•A heavy meal before you go to sleep is not a good idea.
•Sleep patterns also affect our quality of sleep and breathing throughout the night.
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Snoring is more likely when there is a partial blockage of the airway.
It’s the sound that occurs when air flows past a relaxed tissue in your throat which then vibrates.
There are temporary and permanent causes linked to snoring.
Temporary factors are nasal congestion from a cold or allergy, and being overweight while permanent factors are the size of your tonsils or the shape of your mouth and throat.
A good night's rest is very important. If we don’t get enough sleep, it can affect not only our moods but energy levels and physical health as well.
Image: HANNIE PETRA
Headaches, mild migraines, and high blood pressure have been linked to a lack of sleep.
There’s nothing more annoying than trying to get some rest but someone next to you is snoring loudly.
The following tips can help curb or reduce snoring.
Change your sleep pattern
Sleep patterns also affect our quality of sleep and breathing throughout the night.
Laying on your side is guaranteed to help you reduce snoring.
This is because this position stops any restriction to your airflow through your throat and nose by removing any pressure from your own body weight.
Remove allergens
If you suffer from allergies, such as pet dander or dust mites, these may be the cause of your snoring.
That said, if you have a pet, you can no longer allow it to nest in your bed or snuggle/sleep with it at night.
Removing carpets from the bedroom (if you have dust allergies) and airing your beddings occasionally is also helpful.
Minimizing allergen exposure is a mild way of getting snoring under control as allergens can trigger nasal congestion thus affecting how well a person breathes at night.
Try anti-snoring exercise
It’s amazing that there are exercises for pretty much every part of our body, including the parts that are involved in snoring.
Mouth, tongue, and throat exercises can help tone up the tissue, decreasing the soft tissue that is linked to causing blockage when sleeping.
Some of these exercises include tongue curlers and cheek stretches. There are videos all over YouTube showing how to.
Eat lightly before bed
A heavy meal before you go to sleep is not a good idea.
If you eat heavy meals too close to bedtime, it can upset your sleep quality, the throat muscles will relax as part of the digestion process, increasing your chances of snoring.
Get an anti-snore pillow
Buying an anti-snore pillow is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help stop snoring.
Lifting the head of the bed, or sleeping on more pillows can lower the chances of snoring by making it easier to breathe.
Raise the head of your bed; just a few inches will help to keep your head up and encourage your tongue to sit forward in your mouth, rather than sliding back in your throat.
Use a nasal dilator
Freeing up the airways is one of the best solutions when it comes to snoring.
A nasal dilator helps reduce the severity of snoring by opening nasal passages.
If none of these methods helps, see a doctor for further examination and help.