A good diet, regular exercise and getting enough sleep form the foundations of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep is a place where you can escape from the worries of the waking world and rejuvenate body and mind. In short, sleep is great. Unless you snore.
Snoring is caused by air rushing over the muscles in your mouth and airway when they’re relaxed, causing the soft tissue to vibrate. This produces that charming, piggish groan which afflicts approximately 30% of all over-30s.
If you snore, you might view it as someone else’s problem. That person being whoever is forced to share a bed with you. Or even a neighbour, if you’re really cranking up the decibels at night. However, if it gets really bad snoring can upset your own sleep patterns, and if you are a severe snorer the odds are your partner will make your life hell in response, so it’s something worth sorting out.
There are all manner of purported solutions to snoring out there. You can even get apps that will record samples of your night-time sounds to track how well your various snoring remedies are working. However, for sound advice on how to avoid sounding off at night, you’ll want a proper expert with scientific solutions, so we enlisted Dr Nick Knight for his advice.
Here are Knight’s five top tips to help you stop snoring.
1. Shun the Nightcap
That extra pint down at the Pig and Blanket? It might not be the snooze inducer you thought it was. “Try to avoid those triggers that relax your airways and cause snoring – the biggest one of these is alcohol,” says Dr Nick. “If you cut out the booze you’ll find you cut down on the snoring.”
2. Sleep on Your Side
Googling “best positions in bed” won’t return the snore cure you’re after, but fortunately Dr Nick can tell you exactly how to lie to slay the after-hours racket. “Rather than lying on your back, where your airway can collapse and cause that noisy vibration, try lying on your side. It’ll help to keep your throat a bit more open.”
3. Exercise More
If you’re overweight, try not to be. “The excess fat pushes down on your chest and your throat, and that makes the vibration even worse.”
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4. Invest in One of These
For the best possible shot at a cure, give that faithful credit card a run-out and buy an orthopedic pillow. “These pillows provide your neck and your jaw a lot more support so they keep your airways open.”
5. Stop Smoking
Hey, smoking is bad for you! Who knew? “Apart from the million and one reasons you’d want to quit smoking anyway, smoking causes the throat to get weaker, so the snoring gets worse.”
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This information is for guidance only and does not constitute or replace a medical consultation with your GP. If you have any concerns over the issues raised it’s important to consult your GP for further advice.
