Blog Post: Snooze Snores Away: Lifestyle Habits to Reduce Snoring
Do you or your partner struggle with snoring at night? If so, you’re not alone. Around 90 million American adults suffer from snoring, with 37 million snoring regularly. Snoring can not only disrupt your own sleep, but also your partner’s, causing tension and frustration in the relationship. But fear not, there are lifestyle habits that can help reduce snoring and improve the quality of your sleep.
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight
One of the leading causes of snoring is excess weight, especially around the neck and throat area. When we gain weight, the fat deposits can narrow our airways, making it difficult for air to pass through. This can lead to vibrations in the soft tissues of the throat, resulting in the familiar snoring sound. By maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise, you can reduce the likelihood of snoring.
2. Avoid Alcohol and Sedatives Before Bed
Alcohol and sedatives can relax the muscles in the throat, causing them to collapse and block the airway. This leads to more frequent and louder snoring. It’s best to avoid these substances before bed, or at least limit them to earlier in the evening.
3. Elevate Your Head While Sleeping
Sometimes, snoring can be caused by the position in which we sleep. When we lie flat on our backs, our tongue and soft palate can collapse onto the back of our throat, obstructing airflow. By elevating your head while sleeping, either with an extra pillow or an adjustable bed, you can keep your airway open and reduce snoring.
4. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can also contribute to snoring. When we are dehydrated, our nasal passages and throat can become dry and irritated, resulting in congestion and snoring. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated and your airways clear.
5. Avoid Allergens and Irritants
Snooze Snores Away: Lifestyle Habits to Reduce Snoring
Allergies and irritants can cause congestion and inflammation in the nasal passages, making it difficult to breathe through the nose and increasing the likelihood of snoring. To reduce snoring, try to avoid common allergens such as dust, pet dander, and pollen. You can also use a humidifier to keep the air moist and reduce irritation.
6. Quit Smoking
Not only is smoking harmful to our overall health, but it can also contribute to snoring. The chemicals in cigarettes can irritate the lining of the throat and cause inflammation, making it harder to breathe and increasing snoring. Quitting smoking can improve your overall health and reduce snoring.
7. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Having a consistent bedtime routine and creating a comfortable sleep environment can also help reduce snoring. Make sure to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, avoid electronics before bed, and create a dark, quiet, and cool sleeping environment.
8. Consider Changing Your Sleeping Position
As mentioned earlier, sleeping on your back can contribute to snoring. If you are a back sleeper, try switching to your side. You can also try using a body pillow or a tennis ball sewn onto the back of your pajamas to prevent you from rolling onto your back while sleeping.
9. Try Throat Exercises
Just like any other muscle in our body, the muscles in our throat can benefit from exercise. There are specific exercises that can help strengthen these muscles, reducing their tendency to collapse and cause snoring. Some examples include singing, playing the didgeridoo, and doing tongue and throat exercises.
10. Consult a Healthcare Professional
If lifestyle changes do not seem to be helping with snoring, it’s best to consult a healthcare professional. They can rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be causing or contributing to snoring and provide treatment options such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine or surgery.
In summary, snoring can be a frustrating and disruptive issue, but there are lifestyle habits that can help reduce it. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, elevating your head while sleeping, staying hydrated, avoiding allergens and irritants, quitting smoking, practicing good sleep hygiene, changing your sleeping position, trying throat exercises, and consulting a healthcare professional are all effective ways to reduce snoring and improve the quality of your sleep.