How to stop snoring? Well… we all agree that snoring is one of the most common unfriendly problems during sleep, particularly for your partner lol. Even sometimes it can lead to real problems in a marriage, such as separating bedroom with your partner. It is a kind of harsh or hoarse sound when breathing during sleep. Another bad news is sometimes snoring also can be an indication of serious sleep disorder (like sleep apnea, particularly OSA “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” (about 75 percent of people with snoring experience OSA)) which then may generate other serious health problems. And in fact, there is about half adults experience snoring while sleeping -- at least occasionally!
The snoring treatments are available from conservative ways (such as; changes in sleep positions, avoid having unhealthy weight (obesity), avoid drinking alcohol before going to bed, etc) to advance options (such as; involving medical devices or even surgery if necessary). For mild case, some changes in lifestyle, home remedies or natural options may be effective enough.
Risk factors
The following are some factors or conditions that can put someone at higher risk of developing snoring:
- If you have nasal problem, you may also have higher chance of experiencing snoring. The nasal problem (like deviated septum and nasal polyps) can has a significant contribution to cause an airways structural defect.
- Some conditions that cause a narrow airways, such as long-soft palate, large adenoids or tonsils.
- Gender! In fact, women are less likely to snore if compared with men. But women with jaw abnormalities (like overbite (the bottom jaw & teeth are overlapped by the upper jaw & teeth) or a small chin) also can have higher risk of having snoring.
- Age, especially for middle-aged individuals! A study found that the risk of snoring in men will drastically increase at the age of 50-60 and then decreases!
- Chronic nasal congestion! The cause of this condition is usually allergies or colds.
- And other risk factors may include; using sedative medicines, drinking alcohol, cigarette smoking (even excessively exposing kids/children to tobacco smoke may also increase their risk), having not-ideal weight (being overweight), and family history (snoring may also run in a family)!
Generally, the physically obstruction in the flow of air through the mouth is the key that can lead to snoring! And the following combination factors can cause this air-flow obstruction:
- Long uvula (tissue in the back of our mouth) or long soft palate! This condition can give a significant contribution to narrow the opening from the throat to the nose. And the vibration of these structures can obstruct the airway.
- The weakness performance of muscle in the tongue and throat. This poor muscle tone can lead to very relaxed-condition, which eventually also can obstruct the airway! Some bad habits such as the consumption of sleeping pills, the excessively consumption of alcohol, and even deep sleep may have contribution to cause this poor muscle tone.
- Bulky/thick throat tissue! In many cases, this condition is usually generated by being overweight.
- The obstruction in the nasal airways! In fact, there are also some individuals who snore only in a certain condition (such as when they experience sinus infection or during allergy season)!
However, you should see and consult with your doctor promptly if you find that your children have habit of snoring when they sleep! Like in adult, some studies found that kids with snoring also have higher risk of developing certain sleep disorder, particularly like sleep apnea.
Some factors /causes of snoring in adult may also be the cause of snoring in kids, but large adenoids and tonsils are usually the most common causes in many cases!
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| Image credit to HealthWise |
So, how to stop snoring effectively?
Diagnosis
As mentioned before, individuals who snore have higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. And in many cases, diagnosis (exams & tests) in people with snoring is usually more focused to get clearly answer whether or not they will experience sleep apnea (read also self-care treatments for sleep apnea!).
Doctors usually will ask about the medical history of patient, and do some physical exams in making a diagnosis. But sometimes these steps are not enough and therefore patient is also often considered to take a sleep study to explore more the rate of developing sleep apnea.
When you should call a doctor?
Some people may choose ‘watchful waiting’ instead of seeing doctor immediately! This option may be acceptable if you don’t feel sleepy during the day or your snoring doesn’t disturb your bed-partner. You need to see a doctor promptly if:
- Your bed-partner complains to your heavily (loudly) snoring!
- You choose home remedies, but these ways fail to stop your snoring!
- You are very sleepy during the day, which can be an indication that your snoring has disturbed the quality of your sleep!
- You experience some sleep apnea symptoms!
In several cases, changes in lifestyles can be effective enough to stop snoring -- especially for mild cases! Some common home remedies or lifestyle changes in treating snoring may include:
- It is much better to avoid sedatives without recommendation from your doctor. Drinking alcohol also should be avoided! Drinking alcohol before going to bed may help you to get sleepy but doesn’t work well to promote good quality of sleep. Even drinking alcohol (especially in excessively consumption) can increase your risk of having poor muscle tone which then will cause snoring.
- You can try with nasal strips! Though they are not too effective for people with sleep apnea, but may be effective enough to stop snoring (depending on the cause of your snoring)! Nasal strips can be helpful for you to promote good breathing during sleep.
- If you have a deviated septum or allergies, you tend to use your mouth to breathe during sleep, which then can increase your chance of snoring during sleep. Don’t choose to use a spray or oral decongestant without a doctor’s recommendation -- particularly for more than 3 days! In several cases, long-term use of these options can make your congestion worse.
- Changes in the position during sleep! To stop snoring, many doctors usually recommend choosing ‘sleep on your side’ instead of ‘sleep on your back’. And fortunately, there are also special pillows that can help you to keep comfortable when sleeping on your side. Furthermore, having bed with slightly higher in the one side (the position of your head) may also be helpful enough. You can use bricks and put them in the legs of your bed to raise the height of one side of your bed. But using more pillows to raise your upper body or head during sleep will not work!
