Healthy ways to reduce snoring

snoring effects everyone

My entire life friends and family have complained about my snoring. Some of the comments are factual, but a lot of them are exaggerations and they become jokes at my expense. I laugh it off but deep down inside I would like a cure for my snore, I mean who doesn’t right?  When someone complains about a person snoring the response the snorer usually gives is: “I sleep well, what do I care.” A recent study shows that snoring can increase with age, which means if you currently don’t snore, you might start later in life. Here’s an interesting fact; Over 60% of men and women over the age of 60 snore on a regular basis. I have seen couples sleep in different bedrooms and argue over the other spouses loud and obnoxious snoring. I can see both sides of the coin; on one hand the poor man or woman that does snore thinks they have no control over their snoring habits. On the other hand the sufferer has to try to sleep with a inconsistent, loud, and piercing sound right next to them on a nightly basis. This can cause a lot of tension between relationships because not only does the sufferer have to deal with a poor nights sleep but the person snoring can also be irritable due to problems associated with breathing/snoring at night.

I have done a lot of research ranging from expensive surgery, mouth guards that open up throat passages, nose strips, and other techniques and have found a couple easy ways you and your spouse can reduce snoring. Notice I said reduce and not cure snoring- to date there is no guaranteed way to cure snoring.

By practicing these snore reducing techniques you can begin to enjoy a good nights sleep and allow the special person next to you to start sleeping well again.

• Lose Weight-People who are overweight tend to snore more. If you exercise, eat healthy food and reduce just 10% of your body weight you can dramatically reduce your bad snoring habits.

• Aerobic Exercise-Individuals who practice heart healthy aerobic exercise like power walking, bicycling, or water aerobics tend to increase lung capacity and reduce congestion.

• Healthy Diet-Try to eat until you are 80% full. It takes your brain 20 minutes to release a chemical that tells your stomach your full. Sleeping on a full stomach can reduce the efficiency of your breathing efforts. Try the 80% full technique.

• Don’t drink before bed- Sleeping while under the influence of a good Merlot or any alcoholic beverage can increase snoring. Alcohol acts like a muscle relaxer and therefore relaxes your throat muscles and increases your snoring habit.

• Quit Smoking-Think about it, you’re inhaling hot smoke into your precious lungs. Obviously this is not helpful. Doctors have found smoking can lead to congestion, lung cancer (in case you didn’t know already), and can make your throat swell and thereby increase snoring.

• Sleep on your side-Majority of people who snore sleep on their back. While lying on your back the jaw opens and reduces the airflow in your airway passages. Try sleeping on your side and if you always wake up on your front or back try to create makeshift walls with pillows. You can also strap a small ball to your back, which will encourage you to sleep on your side. I read a helpful tip in a magazine; try wearing a t-shirt backwards that has a front pocket, place the tennis ball in the pocket.

• Raise your bed-The A.A.O. (American Academy of Otolaryngology recommends that you raise the head of your bed. Try placing cardboard, bricks, or an old text book under the legs to reduce snoring.

I am in the process of testing a combination of these tips and will report the actual effects in 30 days. If you suffer from snoring or you suffer from a spouse that snores test these tips out and please share your feedback with the HFS community.