Snoring can be defined as a grunting sound that people make from mouth or nose while sleeping if their breathing is obstructed. Snoring is very common especially among the older people but it can be treated by following a few easy steps. It usually happens when the obstructed air flows through air passage which causes the soft palate to vibrate. Men tend to snore more than women because men have narrower air passages. While in some cases, the sound is soft but mostly it is very loud and unpleasant. If you are sharing a room with someone, there is very high probability that you are distracting the sleep of your roommate.
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Majority of the people snore every now and then. Snoring is caused by a number of factors which include :
- Anatomy of your mouth : Low and thick soft palate tends to reduce the flow of air through the air passage which in turn leads to snoring.
- Being overweight : If you are overweight, there is a chance that you have some extra fat around the soft palate area. Having extra fat there obstructs the flow of air which causes snoring.
- Alcohol : Drinking excess alcohol during bed time relaxes the muscles around throat and therefore paralyzing your defense mechanism against obstruction of air.
- Not getting enough sleep : Sleeping less than what is required also leads to snoring. It also relaxes throat muscles and causes snoring.
There are some other factors as well like nasal complications, the position in which you sleep, heredity and the list goes on. But in this article, I will focus on the ways to get rid of snoring naturally. I live with a roommate and he used to snore a lot and I also got to know that I snore as well. So, we have tried these methods and I can assure you these work very well.
1. Lose weight, if you are overweight:
As I mentioned above, people who are overweight may have extra fats around the soft palate which obstruct the flow of air. Losing weight might reduce the fats around the soft palate area which will lead to easy passage. Losing weight will not only help in treating snoring, it has plenty of other benefits as well. By losing weight you will have reduced risk to heart diseases and high blood pressure.
2. Sleep on your side :
It has been observed that people who sleep on their backs tend to snore more. It is simply because of the fact that while you are lying on your back, gravity of the earth pulls you downwards and as a result, your tongue falls back on your throat which disturbs the flow of air. Try your best to sleep on your side as the gravity will pull your tongue sideways which won't obstruct the flow of air. If you sleep on your side and still end up o your back, tie a ball on your back. Whenever your body goes back to sleeping on your back, you will feel discomfort which will force you to return to side position.
3. Quit smoking :
Smoking irritates the membranes in the nose and throat and in some cases may cause swelling of these membranes as well. Swelled membranes occupy some space in the throat and nasal area which leads to obstruction of air flow, eventually causing snoring. Quitting smoking has plenty of other health benefits as well like reduced risk to lung and throat cancer. Quitting smoking isn't easy but if you do quit, it will do wonders for your health.
4. Avoid alcohol and sedatives :
Avoid alcohol and the use of sedatives 2-3 hours before sleep because alcohol and sedatives cause excessive relaxation of muscles in whole body which include throat muscles as well. Always talk to your doctor in case you are taking sedatives. Let him know about your snoring habit as most sedatives induce deep sleep which may make your snoring worse.
5. Exercise and get enough sleep :
Exercise helps in reducing snoring even if doesn't help in losing weight. Exercise leads to strengthening of muscles which include throat muscles as well. Strong throat muscles help reduce snoring. You can also perform throat specific exercises as well.
Getting enough sleep is one of the easiest ways to reduce snoring as all you have to do is sleep for at least seven hours if you are an adult. Sleeping time varies across different ages, for example if you are a teenager, you need 8-10 hours of sleep. The sleeping time increases as we go down to school children and pre-school children.
I am sure if you follow these steps, snoring won't be a problem for you anymore. You will live a better and healthier life.
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