Snoring is a phenomenon that occurs when you cannot move air freely through your nose and throat while you sleep. This will cause the surrounding tissue to vibrate, which makes that sound we know as "snoring."
If your snoring is not too chronic or disturbing your partner, there may be a few simple things you can try to reduce or eliminate night time snoring.
- Find a different position when you sleep. Sometimes it can be as simple as rolling onto your side. You may find it helpful to get a large pillow to prop behind you. That will prevent you from rolling back to your original position.
- Don't drink alcohol 6 hours prior to your bed time. You may find that red wine or other types of alcoholic beverages will make you snore. If that's the case, just manage how much and when you drink alcohol.
- Get in shape. It may seem cliche but having a large neck can constrict the internal diameter of your throat which enhances your chances of snoring.
- Take a nice hot shower before you go to bed. This can help open up your nasal passages. You may even try a saltwater rinse to cleanse your nose.
- Drink lots of water before bed to stay very well hydrated. Being dry and dehydrated excaerbates snoring.
So What If I just Cannot Stop Snoring at Night?
There are all sorts of devices and gadgets. You can see some of the devices that we use right here:
- Tongue retaining devices
- Mandibular advancement devices (MAD)
- Pillows specially designed to relieve sleep apnea or OSA
- CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure
Snoring is a very common problem. It can often times be dealt with by trying some of the treatments described above. If you believe that you have a chronic snoring problem and it is impacting your sleep or daily function, you should get it checked out. We can provide you with a home self test device or reccommend you to a highly qualified physician that specializes in sleep disorders and how snoring may be part of that problem
