Snoring is not a disease but can be a serious problem for you and your partner. While snoring is common in every other person, heavy snoring can lead to social and medical aftermaths. Due to snoring, the throat tissues get relaxed and start vibrating while making noise when sleeping. When snoring is severe, it may also cause insomnia, irritation and sleep disruption. It can even lead to sleep apnoea while increasing the risk of heart disease.
Various products are available in the market to help you stop snoring. Nonetheless, there are many effective yet simple anti snoring remedies to treat the issue. Here are some naturally effective home remedies against snoring:
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Change the Sleeping Position
When you lie on your back, it can collapse the base of the tongue and soft palate to the throat’s back wall and thus, lead to vibrating sounds while sleeping. But when you sleep on the side, it can prevent this issue.
So, you can consider using a body pillow as an easy fix. It also enables you to maintain your sleep on the side position. Or you can consider tapping tennis balls on your pyjamas’ back. It will help you stop lying on the back. Or you may use a reclining bed to keep your head up in an extended position. It also opens up the nasal airways to prevent snoring.
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Lose Weight
In some people, weight loss can help with snoring. If you gain weight, it can squeeze the throat’s internal diameter while making it more likely to collapse at the time of sleep. This further triggers snoring. Therefore, try to lose excess weight and slim down the fat around the neck.
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Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol can also decrease the muscle tone in your throat’s back. It further makes you more likely to snore. If you drink alcohol 4-5 hours before sleeping, it can make snoring worse. Even people who don’t snore normally are likely to snore after alcohol consumption. So, avoid it.
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Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene
Bad sleep habits may have the same effect on your sleep as alcohol. If you work for long hours without proper sleep, you hit the sack feeling exhausted. It can also lead to snoring. Therefore, make sure to follow a good bedtime routine. So, you can have a proper sleep without any snoring.
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Open Nasal Passages
When you snore, the nasal passages are often narrower due to mucus blockage. Therefore, you need to use certain anti snoring remedies like nasal sprays, steam or change of position to open nasal passages. When the nasal passages are open, you can breathe easily without experiencing snoring.
You may even use a neti pot for rinsing the nasal passages with a saline water solution. Even nasal strips can work to lift the nasal passages while opening them.
When to See a Doctor for Snoring?
Chronic snoring is a sign of a medical condition, particularly when other symptoms are persistent. If you experience any following symptoms, you need to consult a doctor:
- High blood pressure
- Restless sleep
- Forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating
- Morning headaches
- Sore throat or dry mouth while waking up
- Gasping or waking up choking
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
Also read: How to Stop Snoring: Top Tips to Sleep Softly
All these symptoms may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which is a common form of sleep apnoea. After all, OSA occurs when throat muscles relax and fail to open airways. It interrupts breathing when you sleep. So, try to follow the mentioned remedies to prevent snoring. All these remedies are simple and thus, easy to follow.
However, if you still don’t find any relief, consult a doctor for a proper cure and treat the symptom.