General / Self Care

How to stop snoring, home remedies?

Did you know that snoring is a common problem among all ages and both genders affecting approximately 90 million American adults with about 37 million of those on a regular basis? While each one of us may have snored on occasion, if you’ve been snoring frequently, it may point to an underlying problem. Research has revealed that 75 per cent of those who snore have obstructive sleep apnea, which could increase the risk of developing heart disease in future. Snoring can also lead to poor sleep, health issues, day fatigue, irritation and it may even affect your personal life. Find out the ways in which you can stop snoring naturally.

From quitting smoking, cut down on drinking, using a humidifier, keeping yourself hydrated to using honey and many more.

Sleep on your Side

Doing this, stops the base of your tongue and soft palate from collapsing to the back wall of your throat. Something that usually happens when you sleep on your back. This results in a vibrating sound when you are asleep. If sleeping on your side is difficult, a body pillow or taping tennis balls to the back of your pyjamas can be a quick and cheap solution.

Use A Mouth Guard

A mandibular advancement device, also known as an oral appliance, is shaped like a mouth guard for you to wear at night. It helps keep your lower jaw pushed out, widening the airway and reducing snoring. Studies show it is 90 percent effective at reducing noise from snoring. It costs $500 to $1,000 and lasts for at least 3 years. Your dentist can fit you for one. For a less expensive option, you can buy an OTC device called a snore guard. You boil it and then fit it into your mouth to create an impression of your teeth and dental structure. The goal is the same: to bring your lower jaw forward a bit to make the back of your throat less crowded.

Quit Smoking to stop snoring

Another naturally effective way to control snoring is by giving up smoking. Smoking leads to nasal and other respiratory tract related congestion which contributes to snoring. Smoking also leads to the relaxation of throat muscles which gives way to snoring. So, control the smoking and it will lead to the control of snoring as well.

Check For Allergies

Nasal congestion and inflammation caused by allergies is a common cause of snoring. Being tested for allergies can help you to identify and reduce potential allergens in your sleeping environment. They can be anything from bedding, dust mites, pet hair, dairy or wheat intolerance which can lessen snoring.

Use A Humidifier

If a cold or congestion is behind your snoring, one way to unstuff your nose is to run a humidifier in your bedroom at night. This encourages your sinuses to drain, shrinking nasal mucous and improving airflow to reduce snoring. Smearing some Vicks VapoRub on your chest at night will help open your nasal passages too, easing your snoring.

Open your nasal passages

Sometimes snoring can occur when your nasal passages are blocked. If this is the case, try using adhesive nasal dilator strips at night to open up your passageways. You can also take hot showers along with squeezing a little saltwater solution in your nose to clear your nasal passages before bed. If you don’t see improvement with simple home snoring remedies, you might have enlarged inferior turbinates. By trimming the inferior turbinates, you can improve the airflow in your nasal passages. This will reduce your snoring along with other sinus problems.

Stop Teeth Grinding

Stress, increased muscle tension and misalignment of the teeth can put stress on your jaw joints and cause pain. But grinding the teeth at night can also force your tongue back into the throat and narrow the airway during sleep. This can result in snoring as well as sleep disruption. Something as simple as a mouth guard can realign the bite, cushion the teeth and prevent your tongue from obstructing breathing at night.

Use Olive oil to stop snoring

The anti-inflammatory properties of Olive Oil can help ease the tissues along the respiratory passage. This reduces any swelling or inflammation. This in turn provides ease in breathing and helps reduce snoring. Every night before going to bed, make it a point to take one tablespoon olive oil. You can also add a few drops of honey for taste.

Stay away from alcohol before bed

Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles causing snoring. This means you will have less control over your throat muscles and tongue. As a result, your throat muscles will vibrate more when you breathe in and out. The more the vibration, the louder you will snore. So, try to avoid alcohol consumption in the hours leading up to bedtime.

Develop A Sleeping Pattern

Snoring solutions really can be as easy as adjusting your sleeping routine, often known as adopting good sleep hygiene. Training your body to clock off at the same time every evening and wake up at the same time each morning will prevent you from becoming overtired. It will also enable you to work out how much sleep your body needs to prevent overtiredness. If you’re overtired, your muscles will relax more. Relaxed muscles are the main cause of closed airways. By getting regular sleep, your body won’t need to relax quite as much when you sleep.

Keep Yourself Hydrated to stop snoring

Water may seem like an unbelievably simple snoring solution, but sometimes that’s really all it takes to put a stop to it. When you’re dehydrated, the mouth becomes dry, and the secretions in your mouth or mucus become sticky. This makes soft tissues more likely to catch and vibrate against one another, amplifying your snoring sounds and making them almost unbearable. Start observing your water consumption throughout the day. If you’re drinking less water, begin making a conscious effort to increase your water intake. It’ll do wonders for your snoring, and your general health.

Avoid Dairy And Soy Before Sleeping

Eating foods that contain dairy and soy, especially before bedtime, isn’t advisable if you’re a snorer. Dairy has an adverse effect on secretions in your throat, causing them to thicken. This thick mucus decreases the space inside your mouth for air to pass through, increasing the chance of soft tissues vibrating against one another.

Exercise and Lose Weight

Exercising, losing weight, and getting into better shape is a great natural method for stopping a snoring problem. The obvious problem here is that it can take a little while to see results – though they will be well-worth it when they finally do arrive! Losing weight and getting into shape can help because snoring is usually caused by fatty tissue in the throat. The good news is that losing weight can help, because when you reduce the amount of fatty tissue around the neck, you also reduce your odds of having your airway obstructed during periods of rest.

Use Honey to stop snoring

Honey has many anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce swelling in and around the throat. When mixed with some warm water or herbal tea, it can do wonders to help decrease constriction in your airway. For best results, mix one tablespoon of honey into a cup of your favorite herbal tea, and drink it an hour or two before bedtime. Alternatively, you can simply mix the honey into a glass of warm water and drink it that way.

Take Evening Showers

Taking a warm shower or bath in the evening and blowing your nose while you’re in there are snoring home remedies that can help clear your sinuses as well. If you normally shower in the morning, consider this, a warm shower at night helps put your body in a more relaxed state. Your bed will be cleaner on a daily basis making it less prone to dust and allergen buildup.

Try Tongue Exercises to stop snoring

Brazilian scientists have revealed a set of tongue exercises designed to stop people snoring. Here are some of the moves they suggested performing every day: Push your tongue against the roof of the mouth and slide the tongue backwards. Suck your tongue and press it against the roof of the mouth. Press your tongue against your front teeth and force it against the mouth’s floor. Open wide and say the vowel ‘a’.

Sing to stop snoring

Singers score significantly lower on the snoring scale than people who keep their mouths shut, according to research from the UK. Singing strengthens the muscles in your soft palate and upper throat, so they’re less likely to collapse and block your airway. Fortunately, you don’t have to sound like Sinatra to experience the effects for yourself. The researchers suggest that any type of singing for a small amount of time each day could be beneficial.