If you're the bed partner of a snorer, on average you're likely to get just 3-5 hours of sleep a night! Many people see snoring as something funny, but for some couples it can be a very serious problem, for example when the air you inhale vibrates the structures in your 'upper airway' it can emit as much noise as a pneumatic drill!
This is certainly no laughing matter, there are some facts that are far more serious such as the fact that snorers are 5 times more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes or even a stroke.
So with these worrying facts in mind here are 5 simple lifestyle changes that can potentially prevent your snoring problems or at least reduce them, cutting out the snoring can potentially stop the development of serious medical issues afterwords.
Lose Weight
This is a highly recommended tip, not just for your sleeping pattern, but for your overall health. Shifting just a couple of pounds could be the difference between a quiet night's sleep or an elbow from your partner in the middle of the night. If you're overweight the fatty tissue inside your airway can hinder the flow of air causing the snoring sound
Use extra pillows
This is a simple enough tip to implement but has been found to help in some cases, simply by propping yourself up with more pillows or thicker pillows can aid airflow and the amount of breath you intake when you sleep.
Stop Smoking
This is another widely discussed issue, there are a number of reasons why you should cut out smoking, snoring being just one of them. The dangers of smoking are well documented but the cigarette smoke also irritates the lining of your nasal cavity which may cause swelling and other issues. It's worth mentioning that cutting out smoking can also aid weight loss and your wallet will definitely be grateful.
Cut out Alcohol and Sleeping Pills
By this of course we certainly don't advise cutting out your prescribed medication but it's a good idea to avoid sleeping pills as well as a alcohol before bed. Sedatives such as sleeping pills and alcohol relax the muscles in your throat which makes you much more likely to snore, it's a good idea to avoid sedatives in general as it can disrupt the amount of real rest you get while you sleep.
External Aids
These tips are easy to implement and have been found to work, but unfortunately they don't work all the time. The only clinically proven method to fully prevent snoring is through investing in an anti snoring mouthpiece, with the exception being surgery that can be expensive, painful and uncomfortable, however surgery is one of the only clinically proven methods too.
By Richard P Best
