Causes of Snoring
Snoring happens when the air that we are inhaling or exhaling for breathing is unable to move freely through the nasal passage during the sleep, in turn, causes vibrations of the tissues and results in the snoring sound. Snoring depends a lot on the daily lifestyle habits, and there are natural remedies to it too. Snoring is caused by the nose and throat, but other parts like tongue and soft palate too contribute to it. Snoring is said to have more impact on the partner than the one who is snoring. Snoring not only disturbs one’s sleep but also of persons around them. Studies also show that snoring can affect marriages. So, to stop your spouse’s snoring, analyze what is causing it, and then find solutions to it.
Identify the type of snoring
To find a remedy to the snoring problem, it’s very important first to find which type of snorer your spouse is. The type of snoring depends on which parts are involved in it.
a) If the airway is blocked due to nasal passage or collapsing nostrils, then that leads to mouth breathing.
b) If the mouth remains open during the sleep with a relaxed jaw, then the snoring happens through the mouth.
c) When the tongue drops back of the mouth, it obstructs the airway leading to tongue snoring.
d) If the soft palate flutters, the uvula vibrates, and the snoring sound is caused.
e) If there is an involvement of all the parts and a combination of various sounds then its multifactorial snoring various self-tests can be taken to find out which part is getting involved. Once it’s understood, it becomes easy to change the habits that affect that part or other remedies that can be applied. But there are some commonly identified habits which can cause snoring.
Below are five preventive measures that can help control snoring
1. Try changing the sleeping position
Sleeping positions increase the likelihood of snoring. For instance, when we sleep on the back, our tongue and palate, which should be a relaxed drop in the back of the mouth, causing the airway to get blocked, leads to blockage and vibration, resulting in the snoring sound. On the other hand, if we sleep on the belly or sideways, the condition is different. If you observe any such sleep style connection with snoring, then you should put the habit to your spouse to sleep in a position that does not cause snoring.
Changing the usual sleeping position may help to reduce the snoring. Sleeping sideways, raising the head to a desirable height to improve neck position can help not to let the tongue and palette to fall.
2. Exercise tongue and mouth
It might sound weird, but yes, there are exercises for tongue and throats too. A mouth and throat workout can help to stop snoring. Exercise makes the muscles stronger, and in case of snoring, and we already know the drop back can cause the snoring. So, tighter and stronger the muscles, the chances of it falling back while you rest decreases. Here are some simple exercises that can be done every day, at least for 15-20 minutes.
a) Try some tongue twisters and repeat for 10-20times
b) put the tongue straight out of the mouth as much as possible. Move it sideways, up and down without curling it.
c) Moving the jaw in up and down in chewing motion
d) Elevate the palate and uvula
There are many other exercises that you can ask your spouse to perform consistently to make the mouth and throat muscles stronger.
3. Avoid Alcohol and smoking
Alcohol causes the muscles in the mouth and throat to relax more than usual. The more the muscles are relaxed, the more are the chances they will block the airways, which may increase the vibration and worsen the snoring. Drinking should be completely avoided before going to bed. Consumption of Alcohol 4-5 hours before sleeping also affects the snoring pattern. Also, if one is not a snorer, but after drinking, it is more likely he/she can become one.
Similarly, smoking already causes respiratory issues, and snoring is more involved with breathing. Smoking irritates the nose lining and throat passage and also mucous membranes, which ultimately leaves the air to travel through the narrow passage.
Tobacco smoke causes the inflammation in the tissue, and the airway has to move from the inflamed tissue leaving it a narrower passage too can worsen snoring.
Hence, both toxic habits should be avoided to control snoring.
4. Stay hydrated
The dehydrated state in the body can cause several issues. One of them is the secretions in the nose and soft palate. Dehydration causes the nose and soft palate to become stickier. The stickier passage can cause more snoring. The water requirement of the body should be met for both women and men.
So, do watch on the water and another fluid intake of your spouse and increase the hydration if it does not meet the demand.
5. Maintain bedroom hygiene
Likely, the bedroom accessories right from the bed to the ceiling fan can have dust. Various factors can add up to the allergies. These allergies can contribute to nasal congestion or inflammation. Also, the pillow covers if used for a long time, develop dust and dirt over them, which directly can cause allergens. Additionally, if you allow pets in the bedroom on the bed, it increases the animal dander and can increase the snoring.
Hence, bedroom hygiene should be prioritized. Cleaning the dust every alternate day and changing pillow covers in 3 days will help to reduce the allergies in the bedroom.
Allergies are the major contributor to nasal congestion and can increase snoring.
All the above natural remedies can be implanted in daily habits to reduce snoring. In addition to this, you can also buy Silent snore for your spouse. Silent Snore helps in keeping the nostrils open and allows the airway to pass through easily, will, in turn, help reduce snoring in the night.
Conclusion
Snoring is all dependent on the air movement through the nasal passage. If it gets blocked, the vibrations are bound to happen, and the snoring sound will be produced. So, the main aim of reducing snoring is to allow things that will help to remove the blockage of this nasal passage. So, if one sticks to the habits mentioned above in the lifestyle, there are chances that you might be able to keep the airway flow easy.
There are also chances that snoring can complicate and develop major issues like sleep apnea. In these situations, it is recommended to go and see a doctor and take proper medications. Also, snoring has been connected with high blood pressure. So, if you analyses that none of the natural remedies are working out with your spouse, then maybe you should consult a doctor for the same.
Preventing the habit of snoring takes time. Until such time if you are experiencing sleep deprivation or disturbances because of your spouse’s snoring, you can try remedies that will help you to get deep sleep, plugging earbuds, or if this is excessive, then maybe sleeping with a distance.