Do You Snore Loudly? Get rid of these Home Remedies

Why do people snore?

Snoring is a common condition that affects people in all age groups. Due to the wide variety of causes, there is no one solution for snoring. Snoring can have many causes. For example, an obstructed airway during sleep narrowed nasal passages and abnormal facial development are only a few of the many thousands of possible causes. Whatever the cause may be, snoring disrupts sleep and is not at all healthy.

Snoring is annoying for anyone who has to hear it, but it is not always a cause for concern. In most cases, snoring is completely benign and will resolve on its own—if you make changes around your sleeping environment. If you are tired of the nightly racket, we can help. This article explains everything from simple snore remedies to more complex treatment options for more serious conditions. Some people snore simply because they are overweight and carry a lot of extra tissue in their face and throat, while others snore because of something more serious—like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Home remedies for snoring and change of lifestyle

Snoring is a common problem that often has simple solutions. If you are suffering from a snore, try these home remedies and lifestyle changes to help treat your problem.

1. Sleeping on your side may help

Struggling with snoring? You are not alone. For a majority of people, the best solution is to lie on your side while sleeping — but finding comfortable sleep positions and pillows when you are lying on your side can be challenging. Tips for sleeping on your side will help you avoid or relieve soreness, maintain proper alignment, and keep you from turning onto your back or stomach during the night.

2. Get proper sleep on time

Adults need at least 7–9 hours of sleep each night, according to recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. When you are sleepy, it may be hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Snoring may make it even harder to doze off because snoring disrupts sleep and causes poor sleep quality and quantity. Snoring can also increase your risk of sleep deprivation since it leads to interrupted sleep.

3. Raise your head side by few inches

Raising the head of your bed by a few inches may help reduce snoring by keeping your airways open. You can use pillows or other products to get a little extra height under your bed. A cheaper method is to stack plenty of books beneath your bed – buy them used so you do not have to carry them home.

4. Use of nasal strips or a nasal dilator might help

Snoring can be a problem for both you and your partner. You might want to try something to eliminate or reduce snoring, such as nasal strips – placed on the bridge of the nose – or an external nasal dilator, which is a stiffened adhesive strip that is applied on top of the nose across the nostrils. Talk to your doctor if these techniques do not work well.

5. Limit the amount of alcohol intake before bed

When you consume alcohol near your bedtime, you may wake up feeling tired the next day. Avoiding excessive alcohol intake for several hours before your head hits the pillow is one of the best ways to help prevent snoring. Try not to consume alcohol for at least 3 hours leading up to your bedtime. Alcohol can relax the throat muscles, causing snoring. The longer you wait, the better.

6. Stop using sedatives before bed

If you are a heavy snorer and regularly take sedatives at night, stopping your sedative use before bed may be an option. Sedatives can also relax throat muscles, which can lead to more snoring. You should avoid taking sedatives before bed. Sedatives are also known as tranquilizers. Examples of common sedatives include diazepam, lorazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, and zolpidem. Alcohol can also contribute to snoring because it relaxes throat muscles.

7. If you smoke then quiet smoking

Smoking is a habit that can worsen your snoring. For many people, the cost of quitting smoking far outweighs the cost of cigarettes. However, other people just cannot seem to quit. Talk with a doctor about therapies — such as gum or patches — that can help you to quit smoking.

8. Balance your weight

Because the incidence of snoring is high in those who are overweight, losing weight will help reduce the amount of tissue in the throat. Snoring is a common problem for those who are overweight. These individuals have excess tissue in their throat and mouth which causes snoring. You can reduce the amount of tissue by reducing your intake of food and caloric drinks like sodas or juices. Exercise regularly to have better cardiovascular health.

9. Treat chronic allergies

There are several different options for treating chronic allergies that increase your risk of snoring. Get control of chronic allergies. Your doctor can provide OTC or prescription medications that will open up airflow through your nose and prevent you from snoring. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), which is found in many vitamin supplements and some dairy foods, can help ease snoring. It works by dilating the nasal passage to relieve congestion from allergies and other causes.

Waking up to a stuffy nose is annoying. When nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms force you to get out of bed, it can leave you fatigued and grumpy. Try the following over-the-counter treatments to help clear this up—medications to soothe your snoring and allergy symptoms.

Options include:

• Sedating antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• Leukotriene modifiers, such as montelukast (Singulair) and zileuton (Zyflo)
• Inhaled nasal corticosteroids, such as fluticasone (Flonase) and triamcinolone (Nasacort)
• Nonsedating antihistamines, such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xyzal), and loratadine (Claritin)
• Oral decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE), are for short-term use only.

10. Correct your nose anatomical structural problem

Most cases of snoring are caused by a deviated septum, which is the misalignment of the wall that separates both sides of the nose. If a person breathes through his mouth as he sleeps, it makes creating negative pressure in his nose that can cause snoring. However, if this negative pressure is created in your nasal passage instead of your mouth, you may have an overgrown soft tissue blocking your airway to prevent proper airflow. The cure for this condition lies in correcting the structural problems inside and outside of the nose.

11. Use (CPAP) machine for OSA

The CPAP machine is the standard treatment for OSA. It requires you to wear a pressurized air mask over your nose, mouth, or both when you sleep. This can help keep your airways open. Different types of masks are available, many people find that fighting OSA is not easy. But there are options to help you breathe better and sleep better. You may not need surgery, which is usually reserved for the most severe cases. You may be able to try non-invasive treatments—devices that use air pressure to help keep your airway open or sleeping with your head of the bed elevated—or a CPAP machine, which delivers pressurized air through a mask over your nose and mouth while you sleep.

12. Oral appliance can be effective

Oral appliances can be an effective treatment option for snoring. An oral appliance is a customized device prescribed and fitted by a dentist or specialist. The dentist evaluates the patient’s anatomy and produces a treatment device that increases the size of the upper airway during sleep, which decreases snoring.

• Retracting the tongue
• Advancing the lower jaw (mandible)
• Changing the position of the soft palate

13. Palatal implants surgery

Palatal implants are a surgery designed to reduce or stop snoring and improve obstructive sleep apnea – a common sleep disorder where you briefly stop breathing during your sleep. During palatal implants surgery, tiny implants are inserted into the soft palate, which acts as a floor above your tongue. The implants stiffen your soft palate so it does not vibrate and produce snoring sounds when you breathe.

14. Get uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)

Getting uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) may provide temporary and long-term benefits. Long term benefits include less snoring. Some short term benefit includes it will not eliminate snoring but will reduce the intensity of your breathing sounds.

15. Consider radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

Sometimes snoring can be treated without surgery, with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive procedure that can help reduce snoring. But you should talk to your doctor first to make sure RFA is right for you. No anesthesia is needed recovery time is minimal and you can go back to work the very next day. It permanently cures snoring by shrinking the soft palate.