Most people who snore do not even realize they do it. Most people find out about their snoring problem for other people who suffer through it. Snoring is not only embarrassing but also a potential indicator of internal issues. The following article includes some good advice about snoring.
Have you heard that singing can help to alleviate snoring? When you sing, you are strengthening the throat muscles. You can reduce your snoring by having stronger throat muscles. Playing the sax or trumpet can also build up the muscles in your throat.
The first step to resolving your snoring problem is to uncover its underlying cause. Certain health issues can cause snoring, and left untreated, snoring will never get better. By not treating the snoring and the side effect of the medication, your snoring could actually get worse.
Snoring can be stopped using something as simple as nasal strips. The strips are similar in appearance to a Band-Aid. Their function is quite different from a Band-Aid, though. These strips are specially designed to open nasal passages. You can breathe more easily from your nose that way, and therefore you will not snore.
Using multiple pillows when you sleep can help to alleviate snoring. This prevents nasal drainage from collecting in your nasal passages, and then letting them flow into the lungs. By keeping the nasal passages clear, you will lessen your chances of snoring.
A firm pillow can help to reduce snoring. A softer pillow can cause the muscles in your throat to slacken, which constricts your airway. If air is finding it tough to pass through, snoring will occur. A firmer pillow can keep your passageways open.
Consume plenty of liquids if you want to reduce or eliminate snoring. If you are dehydrated, the secretions in your nasal passages become thicker and stickier, making them more likely to clog your airways and lead to snoring. You should drink at least eight glasses of water every day to avoid snoring.
Stop smoking, and you might stop snoring as well. Even if you can’t give up the habit, you can reduce your smoking issues by avoiding tobacco during the hours leading up to bedtime. Smoking irritates your throat, which can cause your airways to narrow. These constricted air passages contribute to snoring, so reducing your tobacco intake should relieve some of the swelling.
Breathing Patterns
If snoring is a problem for you, avoid alcoholic beverages. Other medications such as sleep aids, sedatives or allergy medications should also not be taken before sleeping. These things cause your muscles to relax, and will limit your ability to take in air, which causes snoring.
Getting an adequate amount of exercise can help to reduce snoring. You may reduce your risk of snoring by regulating your breathing patterns with exercise. Exercise not only keeps your lungs and nasal passages in optimal condition, it also keeps your stress levels down. It has been shown that high stress levels can alter breathing patterns, which in turn can make you snore.
Performing throat exercises can make you less likely to snore. Work your tongue by sliding it across the backside of your upper front teeth. Slide your tongue toward the back of your mouth and bring it back to the front for about three minutes. Working the muscles this way can help your airways remain open so that you are less likely to snore.
Check with your pharmacist about anti-snoring medications that are available over-the-counter. OTC snoring remedies are generally quite inexpensive, and you may just hit upon one that works for you. If not, you can consult your doctor for a prescription remedy; however, that may be more expensive. These medications reduce swelling in the nasal passages, and treat other factors that affect your breathing, as well.
Try eating a big spoonful of honey prior to going to sleep. While the reason honey helps is not completely clear, many people swear by this remedy to prevent snoring. Honey is used in folk remedies to soothe many health conditions, so it is not surprising that it may help snoring as well.
To reduce snoring, try losing some weight. Having excess fat around the neck will put an increase of pressure on the airways. This causes the airways to collapse slightly while you sleep. You can see decreased snoring by just losing a few pounds.
If you are dedicated to ridding your nights of snoring, a tennis ball can really come in handy. You can either sew a pocket on the back of your shirt and place the ball into that or put it into a sock and pin it to the back of your shirt. It seems to work by being an unknown obstacle that prompts you subconsciously to avoid sleeping in a position where your back is flat on the bed. Over time, it will become natural for you to sleep on your side or stomach; at that point, you can ditch the tennis ball.
Eating smaller portions in the evening before bed, may help relieve snoring. When you consume a big meal, your stomach gets filled up. The diaphragm then pushes up on the throat, and that pressure can cause less airflow to go through the throat. Decreased airflow through constricted airways is a major reason snoring occurs.
