With all the grunting, rattling, and snorting, snoring may cause a lot of nuisance. But more than that, it can indicate hidden health problems. Generally, factors such as nasal congestion, sleep position, obesity, or muscle relaxation due to alcohol or sedatives can contribute to snoring. However, more serious conditions like sleep apnoea can contribute to it, necessitating immediate medical attention.
Sleep apnoea is a common sleep disorder wherein your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep. Loud snoring is one of the most common symptoms associated with it, accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness, waking up in the morning with a dry mouth, and waking up at night and gasping. While speaking with a doctor is highly recommended, here are some natural remedies that can ease your symptoms and reduce loud snoring.
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Start With Losing Weight If You're Obese
Most heavy snorers tend to be obese or overweight.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. While overweight is measured as a body mass index (BMI) over 25, obesity is considered when a person has a BMI over 30.
Maintaining a healthy weight is considered to be an effective way to reduce snoring. A study published in the Chest Journal found that individuals who lost even a small amount of weight (around 6.6 lbs) saw a slight decrease in snores per hour, while those who lost more than 3 kg experienced a significant reduction.
Notably, three subjects even reported almost no snoring after losing an average of 16.8 lbs.
Improve Sleep Hygiene
Loud snoring can also be a cause of poor sleep hygiene, which can negatively impact both sleep quantity and quality. To maintain healthy sleep hygiene and reduce the likelihood of snoring, it is best to establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at similar times each day.
Ensure that you create a calming sleep environment and consider using blackout curtains or earplugs if needed. Additionally, steering clear of alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals before bed can also help, as they can relax throat muscles and exacerbate snoring.
Change Your Sleeping Position
For people with sleep apnoea and those who suffer from loud snoring, sleeping on the side may be the best position for rest, according to MedlinePlus. This is because gravity pulls the tongue and throat tissues down, potentially causing them to obstruct your airway when you sleep on your back.
Sleeping on your side helps keep the airway open by preventing these tissues from collapsing, allowing for smoother airflow and reduced snoring.
In contrast, those who sleep on their backs are more likely to snore, according to the Sleep Foundation.
Also Read: Do You Struggle To Sleep At Night? Try These Tips To Improve Your Quality of Sleep
Quit Smoking
According to a study published in Pneumologia, people with sleep apnoea experience pauses in breathing during sleep and face various health risks like high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes.
Since smoking is associated with both lung and heart issues, and since snoring, a common symptom of sleep apnoea, is frequent in smokers, researchers believe smoking might be an independent risk factor for both snoring and sleep apnoea.
Conclusion
Many factors can contribute to snoring, including underlying medical conditions such as sleep apnoea. If you’re someone who snores, it probably isn’t just affecting your sleep but also disrupting the sleep of people around you. Addressing it and receiving a proper diagnosis can determine the course of action and help reduce other sleep issues. Additionally, you can take certain steps to help speed up the recovery. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, following a proper sleep schedule, adjusting your sleeping position, and limiting or cutting off alcohol consumption and smoking.