Snoring can often be linked to a person’s lifestyle choices, and with the help of some simple changes in their habits, you can make to stop snoring when you sleep.
You can try out these 5 self-help tips:
- Maintain a healthy weight and diet can be helpful. When someone is overweight by just a few kilograms, it can lead to snoring in their sleep. Fatty tissue which builds up around your throat tends to squeeze the airway and prevent any air flowing in and out freely causing the harsh noise of snoring.
- Sometimes it is helpful if you try to sleep on your side rather than your back. This habit can also have an influence on your snoring. While we sleep on your back, your tongue, chin and any excess fatty tissue built up under your chin relax and squashes your airway. When we sleep on our side, we can prevent this.
- It is very important that you avoid any type of alcohol or sedatives before you go to bed. Alcohol and sedatives can make your muscles relax more than usual during a normal night’s sleep. This may result in the back of your throat to collapse as you breathe during your sleep, which causes snoring.
- Try to quit or cut down on your smoking habit. Smoke from tobacco leaves irritates the lining and the layer of mucus of your nose and throat, which can cause swelling and catarrh. This means airflow is decreased and therefore you are much more likely to snore.
- Keep the airway of your nose clear, so that you always breathe in through your nose rather than your mouth. If you find that an allergy is blocking your nose, try out some of the over the counter antihistamine tablets or a nasal spray. You can ask your pharmacist for advice, or see your family doctor, if you’re affected by an allergy or any other condition that can have a negative impact on your nose or breathing, such as sinusitis.
Over-the-counter stop-snoring devices
If you know where to look for it there are a range of stop-snoring treatments and devices which you can buy for yourself. These include nasal strips, which help to keep the nostrils open wider, throat sprays and devices known as mandibular advancement devices (MAD), which reposition the jaw to improve airflow during bedtime. There is also CPAP in Singapore and other major urban centres if your snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea. Your doctor or sleep specialist can tell you what’s available and which one can benefit you the most.
Medical help for snoring
If all of these self-help tips didn’t work out very well for you, then there are other medical treatments and procedures that you can try. Book an appointment with a sleep specialist today,