How to Stop Snoring: 10 Effective Snoring Remedies That You Must Try

Nikhil Goswami
Young Asian man sleeping and snoring loudly lying in the bed

Snoring is a serious problem that affects millions of Americans. Snoring is irritating and a significant indicator of serious health problems such as sleep apnea, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Besides, according to the Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, nearly 50% of adults snore.

Snoring occurs when air passes through your mouth or throat as you sleep, causing vibrations that make noise. If you’re a chronic snorer, this can cause sleep deprivation and leave you feeling tired during the day.

It’s essential to find a solution before it gets out of hand. In this article, we’ll discuss ten effective snoring remedies that will help you stop snoring tonight. Thus, you can get back to sleeping peacefully and waking up refreshed in the morning.

Make Bedtime Adjustments

If you are someone who snores at night, you may want to make some changes to your sleep schedule to help you stop snoring. Here are some tips for making bedtime adjustments:

  • Sleep on Your Side

Side sleeping is the best sleep position to reduce snoring and sleep apnea. If you often sleep on your back, try sleeping on your side. In this position, one of your arms should be under the pillow, and the other should rest on top of the pillow. However, remember that this may not always help those with severe cases of sleep apnea since they will still need to use a CPAP machine or similar device to alleviate their symptoms while resting at night.

If you are someone who has trouble falling asleep when lying down flat with no support under your head, purchasing an adjustable bed might be one option worth considering if it’s within your budget. It will allow you to adjust the height and angle of your laying position to feel more comfortable while getting some shut-eye. It might just end up being what helps solve all those snore problems once and for all.

  • Wear a Dilator or Nasal Strips

You may also want to try wearing a dilator or nasal strips. They work by relaxing your upper airway muscles and opening the nasal passages to help you breathe better while sleeping. Ensure you choose the correct size. Different sizes are available, so it’s important to know what size will be best for you before purchasing one of these devices. Your doctor or pharmacist can help determine which one is most suitable for you based on what they see during an examination.

Always ensure your device fits correctly before using it as directed by your healthcare provider. If there is any excess mucus or moisture inside the device after removing it from your nose, wash it with warm water. Still, you can use an external nasal dilator.

  • Buy an Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece

You can buy an anti-snoring mouthpiece from a reputable company and try a few different types to find the one that works best. Consider using the device with other treatment solutions, such as diet changes, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol before bedtime. Suppose you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea; you can get fitted for a medical device. This can be either by a certified dentist or orthodontist specializing in sleep apnea treatment.

A professionally fitted mouthpiece will cost more money but is worth the price because it will be comfortable enough for you to wear every night without causing jaw pain or discomfort in the morning. If your snoring is severe enough to warrant surgery, consult an ear, nose, and throat specialist about procedures that could permanently correct the problem.

  • Use a Therapeutic Pillow

You’ll want to use a therapeutic pillow to improve your sleep posture. A therapeutic pillow should support your neck and head; it’s also essential for this support to come from a comfortable and supportive surface and be soft enough. Hence, it won’t aggravate any existing conditions like breathing issues. You should be able to find the perfect size for your head when you go shopping for pillows.

Many pillows can help alleviate snoring; some even have special anti-snore features. The snoring pillow creates space at the back of the throat so air can flow more freely while sleeping. This means you’ll get better restful nights of sleep with fewer interruptions from nighttime snores or wheezes coming out of your mouth during slumber time.

Make Lifestyle Changes

You may need to change your lifestyle to help you prevent snoring.

  • Lose Weight

There are several ways to stop snoring, but one of the most effective methods is losing weight, which you can achieve with a good plan. Losing weight can help you breathe easier while you sleep. It works by reducing the amount of fat around your neck and throat. If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight will help improve your quality of life while reducing your risk of developing severe health conditions like diabetes.

To lose weight, ensure you exercise regularly. Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercises, such as brisk walking, is essential. If you’re new to exercise or haven’t been exercising regularly for some time, start slowly and build up gradually over time.

Eat a healthy diet low in saturated fats and refined sugars. You can include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Ensure you eat lean protein sources such as poultry and fish; drink plenty of water; watch your portion sizes. And avoid processed foods as much as possible.

