How to stop snoring? What are the solutions to find peaceful nights? Find our explanations and advice to adopt urgently!
Do you snore, or those around you accuse you of snoring at night? You are exasperated by the noise nuisance caused by those weird throat noises and desperately trying to stop snoring! Snoring is a hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when air passes by relaxed tissues in your throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe.
Good to know: No research has proven the hereditary nature of snoring. No need to accuse your ancestors; they have nothing to do with it! While in many countries, snorers are often unloved and criticized. In China, it is a sign of good health!
A feeling of embarrassment or shame invades you regularly. Difficult to get rid of inappropriate remarks or sharp mockery! Losing control at night undermines you and makes you uncomfortable? On business trips, on vacation, or at home, your nights quickly become polluted by these unglamorous sounds.
Did you know that you can remedy the snoring problem and find a calm and serene night by following a few tips? Below are the explanations on how to stop snoring.
1. Who are the people most affected?
When confronted with the problem of snoring, we very often feel alone in this case. Studies from the American Academy of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology have, however, highlighted figures which prove the contrary. Indeed, 45% of adults snore, of which 25% regularly. Men are in the majority since they are 60% in this case.
Very often, advancing age reinforces the symptoms; the number of affected subjects increases as they age. Children are not left out since 10% of them are regular snorers. You no longer have to feel guilty!
2. What category of snorers do you fall into?
Even if many snorers ignore each other, ask your entourage how it feels, and you will immediately know what category of snorers you belong to. The sound effects can vary in intensity from one person to another.
The light snorers do not disturb the rest of their sleeping neighbors. You won’t get much feedback unless the person is a very light sleeper. Average snoring begins to become annoying. It is similar to the noise produced by a voice with a power ranging from 45dB to 60dB.
The last category concerns the major snorers: with them, the sound can reach up to 95 dB, that is to say, the equivalent of truck noise! or a lawnmower! You can easily understand that this type of snorer can disrupt other people’s sleep.
3. What external factors cause snoring?
To figure out how to stop snoring, you need to look at the origins of the problem. Very often, poor hygiene of life is a source of snoring. The overweight contributes mostly to the production of daytime noise sounds.
Likewise, alcohol taken in the evening promotes immediate falling asleep but greatly disturbs sleep in the second part of the night. Snoring is often expected after drinking alcohol. In addition, taking medications, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, or sleeping pills, helps to strengthen the phenomenon.
As for pregnant women, they are victims despite snoring linked to the narrowing of the respiratory tract. Finally, too dry air congests the nasal passages, as do colds and allergies. This is particularly the case in winter with the heaters in the bedrooms.
The position of the sleeper strongly influences snoring: are you a fan of sleep on your back? You strongly accentuate the noise pollution generated by your throat. Go on the side or on the stomach!
4. What are the physiological causes of snoring?
Snoring is rarely harmless. They are characterized by a deep, thudding noise, more often on inspiration, but they can also occur on expiration. The sound emitted during breathing comes from the vibration of the tissues of the palate of the uvula and the pharynx wall as the air passes.
They are due to the narrowing of the airways in the throat or the tissue’s relaxation caused by overweight, menopause, or age. Too small jaw, too large tongue or dysfunction of the respiratory system causes these sound problems.
They can also be caused by polyps in the nasal passages or by bulky tonsils (which is a hallmark of children’s snoring). Light or moderate snoring does not present any danger to the sleeper’s health.
5. How to stop snoring with simple solutions?
There are some acceptable practices to avoid being prone to snoring.
For overweight problems, adopting a balanced diet coupled with physical exercise, can easily solve this problem. Likewise, you will avoid drinking alcohol at dinner and in the evening to improve your sleep quality.
As for taking medication, an appointment with your attending physician is required. You will need to determine with him whether a reduction in the medication is possible or if an alternative treatment can be prescribed. On the pharmacy side, taking decongestant drugs will be effective in case of colds or allergies.
Finally, placing plastic nasal strips on the nose can facilitate air passage and can help stop snoring in some cases.
6. When should you see a doctor?
When snoring is loud, jerky, and interrupted by pauses in breathing for a few seconds to a minute, a visit to a doctor is necessary. In most cases, the affected snorer is not aware of it, but few signs should speak to it. The sleeper wakes up tired due to sleep micro-cuts, irritable because drowsy and with headaches. In this case, you have all the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea (SAS), which are dangerous for your health. 3% of adult snorers are affected.
Without suitable treatment, the cardiovascular system gets tired more quickly because it is in lack of oxygenation. The risks of infarction and cerebrovascular accidents are strongly accentuated. To overcome this problem, a daytime treatment of ventilation by continuous positive pressure is recommended: wearing a mask connected to a central device impels a constant pressure of air in the face.
In summary, snoring disease is often eradicated with relatively easy-to-implement solutions. By adopting a healthy lifestyle and a change in sleeping position, most of the symptoms disappear on your side or on your stomach. A doctor’s visit is required for medically monitored sleepers or to an ENT to detect possible sleep apnea disorders.
You will finally be done with whistling from your sleeping neighbor, well-placed kicks, or punishment from the separate bedroom! Stopping snoring will make you fall back into the arms of Morpheus and find a quality restful sleep.
