Snoring can disrupt your family’s sleep and your own. Although it is very common, it is healthy to eliminate it. Quitting snoring can be the goal of many people. However, is it really possible to stop doing it? And if so, how do you do it? Many times it is not enough to change the pillow or try to sleep on your side.
Snoring is an action that does not necessarily have to indicate a health problem. However, if your doctor has diagnosed a disease such as being overweight, obese, or an airway disorder, then you should pay attention to snoring.
Snoring is a respiratory sound that some people make when sleeping due to resistance to air flow in the upper respiratory tract. This resistance is produced by the collision between the different structures of this area: soft palate, uvula, tongue and others, for different reasons.
Why do we snore?
A person can snore for various reasons. Among the most common we can mention:
- Smoking
- Overweight,due to pressure of the airways when lying down.
- Intake of alcohol and sedatives, especially in the hours before sleep.
- Obstruction of the airways, either temporarily, as in the case of colds, allergies or inflammation of the tonsils , or chronic due to alterations in the nasal septum, presence of nasal polyps, inflamed adenoids (vegetation’s), etc.
Is snoring dangerous?
Although snoring can be normal at times, there is evidence that there is a close relationship between snoring and cardiovascular disease. Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea. This condition momentarily stops breathing while we sleep.
“All people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all who snore have apnea,” The only way to know when snoring is associated with apnea is to see a specialist . Medical statistics indicate that half of people who snore suffer from apnea.
Can we stop snoring?
There are some attitudes or habits that we can change to try to stop snoring or at least make snoring not so loud.
Since snoring does not depend exclusively on one factor, but on several, then the most logical thing is to attend to those who may be promoting it, such as obesity. When the patient begins to lose weight, his health improves and one of the benefits associated with this is that snoring begins to decrease.
So, it would be recommended:
- Avoid making large meals and dinners.
- Avoid the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
- Losing weight (in case of obesity or being overweight).
- Slightly raise the head of the bed or use two pillows.
- Stay well hydrated so that mucus does not thicken and does not make breathing difficult.
- Avoid sedatives and antihistamines before bed. The latter have the side effect of drying the mucosa, which favors snoring.
- When sleeping, try to do it on your side, not on your back. Some people place an object on their back to force them into the lateral position.
- Try to maintain good sleep habits, that is, sleep the necessary hours, maintain fixed hours, etc.
- Keep the room clean and ventilated, trying not to accumulate dust, tobacco smoke, etc.
- Before going to sleep, it is recommended to clean your nose and decongestant it with saline. In case the doctor indicates it, the person can use nasal strips, to keep the nostrils open at night.
If you succeed, you will notice that your quality of life will improve, as you will wake up much more rested, your stress level will decrease and your family life will improve significantly.
If these tips fail to stop snoring, see your doctor to consider other therapeutic options that exist and that should be supervised or performed by a medical professional.
You should also go to the doctor if a family member warns you that you have sleep apnea, that is, when you snore, at some point you stop breathing for a few seconds, as this is a more serious problem that should be evaluated.