  • Stop Smoking

Sadly, quitting smoking is one of the most challenging things to do. Smoking can make snoring worse by narrowing the airways and causing inflammation in the throat and nose tissues. It can also increase the risk of being diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Nicotine is a powerful substance that takes time for your body to adjust to not having it in your system. You may need to set some goals for yourself and stick with them, but don’t give up! Sooner or later, you will succeed in quitting smoking.

Start by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. For example, if you smoke 20 cigarettes daily, start by cutting down to 15 and then gradually cutting down until you have less than five cigarettes in one day. Then go on vacation, so you do not have to smoke while trying to cope with stress at work.

Find ways to distract yourself when cravings hit. For example, if you get hungry after eating something, try chewing gum or drinking water instead of smoking a cigarette.

Consider getting support from other people who have quit smoking. Ask them what worked for them when they had cravings and if they would be willing to do an activity with you—for instance, going for a walk or riding a bike when the cravings start getting bad.

Use nicotine replacement therapy such as a patch, gum, or lozenge. These products can help reduce cravings by giving the brain nicotine without inhaling smoke into your lungs.

  • Avoid Alcohol Consumption Before Bed

Alcohol is a depressant that can lead to snoring. Alcohol relaxes muscles and suppresses the central nervous system. This can cause the throat’s soft tissue to expand and narrow the airway.

The narrowing makes it harder for air to pass through the nose or mouth as you breathe in and out during sleep. This leads to periods when you don’t receive enough oxygen while asleep, making your body to work harder to breathe in enough air through your mouth or nose. This causes snoring.

The best way to avoid drinking alcohol before bed is not to drink at all. However, if you decide to drink alcohol before going to sleep, ensure you only consume one or two drinks and eat some food too. This will help prevent a hangover and make it easier for you to fall asleep.

If you’re already a heavy drinker and want to reduce your alcohol consumption, try setting a limit on how much you drink each night. You could also try switching from beer or wine to vodka or other clear spirits because these tend not to contain as many calories as beer or wine.

  • Do Mouth Exercises

Mouth exercises are a great way to combat snoring. If you snore, chances are it’s because your tongue is relaxed. When you sleep, your tongue can relax and fall back into the throat. This blocks your airway and causes you to snore. The exercises will help strengthen your tongue and keep it in place during sleep so you don’t snore.

You can use many different exercises to stop snoring, but we recommend starting with the following a tongue or jaw stretch.

A tongue stretch involves placing your fingers between your teeth and gently pulling back on your tongue until it stretches out as far as possible and stays there for 5 seconds before releasing. Repeat ten times in a row and then rest for 30 seconds before repeating another ten times in a row.

With jaw stretch, try to open your mouth as wide as possible while pushing out as hard as possible with both hands on either side of your head. Hold the position for 5 seconds before relaxing for 30 seconds, and then repeat another five times. Ensure you keep your elbows locked straight at all times throughout the entire exercise.

Consider Surgical Treatments

If you suffer from snoring, several surgical treatments are available to help you stop snoring. Some of them include;

  • Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty

There are many types of surgical treatments that can help you stop snoring. The most popular treatment is Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP). An oral and maxillofacial surgeon performs the surgery under general anesthesia.

They make an incision behind the soft palate and uvula to remove tissue obstructing breathing at night. Removing this tissue reduces snoring and improves airflow during sleep.

The recovery time after this surgery varies depending on how much tissue they need to remove. It usually takes a few days for patients to return home from the hospital or surgical facility. Patients should avoid strenuous activity after surgery, including heavy lifting, jogging, or other aerobic exercises, until the doctor clears them.

  • Palatal Implants

Palatal implants are devices that can be surgically implanted into the roof of your mouth to help stop snoring. They work by changing the position of your tongue and soft palate (the roof of your mouth). They help treat snoring caused by obstructive sleep apnea or nasal obstruction.

The doctors usually perform this surgery under general anesthesia. The surgeon makes an incision behind your upper gums so they can access your palate and tongue base. They then insert small rods into this area through holes drilled into each side of your palate, moving them toward the front of your mouth. The surgeon does that until they reach their desired position.

