Home Remedies
How To Stop Snoring Loudly Naturally. Snoring Home Remedies That Work
How To Fix Loud Snoring Immediately And Naturally
Statistics from the National Sleep Foundation, a United States organization, shows that an estimated 90 million Americans snore.
Snoring can be a source of nuisance, especially when one is trying to catch some sleep. Snoring does not only affect the snorer ? the person who snores, but also disrupts the sleep of anyone close by.
While most cases of snoring are attributed to innocuous causes, some, however, may be an indication of an underlying health condition like obstructive sleep apnea or obesity.
What is snoring?
Simply put, snoring is the noisy breathing, including the sound that a person makes during sleep. Snoring is caused by a vibration of the upper respiratory structures and obstruction of air flow in the airways during sleep.
What causes snoring?
During sleep, it is easy for the mouth, tongue, throat, and the respiratory tract tend to relax. As a result, breathing can lead to vibration in these regions, which, in turn causes snoring. So, in simple terms, snoring is the result of vibrations in the respiratory tract and obstruction of air flow during sleep.
Snoring can be the result of different reasons. Below are some of the factors that increase the risk of snoring in a person.
- Sleep apnea
- Smoking
- Allergies
- Aging
- Gender (men are more likely to snore than women).
- Nasal or sinus problems
- Lack of sleep
- Sleeping on your back or sleeping position
- Overconsumption of alcohol or drinking alcohol before going to bed
- Being overweight or obesity
Home remedies for snoring
The key to getting the appropriate remedy for your snoring is to first identify and understand the cause(s) and risk factors contributing to the snoring. That said, the following are some of the remedies for snoring that can be tried at home before visiting the clinic.
- Sleep on your side: People who sleep on their back are more likely to snore than those who sleep on their side. This is due to the fact that your tongue and soft palate (the roof of the mouth) fall back into the airways when you sleep on your back, making you to snore. Changing your sleeping position can help you to deal with your snoring.
- Use a tennis ball: Following from the previous point, sleeping on your back may not be good if you want to reduce your snoring. However, sleeping on your side might not be familiar to you, especially if you are used to lying on your back. So, to help train your body to get accustomed to sleeping on your side, you can try taping or attaching a tennis ball to your bed (where your back normally rests). When you are asleep and you unconsciously want to rest on your back, the tennis ball will make you feel uncomfortable, thus, making you to sleep on your side.
- Do nasal irrigation: Nasal irrigation, or nasal rinse, is a method of cleansing the nasal passages to relieve nasal congestion. This method is particularly beneficial to people whose snoring is attributed to nasal congestion, allergies, or cold. You can perform nasal irrigation by using a neti pot, which is a special container for applying saline solution to the nose.
- Use nasal strips: Nasal strips are adhesive materials that are placed on the nose so as to improve breathing during sleep. If your snoring is as a result of a deviated septum or nasal congestion, you can benefit from using one of these. Another option is a nasal dilator, which is similar to nasal strips, as they help to improve breathing.
- Stop smoking: Besides the fact that smoking rarely does any good to the body, it can also aggravate your snoring. Quitting smoking can help you to reduce snoring, if you are a smoker.
- Eucalyptus oil: Eucalyptus oil can be used to reduce sinus inflammation and congestion, which may contribute to snoring. To benefit from eucalyptus oil, add a few drops of the oil to a bowl of hot water and put your head over the bowl. Then, use a towel to cover your head as you inhale the steam.
- Get more sleep: Sleep deprivation is another possible cause of snoring. If you skipped on sleeping for several days, it becomes easy for you to snore when you eventually decide to sleep. So, to prevent this, it is advised that you get enough sleep.
- Use extra pillows or try an anti-snore pillow: You can use extra pillows to elevate your head while sleeping. Elevating the head helps to ensure that airways are not blocked while asleep. Alternatively, you can replace your pillow with a special-purpose anti-snore pillow, which is designed for this problem.
- Stay hydrated: Nasal and sinus congestion can make breathing difficult and snoring harder. And most times, these congestions are caused by dehydration. Drinking plenty of water and other healthy fluids during the day can help to reduce this problem.
