If you share a bed with someone and have an issue with snoring through the night, you already know how much of a strain it can be on your relationship. Neither of you is sleeping very well, and your partner is starting to despise sleeping with you every night. It’s a nightly struggle and no matter how much you want to stop snoring, it just keeps happening.
Snoring
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For the sake of you, your partner, and your relationship, it’s time to start taking action and learn how to stop snoring. Not only is snoring bad for your relationship, but it is also bad for your health. Luckily, there are ways you can start to overcome the habit of snoring so you and your partner can sleep well every night.

What Causes Snoring?

Before you can start to learn ways to stop snoring, it’s important to understand what causes snoring in the first place. Snoring occurs when you can’t breathe properly due to air not flowing freely through your nose and throat. This causes the surrounding tissue to vibrate, leading to the sound of snoring. The inability to move air freely while sleeping can be caused by several different factors.

  • Age is a common reason for people to snore. When you hit middle age or older, your throat becomes more narrow and muscle decreases. This makes the air more likely to have difficulty flowing without vibrating the surrounding tissue.
  • Overweight people tend to snore more because of the excess fat on the neck and the lack of muscle in the throat.
  • Sinus issues may be causing your frequent snoring because it is making it more difficult for you to breathe normally. If you have blocked airways, you will struggle to breathe smoothly through the night.
  • Drinking and smoking tend to relax the muscles in your body, including your throat muscles, making them less able to allow air to flow freely.
  • Sleep positions can also cause snoring. If you sleep on your back, your airways are most constricted making it more difficult for air to flow without vibrating the surrounding tissue.

How to Stop Snoring for Good?

In order to stop snoring, it’s important to figure out the root cause of your snoring. Some tips to stop snoring may help one person, but be completely ineffective for another. By first finding out why you’re snoring, it’ll be much easier to help stop the habit. Here are the best ways to stop snoring so you and your partner can finally have a good night’s sleep again.

Change Your Sleeping Position

This should be your first approach simply because it’s an easy adjustment to make. If you are sleeping on your back every night, try turning over on your side to sleep. If your partner wakes up to you snoring while lying on your back, have them turn you on your side to see if the snoring stops.

If sleeping on your back is most comfortable and a position you will always return to during sleep, try to adjust the positioning of your head. Raise your pillow up by a few inches when you go to sleep. This will allow the airways in your throat to open up more, even when you’re lying on your back. You can also get an adjustable bed that allows you to sleep slightly slanted upwards so the top half of your body is at an increased elevation, making breathing much easier while you sleep.

Use an Anti-Snoring Mouth Piece

If your snoring persists even after you’ve adjusted your sleeping position, you should try using a mouthpiece. Anti-snoring mouthpieces are a great fix to stop snoring while you try to find the deeper underlying issue. While you may not want to wear a mouthpiece to bed every night, it’s worth it to stop the snoring so you and your partner can sleep through the night.

Anti-snoring mouthpieces work by stabilizing the jaw and pushing it slightly forward to create a more open airway for breathing. They also keep your tongue in place so it doesn’t recede into your throat, and they keep the soft tissue from blocking the air pathway.

Use a Humidifier

Dry air can cause irritation to your throat and nose, leading to sinus issues and blocked airways. Using an air humidifier will keep the air most so your sinuses aren’t irritated and breathing becomes easier while you sleep.

Lose Weight

If you are overweight, this may be the sole reason you snore every night. This means the only way to permanently stop the snoring is to lose weight so your airways are no longer impeded by excess fat.

Losing weight is a long process, so try doing some of the other temporary solutions like adjusting sleep position and using a mouthpiece while you are in the process of losing weight.

Quit Smoking and Drinking

If you smoke regularly, your chances of developing a snoring habit are much higher than it is for non-smokers. This is because the smoke severely irritates your air pathways and can cause inflammation. Smoking can also lead to sinus issues such as a stuffed nose which makes properly breathing at night more difficult. Although it won’t be easy, quitting smoking may be the only way you can stop snoring at night.

Drinking, as stated above, causes the muscles in the throat to relax which make sit more difficult to sleep. It also tends to cause people to fall deeper into sleep, which increases the chances of snoring at night.

Get Medical Treatment

If your snoring persists even after trying all of the methods above, you can go to your doctor about stopping the snoring for good. There are several medical approaches you can try, including surgery to increase the size of your airways.

With all of the medical advances to treat snoring, there’s absolutely no reason for your snoring to persist. Make you and your partner’s sleep great again by taking the necessary steps to overcome snoring once and for all.

Author Bio:
Haley CornishHaley is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in mental health counseling and hopes to become a mental health therapist. She enjoys writing, traveling, holistic health, and learning new things. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook

2 COMMENTS

  1. Snoring though may seem innocuous can be an indicator of a serious underlying health condition. It may even be affecting you in ways that might not be apparent – like affecting your sleep quality, diminishing your capabilities to concentrate on work, or even affecting your relationship with your partner.

    We have also created an infographic on this subject, feel free to share it with your friends and on your social networks. Happy sleeping!