  • Somnoplasty

If you’re tired of being told to “sleep on your side” when your partner complains that you snore, it may be time to look into a great surgical solution. Somnoplasty is one option that can help prevent snoring by reducing the size of your tongue. It’s an outpatient procedure with few risks and only requires a small incision under the chin.

Somnoplasty is an effective treatment for sleep apnea, but it may also help if you want to stop snoring without causing any long-term changes to your body.

In this procedure, the doctor will make a small incision in the soft palate to expose the tissue that needs to be modified. Then, they will use a laser or radiofrequency energy to remove the excess tissue. This will help open up your airway and prevent snoring.

When to Contact Your Doctor

You may have obstructive sleep apnea syndrome if you snore and have trouble sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a severe condition that can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It’s also associated with memory loss and daytime drowsiness. According to the Clinical Sleep Medicine journal, OSA’s prevalence is estimated to be five percent and 14% for women and men, respectively.

You can’t always tell if you have obstructive sleep apnea based on how much you snore. Some people snore loudly but don’t have an obstruction in their throat or airway. Generally, several symptoms could indicate that you might have obstructive sleep apnea.

The first is difficulty concentrating, which can cause a lack of focus at work or school. If this happens regularly, it could indicate a deeper issue with your sleep quality. Another sign is morning headaches that do not disappear after taking pain medication. These headaches could result from sleep deprivation, which means your body is not getting enough restful sleep. This can also cause fatigue and irritability during the day.

If you notice that these problems occur regularly, you should consider contacting your doctor about them. They may recommend seeing a sleep specialist who can help determine if there is an underlying issue causing these symptoms.

Doctors can do several things to help with your snoring problems, including using oral appliances (which fit over the teeth) to help keep the airway open during sleep. This may be an option if you don’t want to go through surgery.

Health Risks of Snoring

Snoring can disrupt you and those around you, including your spouse and children. Here are some of the health risks of snoring:

  • Stroke

Snoring might increase your risk for stroke because it causes irregular blood flow through the blood vessels in your neck and brain. The vibrations from snoring can cause plaque buildup on the walls of these blood vessels, which increases the risk of clotting. A clot that breaks free from one of these vessels can block blood flow to your brain or heart muscle, causing a stroke.

  • Heart Disease

Snoring increases your risk of heart disease by increasing your blood pressure, which may damage your arteries over time. It also increases stress on your heart muscle and weakens your heart muscles’ ability to relax. This may lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, and coronary artery disease (CAD).

  • Headache

Snoring is associated with headaches because it deprives you of oxygen during sleep. Hence, it causes cells in the brain to become over-stimulated due to low oxygen levels in the bloodstream. This can result in migraines or tension headaches if left untreated. Besides, even painkillers may not help.

  • Fatigue

Snoring impacts sleep quality and affect mental and physical performance during the day. Snorers are often constantly tired, but they may not realize that their lack of sleep is due to snoring. When you are constantly tired, it becomes difficult for you to concentrate on daily tasks and perform at work efficiently. This can lead to poor performance at work and eventually affect your career prospects.

  • Low Concentration

Not only does snoring prevent you from getting quality sleep at night, but it also negatively impacts your concentration levels during the day. Snorers often feel drowsy during meetings or briefings because they did not sleep properly due to their condition. This reduces their ability to focus on essential matters, leading to increased errors and accidents at work.

  • Reduced Levels of Blood Oxygen

The muscles in the back of your throat relax when you sleep, which causes your tongue to fall back into your throat and block your airway. This makes it harder for oxygen to get into your lungs, leading to reduced blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia). Hypoxemia can cause headaches, dizziness, and irritability when you wake up.

Difference Between Sleep Apnea and Snoring

Snoring is a common condition that affects about 45 million Americans. Snoring occurs when the soft palate and uvula (the tissue in the back of your throat) relax and collapse during sleep, causing you to breathe through your mouth instead of your nose. When you breathe through your mouth, your tongue blocks the airway, which causes vibrations in the throat that produce snoring sounds.

Sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder that affects many people. It occurs when the soft palate and uvula relax so much that they block your airway. Hence, causing pauses in breathing that can last up to 30 seconds or longer. These pauses in breathing disrupt sleep patterns and may cause daytime fatigue, irritability, and even depression.

