On the surface, snoring seems like a mere comedic punchline for shows that are trying to make their audiences laugh at its absurdity. Other times, it is simply an annoying little sleep disruption factor for your partner. However, upon a closer look, you realize that is certainly not all! Snoring is associated with poor sleep, discomfort, breathing problems – and so much more! Therefore, though it is not always serious, it is always good to know how you can curb snoring at the bud the moment you notice mild problems surrounding it. For exactly this reason, we aim to bring you some easy remedies and lifestyle change recommendations to prevent snoring. We also bring you simple explanations of why one snores so that you have a better understanding of the causes and are able to manage your sleeping habits better. Read on! 

Why Do You Snore? 

When you go to sleep, your body is much more relaxed – and so are the muscles and tissues in your throat. Sometimes, these muscles get so loose that they block the air passage in your throat, obstructing your sleep. Due to this, when you take in a deep breath in your sleep, as one does when they are relaxed, your loose tissues and muscles around the throat vibrate and make a hoarse sound. This hoarse sound is what we term “snoring”. 

Snoring is extremely common. In fact, all of us snore at some point in our lives, especially if we have a cold. However, for some people, it can become a recurring problem that just doesn’t seem to go away. The hoarse sound gets louder and indicates that you are not able to breathe properly in your sleep. Therefore, if you are snoring, it is likely that you are not getting sound sleep because your brain and organs are not receiving an optimal level of oxygen. Snoring can also be quite embarrassing for some, while also being an annoyance big enough to crack one’s relationships. 

Multiple causes have been associated to determine why one snores constantly –

• Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased likelihood of snoring. Excess muscle and fat might have accumulated in your throat area, blocking your breathing passage when you go to sleep. 
• Age and snoring are often correlated – the older you are, the more likely you are to snore in your sleep. This could be because of weakness in the muscles. 
• Sleeping flat on your back might lead your tongue to obstruct your breathing passage, causing snoring. 
• Structural problems in your nasal cavity or throat may cause snoring.
• Being dehydrated, sleep-deprived, extremely stressed, or having a dried-up nose due to dry weather conditions can all cause snoring. 
• Men tend to biologically have narrower air passage in their throat, making them more susceptible to snoring. 
• Enlarged tonsils are another thing that can easily block your airway. 

7 Simple Remedies To Treat Snoring

If you constantly snore but don’t necessarily believe it’s a big problem, home remedies and simple lifestyle changes can go a long way in preventing and dealing with snoring. Here are some effective remedies to treat a snoring problem – 

Practice good sleeping hygiene

Many of us have bad sleeping habits thanks to our fast-paced lives. These sleeping habits and a sort of discipline in letting your body rest is commonly referred to as “sleep hygiene”. Do you sleep for way less than 7 hours? Are you up on your phone until late? Are you always stressed about work and therefore never get sound sleep? Or do you tire yourself to a point that you fall asleep hard whenever you hit the bed? All of these things can and do worsen your snoring problems. 

Snoring and poor sleep are correlated, though often it becomes difficult to determine what caused what. Though sleep deprivation worsens your snoring, people are sleep deprived because they have been snoring in the first place! Here are some general tips you can follow to improve sleep hygiene – 

• Put your phone away at least half an hour before going to sleep. Try reading or meditating instead. 
• Change your sheets and pillows frequently. Let them be fresh in a way that makes you feel calm.
• As much as we hate saying this – avoid sleeping with your pets! Unfortunately, pets carry animal dander that can lead to allergic reactions that make breathing difficult during your sleep. 
• Dust your ceiling fan! And if it is a fan that constantly creaks and makes noises as if it’s from an ancient haunted house – consider repairing it. Minimizing dust and external noises makes sure you get better sleep and breathe better. 

