your snoring.
While still on the issue of nutrition and lifestyle changes, it is important to talk about the need for losing weight as one of the solutions to your snoring problem. As earlier discussed, excess weight will result in an increase in fat tissue around the neck area. This increases the weight on your neck and throat, thereby narrowing down the airway on both your throat and nose.
This is what causes you to snore. Therefore, you will have to shed some pounds if you want to avoid snoring. You can easily lose weight by exercising regularly and watching what you eat. Further, ensure that you stay well-hydrated. Ensure that you achieve the daily recommended dosage of water for a healthy person.
Keeping your body well-hydrated helps you avoid getting overweight and is also a solution to minimizing snoring. The argument raised is that the mucus produced in your nose and the soft palate becomes excessively sticky when the body is dehydrated. This is why you have to drink enough fluids if you want to stop snoring.
Medical Remedy to Snoring – How to Make Someone Stop Snoring
Are you searching for ways on how to stop snoring immediately? You could be among those people that have tried the home-based solutions to avoid snoring without much success. On the other hand, the problem may be too much, and you just want an alternative that works fast.
Well, I come as the bearer of good news because you can achieve it by medical treatment. The continued innovations in the field of medicine have led to the invention of effective stop snore products. There are also certain surgical and non-surgical treatment options that also serve as alternatives to stop snoring devices.
- Oral device
This is a dental stop snore mouth piece, which works by moving forward the positions of your jaw, soft palate, and tongue in a bid to maintain your airway open. This device is developed based on the understanding that snoring is caused by blockage or contraction of the airway. To obtain one, make an appointment with a dental specialist so that they can effectively position and fit the stop snoring mouthpiece at the right place.
It is also recommended that once it is fitted, you should visit a sleep specialist. The aim here is ensuring that the device is working as required. You will also have to make more of these appointments to the specialist dentist to have the appliance checked.
This also includes a dental check-up to ensure that it is not compromising your oral health. Among the side effects highlighted by other stop snoring mouthpiece reviews are; painful jaw in the first days, dry mouth, slight headaches, and salivating a lot.
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
One of the medical stop snoring products actually involves wearing a mask that covers both your mouth and nose while sleeping. The role of this mask is directing pressurized air which comes from a bedside machine to provide continuous airflow into your nostrils. The air is pressurized so that it can help unblock your nasal way and keep all your airways open to minimize breathing impairments.
However, this machine comes with a few drawbacks. Some users have complained that it may be uncomfortable to sleep with the device at night. On the other hand, CPAP may be out of the budget range for some of the users.
- Shock bracelets
One of the exciting devices in this category include an anti snore wristband. I say interesting because it’s working principle may be contentious to many. The concept is that the gadget is expected to run a faint electrical shock the moment it detects you are producing a snoring sound. From the customer reviews of this stop snore device, you can already guess there will be several critics. Their main concern is that it ended up being a nightmare for them because of regular waking up at night.
- Somnoplasty
This is another alternative to help minimize snoring. Somnoplasty employs radiofrequency technology to stiffen or shrink the soft tissues such as soft palate and uvula that vibrate when snoring. The process involves a doctor directing small levels of radiofrequency heat energy to the soft tissues.
This heat creates well-controlled restricted burn areas under the soft palate tissues. This causes them to shrink in volume and become stiffer. In certain cases, the process may have to be repeated on several occasions of six weeks interval in order to achieve optimum results.
This procedure is preferred by most people because it is less painful and discomforting. However, the others have discredited this technology by claiming that it reduced their snoring for a while, but later the problem resumed.
- Laser snoring approach
This is a surgical approach to minimize snoring. This process entails a laser-based surgery to rectify the body structures that cause snoring. This being the case, the specialist will be looking to reduce the sizes of the soft palate and uvula by cutting them.
The whole process will require about two to three appointments and does not take longer than half an hour on each visit. This procedure is preferred because it is effective, and there is no pain involved. The only side effect you will experience is of a sore throat after the treatment is completed.
What More Should I Know About Snoring
The topic of snoring is quite extensive. Therefore, there are many details to be covered and iron out. In this section, I will briefly answer some of the queries related to this issue.
How Do Nasal Strips Stop Snoring?
By description, they are adhesive strips that you are expected to wear on the bridge section of your nose. This unique engineering masterpiece works by opening up your nasal passage by broadening and decongesting it to enable air to flow freely. The strip acts like a spring, which stretches your nostrils, thereby opening them to allow free airflow.
Do Cpaps Stop Snoring?
As earlier mentioned, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a snoring treatment that involves wearing a mask over a mouth and nose during sleep. The mask is then attached to a pump that supplies consistent airflow to your nostrils. A large number of CPAP users claim that it has helped them stop snoring by preventing sleep apnea episodes.
Does Surgery Stop Snoring?
Among various ways of stopping snoring is surgery. It is considered as one of the long-term solutions to end the problem. The rationale for this is that it helps stop snoring through correcting the anatomical characteristics causing the problem.
Some of the corrective surgeries that can be undertaken to eliminate snoring include; somnoplasty, palate surgery, adenoidectomy, and tonsillectomy. They are considered effective techniques for ending snoring. Moreover, on the contrary to the myths you may have heard, these procedures are not painful, with some taking even less than half an hour per session.
Pregnancy Snoring – When Does It Stop?
Do you experience the increased rate of snoring during your pregnancy? There is no need to worry. It is a common occurrence in the final trimester and is associated with a rise in pregnancy hormones (progesterone and estrogen).
They cause the mucous membranes of a pregnant woman’s nose to swell, which results in nasal congestion and swelling of its tissues that, in turn, triggers the snoring. This problem can also be caused by the extra weight gained as a result of your pregnancy.
It is always advisable to tell your doctor about your pregnancy snoring. This will help the specialist to advise you on the best cause of action. However, if you are not a chronic snorer, the problem tends to go away itself once the pregnancy phase ends.
A Brief Summary on How to Stop Snoring
From the analysis presented, it is obvious that snoring is a major challenge facing most American adults. This being the case, it is also a problem affecting most households. People sharing a bed or a room with a snorer suffer too and may even get fed up or start to hate the snoring person.
From my experience and views shared in this article, the first step to dealing with this problem is to understand the concept of snoring, what causes it, and whether you actually snore during your sleep.
This article has revealed that snoring is triggered by the blockage of the nasal passage and other airways, hence making you produce the vibrating sounds. Some of the factors that contribute to this blockage include: alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, being overweight, poor sleeping positions like sleeping on your back, and also taking certain medications.
The encouraging thing is that there exist numerous alternatives to help you stop snoring. Most of these options have been discussed under the broader topics about nutritional remedies, medical solutions, and also sleeping positions. Hopingly, this analysis has helped to unearth some of the simple home-based ways to stop snoring, such as adopting the right diet and proper sleeping position.
On the other hand, I have suggested other long-term solutions that are based on medical approaches like surgery to rectify the body structures that bring about snoring. So, which of these snoring remedies has been working well for you? What are some of the benefits and drawbacks to each of the solutions that you have tested?
