Snoring is annoying if you are the one kept up all night listening to your partner saw logs. It can also be frustrating if you are the one doing it and it interferes with your ability to get a good night’s rest.
In most cases, snoring is a huge bedroom issue. Finding a solution for it becomes almost a necessity if anyone wants to get some quality sleep every again.
The key to a solution is understanding the cause of snoring because this will often lead to a solution.
Why People Snore
The Mayo Clinic explains that snoring is not always a health problem, but sometimes it can be. In fact, almost everyone will snore at some point. For many people, snoring happens when they have a cold that is causing restriction of their airways. However, for some people with chronic snoring problems, there is a serious underlying health issue.
If you snore and you sleep poorly because of it, then you may have sleep apnea. This is a condition where you stop breathing in your sleep. When this happens, it wakes you up, which leads to a restless night. You may have other symptoms, such as waking up multiple times a night, high blood pressure, irritability, and feeling excessively tired all the time.
Many people snore even though they don’t have sleep apnea. It may also be a result of a sinus issue, weight, alcohol consumption, or allergies. Snoring happens because the muscles in the mouth relax too much and block the airway in the throat. Your body, therefore, must work harder to force the air through, which makes the tissue vibrate and produces the loud noise.
You may also snore if you sleep on your back because gravity can narrow the throat passage. If you are exhausted when you go to sleep, your body may relax more than usual, which can also cause snoring.
Those who are most likely to snore include people who:
- Have large adenoids
- Drink before bedtime
- Are male
- Are overweight
- Have a family history
- Have nasal issues
Treatments
Snoring solutions typically depend on why you snore. If you have sleep apnea, for example, you will need medical help. You will likely have to wear a CPAP device that blows air into your throat to keep it open.
If you have large adenoids, you may be able to have surgery to remove them. This might correct the issue. Structural issues with your nasal passages or mouth may also require surgical correction.
If you are overweight, losing weight could fix the snoring problem. Snoring due to alcohol use is also often easy to solve without medical intervention. You simply need to stop drinking close to bedtime. Another simple solution for some people is to not sleep in a position other than on your back.
Snoring related to nasal congestion issues may require treating the underlying issue. This might an infection or allergies.
If your mouth has structural issues, you may be able to use an oral device to help maintain the structure and prevent the collapse that will close off the airway, according to the dentist based in Boynton Beach.
Most often, if you seek help from your doctor for snoring, he or she will send you to a sleep lab. You will undergo some tests to see what the issue may be. This is an important step because if you have sleep apnea, it is best to start treatment right away. The sleep test may also help uncover other health issues, such as problems with your sinus cavities, that will lead to solutions.
If you don’t have symptoms of sleep apnea and you want to try to find a solution on your own first, then you should start with some easy lifestyle changes:
- Change your sleeping position
- Lose ten pounds
- Stop smoking
- Stop alcohol use
- Avoid using electronics before bed
- Use nasal strips to open your airway
- Take a hot shower before bed to open nasal passages
- Take allergy medications
Do note that if you stop breathing in your sleep, you should seek immediate medical attention because this is a serious health risk. You most likely do have sleep apnea and home remedies will not fix your problem.
Goodbye Snoring
Some people snore due to serious health issues, so it is always a good idea to get a doctor’s examination to be sure you don’t have such a problem. If you are someone without an underlying medical condition, though, there are still solutions out there. Most of the time, you can easily make a change or two in your life your sleeping routine that can allow you to stop the snoring.
You may still have an episode every once in a while, but finding a good solution should make it a very rare occurrence. You and your partner should be able to finally enjoy a lovely night’s rest.