Make changes in your sleeping position 

We cannot stress on this enough but sleeping positions matter to a great degree when it comes to snoring! Humans commonly have the habit of sleeping flat on their backs. However, sleeping in this position causes the relaxed muscles in your tongue to fall back to your throat and block your air passage. This causes snoring in many people while worsening existing conditions for others. Here are some changes you can make in your sleeping positions to prevent this from happening: 

• Try sleeping in a prone position. The prone position involves sleeping on your stomach with your neck to the side. This position significantly improves your oxygen levels and allows you to have sound sleep. However, it may cause back pain or neck pain, so take it slow and adjust to the position first.
• Sleeping on your side is an excellent alternative to sleeping flat on your back. It is not as risky as the prone position and at the same time does not cause your tongue to block your air passage. 
• Simply elevate your head! This prevents your tongue from falling back into your throat. You could get multiple pillows to do this or simply use a flexible bed that can go a little upright. 

Clear Your Nose Before Going To Sleep 

If you are someone who snores with their mouth closed, you likely have blocked nasal passages causing the hoarse sound of snoring. This is why many of us snore when we have a blocked nose.

While clearing your nose seems like an obvious tip, the focus here is to do it right before you sleep. Dry air and dust can settle into your nose pretty quickly making breathing a little tedious. Ways you can clear your nose and keep your nasal passages open when you’re asleep include – 

• Take a hot shower before going to bed. During that, make it a point to rinse your nose well with saltwater. 
• Take steam for about 15 minutes before dozing off. 
• If you live in a dry climate area or are simply in a season that has dry air, consider investing in a humidifier. A humidifier adds some moisture to the air making the job of breathing much easier for your nose.
• Nasal drops or strips also work great. 
• Face massage improves blood flow to the skin which helps promote the drainage of mucus, and boost circulation.

Drink lots of water 

When your body is dehydrated – practically all of your essential organs suffer. With a lack of hydration the mucus, the dust, the cough, and the bacteria in your nose become much stickier and harder which makes it difficult to clear them. People make the honest mistake of drinking less water when they have a cough, assuming that cold water will make the problem worse. However, no water creates much bigger problems. 

Drink plenty of fluids before going to sleep – but make sure you’re not drinking fluids that are too high in sodium. Ideally, you should be drinking about 8 glasses of water a day. Eating foods such as cucumbers, oranges, apples, watermelons, etc might also work wonders in keeping you hydrated. 

Avoid drinking alcohol before bed 

Alcohol is essentially a sedative, and while that might make you think that it will help you sleep better and possibly improve snoring – the opposite is true. Both alcohol and sedatives cause your muscles to relax in ways that you are much more likely to snore. Alcohol is notoriously known to dehydrate you and cause inflammation in your body. All of these things make alcohol a big NO for those who are looking to snore less. 

While you don’t have to completely stop drinking, avoid drinking at night. Drinking alcohol even 5 hours before going to sleep can cause you to snore. The substance can also disrupt your REM sleep, meaning you are less likely to feel well-rested.  

It’s time to quit smoking

If you are a smoker, we’re sure you’ve heard this before. But time and time studies have shown that smoking worsens snoring and creates bigger breathing problems. Smoking is inflammatory and can irritate your breathing passages. It also dehydrates and dries up your nose and throat, making breathing a task. Consider taking steps to quit smoking if your snoring is constantly bothering you. 

Consider losing weight

It is a well-known fact that snoring tends to increase its frequency and likelihood as one gains weight. The logic behind this is pretty simple – extra muscles and fat take up space in your throat, blocking your airway passage. However, do note that this is not always the cause of one’s constant snoring. For some people, going on diets, exercising, and practicing a calorie deficit works wonders to battle snoring. For others, it does not because many other factors can cause snoring. 

If you have noticed that you’ve gained weight over the years and that has correlated with how frequently you snore, you can take this step. Otherwise, it could be best to stick to other effective remedies. 

Certain foods and drinks that help to reduce snoring

Certain dehydrating or inflammatory foods might be the culprit to a worsened snoring condition. This includes consuming too much dairy, spicy foods, processed foods, oily food, red meat, etc. Alternatively, certain nutritious, hydrating, and congestion-clearing foods can help you soothe your nasal passage and throat significantly, causing a reduction in your tendency to snore. 

Turmeric Milk 

Turmeric is the bright yellow spice we love to use in our traditional dishes. It is also a spice that is loved by both medicine and beauty. So really, is it surprising that this spice can help you deal with snoring? Certainly not! Turmeric has the property of clearing your phlegm significantly while soothing any inflammation in your throat. Combined with some warm milk, it makes up one of the best cold remedies out there, and hence, one of the best remedies for snoring. Drink a glass of milk with about ½ tsp of turmeric 30 minutes before you go to sleep. With phlegm and bacteria gone, adding to the serotonin supply given to you by milk, you are able to breathe and sleep peacefully. 