- Don’t smoke (avoid cigarette smoking)! As written before, cigarette smoking is one of risk factors of snoring.
- If you are being overweight, get back your healthy weight! Read also how to lose weight safely!
- Schedule or organize the cycle of your sleep as well! Go into your bedroom and bed at the same time for every night! This can help you get adequate rest at night and promote good sleep at night.
- If you have stuffy nose or other breathing problems, you need to treat them properly in order to lower your likelihood of snoring. Certain allergies and cold can cause stuffy nose -- talk more with a doctor for more advices on how to effectively treat your stuffy nose!
- Take a hot shower before going to bed! This is not only helpful to promote more relaxed atmosphere during sleep but also may help give contribution to open nasal passages.
- Stay hydrated! Dehydration during sleep may cause secretions in the soft palate and nose which then put you at higher chance to snore when you sleep. The Institute of Medicine recommends for healthy men should get about 16 cups of total water a day, and about 11 cups for women.
- Make sure that there are no allergens in the environment where you sleep (your bedroom) that may cause you to snore during sleep. Check also your pillows and ensure they are free from any allergens or dust mites! You may also be interested to know about dust allergy symptoms.
Mouthpieces are not effective enough to treat sleep apnea and many doctors agree with this statement, but if your goal is only purposed to stop snoring then anti-snoring mouthpieces may be helpful enough for you (especially if the cause of snoring is the jaw position when you sleep)!
In several cases, people with snoring can try more than one anti-snoring mouthpiece to find the most comfortable one. And the following tips may be helpful for you on how to choose anti snoring mouthpiece:
- First, always keep remember that the first goal of wearing mouthpiece at bedtime is purposed to keep open your airway during sleep!
- Make sure you choose one that fit to the structure of your mouth. Your mouthpiece should not hurt your gums and teeth. Don’t forget also to get to know the size of your mouth and the shape of your jaw before buying an anti snoring mouthpiece!
- Furthermore, there are also some adjustable snoring mouthpieces that can be adjusted to meet to the structure of the mouth.
- There are some brands of snoring mouthpieces, but don’t be fooled by cheap price! When it comes to your health, the quality is always your priority. To keep safe, you should prioritize brands with FDA-approved! Brand such as Zquiet is not too good idea. There are some reviews on internet that recommend this brand.
- However buying an approved vendor/brand of snoring mouthpiece from your dentist is much better. You can consult with a doctor (dentist) for more advices! Or you can also ask to your doctor to custom fit a mouthpiece for better result -- though the cost of this option is relatively expensive than commercially available products!
Moreover, there are also some common possible side effects /problems that may occur when using a certain device that fit in the mouth during sleep may include:
- There is a chance for this device to damage the jaw joints, mouth’s soft tissue, or even teeth. Therefore, it is so important for the device to fit properly.
- Discomfort sensation that you may feel in the morning.
- There is also a chance for more buildup of saliva during sleep. This can be associated with frequent swallowing problem.
Medicines such as inhaled corticosteroids and decongestants can help when the nasal congestion is the cause of your snoring. And for inhaled corticosteroids, they are usually prescribed for short-term treatment -- talk with a doctor for more in-depth information!
Note; there are also some stop-snoring pills or aids that are marketed without confirming scientific studies. To keep safe, you should avoid taking any pills or other drugs to stop snoring without the recommendation from your doctor!
Other treatments to stop snoring
For some cases, home remedies (lifestyle changes) and anti-snoring mouthpiece don’t work well in treating snoring. The following are other common treatments:
- CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This method usually involves a pressurized mask that can be attached over the nose during sleep! This mask is designed with a small pump which then can help keep open the airway. CPAP is also common option to treat sleep apnea, but sometimes can be recommended by a doctor to stop snoring. The drawback of CPAP is the noise from the machine and relatively more difficult to use (if compared with anti-snoring mouthpiece).
- Pillar procedure or also familiar known as palatal implants!
This option is rarely considered but usually often used only for extremely severe cases or if other treatments don’t work well. And some surgeries in treating snoring may include;
- -Surgery that is purposed to implant the plastic cylinders into the patient’s soft palate. This procedure can help stiffen the soft palate from vibrating.
- Surgery with laser. There is also a surgery for snoring to remove excess tissue in the throat and shorten the soft palate with a small hand-held laser beam.
- A surgery for snoring what we call as ‘uvulopalatopharyngoplasty’ -- this surgery is usually used to remove/reduce excess tissue in the patient’s throat which then eventually will create a better airway for smoother airflow.
- For patient with enlarged adenoids & tonsils, surgeries such as adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy can be considered by doctor.
- Radiofrequency palatoplasty! It is a kind surgery for snoring that usually involves electrical mechanism (electrical current) to stiffen & shrink the uvula and soft palate.
- Nasal polypectomy and septoplasty are other surgeries for snoring -- discuss more a doctor/specialist for more in-depth information!
There are also some therapies that may be helpful or even effective to stop snoring. Some of these therapies are:
- Singing! Some experts believe that singing can promote good performance for your muscle to control upper throat and soft palate. Unfortunately, there is still no clearly answer about a specific technique of singing that can work well in treating snoring -- more study is required!
- Didgeridoo! Another therapy that may help to stop snoring by training the muscles in the upper airway is playing didgeridoo (a kind of musical instrument that can create/produce a droning sound) -- according to a preliminary research from British Medical Journal in 2006.
Reference: WebMD and MayoClinic
Image credit to ‘shutterstock’ for illustration
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