- Shed off some weight: As previously mentioned, obesity or being overweight can be a source of snoring. This is because overweight persons have excess fatty tissues in their throat, which obstruct the free flow of air. Hence, shedding off the extra weight by healthy dieting and exercise can help to improve the snoring.
- Eat early before bedtime: Aside from the other general health issues, eating late at night may also contribute to your snoring. Hence, it is recommended that people predisposed to snoring eat their meals at least 3 hours before bedtime. It is also important to note, that, heavy meals should be avoided at night, as they also make snoring worse.
- Ginger and honey tea: Ginger and honey are both storehouses of nutrients and medicinal properties. So, it is no wonder that they are on this list. You can prepare ginger and honey tea for snoring by adding some grated ginger and a teaspoon of honey to a cup of boiling water. After boiling for a few minutes, bring the mixture down and allow to steep for about 5 minutes. Then, strain the liquid and drink.
- Virgin olive oil: Drinking a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil before going to sleep can also help to improve snoring. This is because the olive oil helps to free the airways while sleeping.
- Oil pulling: Oil pulling is an age-old method of treatment for improving oral and general health. It is a technique that involves the use of oil to cleanse the mouth of impurities and toxins. Snoring due to sinus problems can be reduced through oil pulling. The recommended oil for this process is coconut oil. For this method, pour a tablespoon of coconut oil into your mouth and swirl to get rid of the waste particles in the mouth.
- Throat and tongue exercises: Aging can cause the muscles of the throat to start getting relaxed, which can be a risk factor for snoring. Trying throat and tongue exercises like singing and playing wind instruments can help to strengthen the muscles of the throat and tongue.
- Fenugreek: Snoring caused by digestive problems can be treated with fenugreek. According to research, fenugreek has been found to be effective in treating sleep apnea, as well as in improving digestive health.
- Spearmint: Like fenugreek, spearmint can also be used for treating snoring due to digestive issues. Digestive problems like indigestion and acid reflux have been linked to snoring, and can be alleviated by using spearmint.
- Stay away from alcohol: Drinking alcohol minutes before going to sleep is another cause of snoring for some people. Alcohol consumption causes muscle relaxation in the body, including those in the throat. Cutting back on alcohol consumption or limiting it to at most 3 hours before bedtime is a natural way of reducing snoring.
- Use a humidifier: Nasal congestion can be caused by various factors, including dry air. Using a humidifier in your home is a simple way of remedying this problem. A humidifier helps to increase the moisture content in the air, thereby, making breathing easy and snoring less.
- Peppermint oil: Snoring caused by chest or nasal congestion can be improved by using peppermint oil. You can apply the oil ? pure peppermint oil ? topically on the nose and/or chest to reduce the congestion. Alternatively, you can use some peppermint leaves to prepare a tea and drink.
- Use antihistamines: Antihistamines are medicines used for treating allergies. Your snoring problem may be due to an allergy. You should use antihistamines if your snoring is caused by an allergy. This is especially true when you observe that your snoring becomes more often during allergy season. Allergies can cause nasal congestion, which makes breathing through the nose difficult.
- Goldenseal: Like peppermint oil, goldenseal can also be used for treating snoring caused by nasal or chest congestion. You can get goldenseal in liquid, or powdered form, as well as in capsules.
- Avoid consuming dairy products at night. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt are great sources of essential body nutrients. However, consuming such products before going to bed can be a source of snoring while sleeping. This is because such foods create a layer of mucus in the throat that may obstruct normal air passage.
- Avoid soporific drugs: The use of soporific drugs or sleeping pills may have the benefit or inducing deep sleep. However, the calming effect of such medications can cause the muscles in the throat and airways to relax, thereby, making the person to snore. Thence, if you have snoring problems, it would be wise to stay away from these drugs and consult with your doctor on alternative ways to achieve good sleep.
Occasional snoring may be harmless and can be treated using home remedies. However, when the snoring becomes recurrent, it may be a sign that something more serious is the cause and needs to be treated urgently. The above-mentioned remedies will help to relieve occasional snoring.
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