Dairy products may be the culprit if you find out that you snore. If you are consuming them close to bedtime, try stopping for a week and see if your condition improves. For some people, dairy causes mucus to build up in their throat. This, in turn, leads to snoring. Continue to get three servings of delicious and nutritious dairy products throughout the day, but refrain for at least three hours before bed.
Keep a humidifier running in your bedroom during the night. A humidifier adds a constant supply of warm, moist vapor to the air. When you inhale the vapor, it moisturizes your airways, including the throat and nasal passages. One benefit this could bring is the reduction in your snoring.
Exercising your throat muscles can help stop snoring. Try doing throat exercise for 20 to 30 minutes per day to make throat muscles stronger. This will keep them from becoming too lax during the night. Pronouncing vowels and tongue curling can strengthen the upper respiratory muscles to prevent snoring.
Exercise your tongue regularly to help reduce snoring. One exercise to increase the tone of your tongue is to flex and extend your tongue. While you’re doing this, keep your tongue rigid when it’s extended. Point the tip of your tongue in one direction, followed by another. Make certain you are hitting all four points on the compass during the exercise. This will tone your tongue muscles and decrease the chances of you snoring during the night.
If you or someone you sleep with snores, here is one old wives tale which may bring you some relief. Snoring is aggravated by sleeping on one’s back, because it tends to constrict the airway. To make yourself stay off your back in bed, sew or tape a tennis ball on your pajamas’ back.
Consider the possibility that your allergies may be causing your snoring, and visit your doctor for treatment. Exposure to allergens causes your nasal passages to swell, which forces you to inhale and exhale through the mouth. Inevitably, this causes you to snore. If over-the-counter medicines fail you, talk to a medical professional.
Try sleeping on the left side of your body to reduce snoring. Anyone you sleep with may be having trouble dealing with your snoring also. Side-sleeping is not a proven medical solution, however. Many people do report that sleeping on their left sides does make it easier to breathe and makes them snore less.
Shed the pounds to stop your snoring. The excess weight shows in every area of the body, and that includes the area around the neck. This excess fat in the neck area will put pressure on the airway or may even cause an obstruction, which leads to vibrations resulting in snoring.
Nasal strips can help to minimize your snoring. What they do is pull the nostril further apart with the adhesive right on the back of the strips. When your nostrils are kept wide open throughout the night, you are less likely to snore. However, nasal strips aren’t recommended if you have sleep apnea.
You can use essential oils to control snoring. Peppermint and eucalyptus, for example, are great for opening stuffed nasal passages. This can make it easy to breathe and you may not snore. Before you go to sleep with that stuffed-nose feeling, try out an essential oil treatment first.
In order to stop snoring you may want to see if you are allergic to anything. Allergies can cause nostrils to be clogged and produce respiratory problems. This will mean that you have to breathe through your mouth, causing snoring. Use an antihistamine, in conjunction with a humidifier, to control allergies at night.
A variety of exercises exist that can reduce or eliminate snoring. Performing throat exercises for half an hour each day can make those muscles stronger and prevent them from collapsing while you sleep. Performing the exercise involves making vowel sounds and doing tongue curls, both of which increase the strength of the upper respiratory system, as well as the muscles that contribute to snoring.
Snoring is embarrassing enough for you, but it can actually prevent those who sleep near you from sleeping soundly and performing at their best during the day. As a treatment for excessive snoring, think about applying nasal strips right before you go to bed. Although these might look foolish while wearing them, they are very effective at decreasing your snoring. Because of this, they are worth wearing.
Most people who snore are unaware that they do, until someone tells them. If you learn you have been snoring, you might be embarrassed. Worse, though, is the fact that snoring may mean you have serious health problems. If you are a snorer, use this advice to control it as quickly as possible.
While snoring itself is not life-threatening, over time it can lead to a number of other health issues. Snoring can prevent your brain from receiving enough oxygen, which can increase your blood pressure. Plaque formation can increase in your carotid arteries, damaging them, which can lead to a stroke. This won’t necessarily happen to everyone who snores, but it’s definitely a cause for concern.