The good news is that many different treatments are available for both conditions. These include CPAP therapy (continuous positive airway pressure). It uses a mask to gently force air into an open airway during sleep to keep it open at all times.

Snoring and sleep apnea can cause problems with sleep, but the severity of symptoms can vary significantly between the two conditions.

Snoring is more common than sleep apnea, but both can be associated with severe health risks, including heart disease and high blood pressure. If you think you have sleep apnea, get tested. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms, perform a physical exam, and may order other tests as well.

What Are the Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a severe breathing problem that can lead to some health issues. It occurs when the muscles around your throat relax and block your airway, making it difficult or impossible for you to breathe. 

You may not even be aware that you’re experiencing sleep apnea since you don’t wake up from it. However, sleep apnea can cause harm to your heart, brain, and other organs over time. If you think you might have sleep apnea, here are some of the warning signs:

Heavy Snoring

You may have heard people talk about their partner’s loud snoring and wondered if they snore as much as their significant other does. They may have sleep apnea instead. Sleep apnea is characterized by loud snoring and includes pauses in breathing or shallow breaths throughout the night. The condition can disrupt both partners’ sleep quality and cause daytime fatigue or moodiness.

Daytime Fatigue or Sleepiness

Many people with sleep apnea wake up tired during the day because poor-quality sleep affects their ability to function normally during waking hours. If you feel tired all the time but chalk it up to being lazy or not getting enough exercise, consider getting tested.

Frequent Headaches

Sleep deprivation can cause headaches; frequent headaches can also signify sleep apnea. This is because your body releases stress hormones when you stop breathing in your sleep. Therefore, they constrict blood vessels throughout your body, including those in your head. This makes sense if you think about how scary it would be to wake up without air coming into your lungs!

Difficulty Concentrating

The brain works hard during sleep. It’s consolidating memories and processes information gathered during the day. If you have sleep apnea, your brain may not have enough time to complete these tasks. This will affect your ability to concentrate the next day.

How Do You Get Rid of Sleep Apnea and Snoring?

If you think you may have sleep apnea, you should immediately see a doctor specializing in sleep disorders.

You can even try cbd gummies for sleep  to induce a good night’s sleep.

The good news is that if you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea, several treatment options are available to help you get better quality sleep. Some of these treatments include:

  • Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): CPAP is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. It involves wearing a mask that gently pushes air into your nose while you sleep. You’ll be able to breathe normally through your nose and mouth as long as the mask stays in place throughout the night.
  • Weight Loss: Excess weight can put pressure on your neck and throat as you sleep, which makes it more difficult for you to breathe freely. If you’re overweight, losing weight may help improve your quality of life significantly and avoid sleep disorders.
  • Dental Solutions: These devices help prevent your lower jaw from dropping back into your throat when you fall asleep — which can block your airway and prevent you from breathing normally while sleeping. Dental devices are often worn at night but can also be used during the day if needed. American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends using oral devices for those who need a snoring cure.
  • Surgery: Surgery may be an option to open up their airways for people who don’t respond well to CPAP or dental appliances. Hence they can breathe more easily while they’re sleeping.

Why Do You Snore As You Get Older?

Snoring is a common problem for people of all ages, but it is more likely to be a problem for older adults. As you age, the muscles and tissues in the body become less flexible and elastic. This change in tissue flexibility decreases the ability of the airways to open during sleep and makes room for air to flow freely through them. As a result, snoring may occur. In addition, when you grow old, the bodies tend to lose muscle mass which can contribute to snoring.

Conclusion: How To Cure Snoring With Home Remedies? 

Let’s face it, sleep is essential. We need to get enough of it to function at our best during the day. Snoring can be annoying, but if left untreated, it can lead to medical issues. Besides, it can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, which is dangerous. If you believe snoring is interfering with your quality of life, it’s essential to know how to fix the problem.

You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to how to stop snoring. However, if you’re looking for the best methods, we hope this article will help you narrow down your choices. Most of these remedies are quite simple and easy to implement immediately. So give them a try!

Still, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating snoring. Each person will have a different reason for snoring and will need a different type of treatment. Your doctor may recommend some of the treatments listed above or suggest something else.

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