Pineapple 

Pineapple, just like many other scrumptious fruits given to us by Mother Nature, is a powerhouse of nutrients. Potassium, B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, or riboflavin – pineapple has it all. It has the soothing property of fighting inflammation in your throat while hydrating it appropriately. In fact, many recommend pineapples as comfort food for pain relief. The stingy taste of pineapple is also effective in dealing with phlegm in your throat. 

Consider adding pineapple to your diet as an evening snack. With regular consumption, you might have just found yourself a perfect remedy to deal with snoring. 

Onions 

Cutting onions is a pain for your eyes, isn’t it? Well, get this – that dreaded onion juice that makes the phlegm, bacteria, and free radicals in your throat cry too! 

While adding onions to your regular curries can work in itself, consider adding raw onion as salad into your meals to have a clear throat. Onions are excellent antioxidants and pain relievers. They have been used by Ayurveda for pain relief and cough for centuries.  

Ginger-Chamomile Tea 

Gingers are the ultimate remedy for a sore and upset throat. And when you combine ginger with the sweetness of chamomile you get the sort of tea that doesn’t just relieve your throat and snoring problems but relieves you of all the stress and tension in your temples that may be preventing you from sleeping well. Therefore, ginger-chamomile tea hits the bullseye when one is trying to deal with snoring. Do not add tea leaves to this concoction as tea has caffeine which may disrupt your sleep. Just these organic herbs are enough. 

Fish 

The relation of fish meat with dealing with snoring might sound peculiar at first, but it works. Fish is high on protein and omega 3 fatty acids, both of which work to fight the ill effects of congestion in your throat. It may therefore help clear your nasal passage and prevent you from snoring. Seriously, switching to fish meat in place of red meat or chicken could be the best thing that ever happens to you health-wise. 

When to see a doctor?

Though it might just seem like a nuisance, snoring can be quite serious at times. It’s not snoring itself that’s the problem, but it is the fact that snoring could be a symptom of an underlying disease. It can decrease your sleep hygiene and cause sleep deprivation that can be hazardous for one’s general functionality in life. Some serious health conditions that may be the evil behind constant snoring include – 

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea is characterized by disrupted breathing in your sleep. About 75% of people who snore have OSA. OSA increases your risk for heart disease, which is why it needs to be taken seriously
• An issue with a structure of your throat or nose, which would require surgery 
• Obesity is a serious issue. It can cause snoring due to the presence of neck fat. Performing exercise, eating a healthy diet, and receiving body and face massages may help some people to prevent snoring. Face massage reduces the fat on the neck and improves blood circulation.
• Stress and sleep deprivation are also causes of snoring. Stress plays a role in snoring as well as negatively affecting your health. You can prevent stress by using Blue nectar vishranti oil. It can also reduce headaches caused by too much stress.
• Breathing or lung diseases 
• An allergic reaction to dust or a similar substance

Even if it doesn’t bother you that much, we strongly advise consulting a professional if you experience too many of the following symptoms. Do note that these do not give you a professional diagnosis and there is no need to panic until your doctor speaks to you:

• Constantly gasping for air during your sleep 
• Loud snoring that disturbs your partner 
• Sleep deprivation that is leading to daytime sleepiness
• You face difficulty in being attentive or concentrating 
• You doze off during hours you should be awake
• Constantly waking up with a headache
• Frequent urination during the night 
• No home remedies seem to be working 
• Chest pain
• Constantly waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth 

 

Treatment options will be determined by your healthcare professional according to your diagnosis. This may include mouthpieces or devices, medication, or recommended lifestyle changes. 

TakeAway

Snoring can either be a nuisance or a symptom of a serious problem. But hey, spotting the problem earlier and trying out remedies & preventive measures can go a long way. Whether you have just started to notice your snoring or have been snoring for years, adding these simple tips like face massage to your life can help you greatly. If not, we’re sure you can find doctors who can help you best. We hope this blog helped!