“I wasn’t snoring last night, was I?”
This question is often met with a look of utter hatred from the person you’ve been sleeping next to, or worse, in the room next door.
Snoring is arguably the biggest bane of the bedroom, with its loud, throaty cries keeping wannabe-sleepers awake forever. From the ear-piercingly brash to the Darth Vader-style heavy breathers, there isn’t just a one-size-fits-all snore – everyone has their own way of letting out these nasal vibrations as they soundly sleep.
To help you combat this bedroom wheezing, we’ve looked at what actually causes snoring and offered our five top tips to help you reduce your nasal bellowing.
What causes snoring?
Wondered what creates that boar-esque roar when your head hits the pillow? Well, it’s all down to air not being able to freely move through your throat and nose as you sleep. This causes the tissue in your throat to vibrate and, voila, the classic snoring sound is created.
There isn’t one definitive reason for what induces your nasal bellowing, but it can be put down to a combination of a few different things:
- Sleeping position – it’s well known that if you sleep flat on your back, you’re likely to be a snorer. It causes the tissue in your throat to become relaxed and inevitably causes a partially blocked airway.
- Your lifestyle choices– Oasis might have sang all you need is cigarettes and alcohol, but for a snore-free night, avoid them at all costs. Both of these cause muscle relaxations and stops the air from flowing freely in your throat.
- A stuffy nose and block airwaves– causing a vacuum in your throat, nasal and sinus problems can lead to inhalation problems.
- Out of shape and overweight – excess weight around your neck is a key instigator of snoring, so keeping active and on top of your physical health is a must for banishing snoring.
What can you do to stop snoring?
Although there are no concrete ways to stop you from snoring, you can practice a few different techniques to try and reduce the risk of it happening. So, if your snores are window-rattlingly bad,here are our five top tips to help reduce the chance of snoring when your head hits the pillow:
- Watch your diet
One of the best ways to eliminate snoring is to be wary of what you’re eating. Specific food types are known for bringing on the symptoms of snoring – dairy is a big one for this – so keep tabs on your diet and note down what triggers your nasal problems. Avoid large meals before you got to sleep too, as this can bring on a night of rip-roaring throaty bellows.
- Keeping hydrated
Getting plenty of fluids down you is an efficient way to reduce the effects of snoring, according to Daniel P. Slaughter, a snoring expert at Capital Otolaryngology. He says that secretions in your throat and nasal passages become stickier when your body is dehydrated, which causes more snoring.
The Eatwell Guide, penned by the NHS, states you should see off six to eight glasses of liquid a day, so get down your daily allowance and your snoring may ease up.
- Change up your pillows
You might think that your pillows are super fresh and clean, but in reality, they may be packed with allergens that may be hampering your breathing as your sleep.
Investing in some new, innovative pillowswith invisible airflow perforations will keep your sleeping cushions feeling clean and allergen-free.
- Adjust your sleeping style
Sleeping on your back is one of the worst things a serial snorer can do, but training your body not to sleep in its most natural position isn’t easy. Techniques to adjust your sleeping position include sewing tennis balls to the back of your pyjamas (how crazy does that sound!) or creating a ‘lump’ underneath your mattress cover so you won’t lie flat on your back and promote you to sleep on your side.
- Ditch the booze!
None of the above worked? There’s one sure fire way that’ll help reduce snoring – stop drinking alcohol. With booze relaxing our throat muscles, it’s a renowned snore-causer, so swap your night in the pub with pint for an evening on the sofa with a glass of high quality H2O.
Get more tips and advice on making the most of your sleep over on our blog.