Snoring can be caused by a number of things and if you’re looking for a way to stop snoring, the first step is to figure out the cause.
There are 5 common causes for snoring…
- Drinking Alcohol
If you regularly drink alcohol, you should check to see if your snoring is a problem on a night when you don’t drink anything.
Alcohol is a depressant and can contribute to snoring because it relaxes the muscles in your neck and throat. This relaxation is more advanced than with regular sleep and this can cause your airways to become restricted.
If you snore only when you’ve been drinking, the obvious solution is to stop drinking. If that isn’t an option, at least have your last drink more than 4 hours before you go to sleep.
- Sleeping on Your Back
Many snorers only have a problem when they’re sleeping on their back. The solution to this is to train your body to sleep on your side.
There are plenty of devices that help with this, but they’re mostly variations of a home-grown remedy.
Put a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of your pajamas. When you roll onto your back, the discomfort will make you naturally roll back onto your side.
- Are You Overweight?
Excess weight can lead to snoring. When you’re overweight, you can get fatty tissue in your neck and throat area which can put a strain on your airway and restrict your breathing. In this case, the obvious solution is to lose some of the extra weight.
- Do You Use Antihistamines or Sleeping Pills?
These products can have a similar effect to alcohol. They relax your throat muscles more than normal sleep would and this can lead to snoring problems.
- Do You Suffer from Allergies?
Allergies can result in nasal congestion. This can make it difficult for your body to get the necessary oxygen.
The problem is, antihistamines can also contribute to snoring so the best solution is to just take a decongestant rather than an antihistamine.
These are some of the more common causes of snoring, but you should talk to a health care professional to get an informed opinion of what’s causing your snoring and the best solution for it.
