What Can I Buy To Help Me Stop Snoring
For most people, snoring is little more than an embarrassment or annoyance. For others, however, snoring can cause problems or indicate an underlying health issue. Different people snore for different reasons. Trying a variety of tips can help you learn how to stop snoring while sleeping and determine if you need to talk to a doctor about your snoring.
what can i buy to help me stop snoring
Your likelihood of snoring depends on what position you sleep in. People are more likely to snore when sleeping on their backs, also called the supine position. In contrast, people snore less when they sleep on their sides, also called a lateral position. The tendency to snore could be more due to head position than body position, with people snoring less when their heads are turned to the side.
Internal and external nasal dilators are geared toward improving airflow as you sleep. As a result, they may reduce snoring. These small devices are available over-the-counter online and in most drug stores for relatively low prices.
Both types of nasal dilators are small, flexible strips that use tension to open the nasal passages. A nasal strip, or external dilator, sticks to the outside of the nose with adhesive. As it tries to retain its shape, it pulls outward, lifting skin on the nose and opening the nasal passages. An internal nasal dilator operates similarly, but from the inside. Instead of pulling on the outside of the nose, it pushes outward. Studies show that both types of dilators reduce snoring, but internal dilators tend to be more effective.
A variety of dental devices are available to ease snoring. These anti-snoring mouthpieces can take more getting used to than nasal strips since they are larger and sit in the mouth all night. Anti-snoring mouthpieces are a form of mouthguard sold over-the-counter, and they generally come in two varieties.
Experts recommend weight loss Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source as one of the first and most important treatments to try for snoring. Of course, this recommendation only applies to people who are overweight or obese. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides an easy-to-use chart to help you determine whether or not you have a healthy weight Trusted Source National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) The NHLBI is the nation's leader in the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders. View Source based on your height, weight, and waistline.
Mouth exercises involve repeatedly moving your tongue and parts of your mouth in ways that strengthen muscles in the tongue, soft palate, and throat. In one study, three months of mouth exercises led to a 59% reduction in snoring.
Smoking cigarettes is associated with increased snoring Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . The flip side is also true: quitting smoking can help with your snoring problem. Additionally, children of parents who smoke tend to snore more. If you smoke and notice snoring in your children, quitting smoking could potentially help them stop snoring as well.
Snoring sometimes results from physical issues that medical professionals can resolve through surgery. Although surgery should be viewed as a last resort, there are a few surgeries that are known to reduce snoring. Seeing a doctor is the only way to determine if you could benefit from surgery.
This surgery has been performed as a treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea for nearly 30 years Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . Some doctors still consider the surgery to be beneficial, although it has become controversial in recent years due to a high occurrence of negative side effects. As a result, many surgeons no longer offer laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty.
Like laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty, palatal implants are a minimally invasive surgery option that stiffens the soft palate. Palatal implants are much less controversial, however. Studies show that the implants significantly improve snoring Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source in certain people. In addition to snoring, doctors sometimes suggest palatal implants as an obstructive sleep apnea treatment.
Somnoplasty shares characteristics with both laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty and palatal implants in the sense that it can be used to remove tissue from the uvula and stiffen the soft palate. Instead of lasers and implants, somnoplasty uses radio waves to alter tissues in the mouth and throat. Research shows that somnoplasty successfully reduces snoring in certain people, but not as effectively as palatal implants do.
If you believe your snoring is a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, see a doctor. Receiving a diagnosis and treatment for this disorder can resolve or significantly reduce your snoring while relieving other symptoms.
You may be among the 45% of adults who snore at least occasionally or you likely know someone who does. They may be the brunt of jokes ("Uncle Joe snores so loudly he rattles the windows!"), but snoring is serious business.
For one, a snoring person often keeps their partner from a good night's sleep, which can be stressful. "Snoring can create real problems in a marriage," says Daniel P. Slaughter, MD, an otolaryngologist and snoring expert at Capital Otolaryngology in Austin, Texas.
Not only is snoring a nuisance, but 75% of people who snore have obstructive sleep apnea (when breathing is disrupted during sleep for short periods), which raises the risk of developing heart disease, Slaughter says.
Use caution before you self-treat with over-the-counter sprays and pills until you've checked with your doctor, says Sudhansu Chokroverty, MD, FRCP, FACP, program director for Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep Medicine at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J. "Many stop-snoring aids are marketed without scientific studies to support their claims," says Chokroverty, who is also a neuroscience professor at Seton Hall University's School of Health and Medical Sciences.
Taping tennis balls to the back of your pajamas can also stop you from sleeping on your back, Chokroverty says. "Or you can recline the bed with the head up and extended, which opens up nasal airway passages and may help prevent snoring. This may cause neck pain, however."
If you've gained weight and started snoring and did not snore before you gained weight, weight loss may help. "If you gain weight around your neck, it squeezes the internal diameter of the throat, making it more likely to collapse during sleep, triggering snoring," Slaughter says.
Alcohol and sedatives reduce the resting tone of the muscles in the back of your throat, making it more likely you'll snore. "Drinking alcohol four to five hours before sleeping makes snoring worse," Chokroverty says. "People who don't normally snore will snore after drinking alcohol."
Bad sleep habits (also known as poor sleep "hygiene") can have an effect similar to that of drinking alcohol, Slaughter says. Working long hours without enough sleep, for example, means when you finally hit the sack you're overtired. "You sleep hard and deep, and the muscles become floppier, which creates snoring," Slaughter says.
If snoring starts in your nose, keeping nasal passages open may help. It allows air to move through slower, Slaughter says. "Imagine a narrow garden hose with water running through. The narrower the hose, the faster the water rushes through."
A hot shower before you go to bed can help open nasal passages, Slaughter says. Keep a bottle of saltwater rinse in the shower. "Rinse your nose out with it while you're showering to help open up passages," Slaughter says.
Drink plenty of fluids. "Secretions in your nose and soft palate become stickier when you're dehydrated," Slaughter says. "This can create more snoring." According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy women should have about 11 cups of total water (from all drinks and food) a day; men need about 16 cups.
Overall, get enough sleep, sleep on your side, avoid alcohol before bedtime and take a hot shower if nasal passages are clogged, Slaughter says. "These simple practices can make a huge difference in reducing snoring."
Age. As you reach middle age and beyond, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases. While you can't do anything about growing older, lifestyle changes, new bedtime routines, and throat exercises can all help to prevent snoring.
Being overweight or out of shape. Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring. Even if you're not overweight in general, carrying excess weight just around your neck or throat can cause snoring. Exercising and losing weight can sometimes be all it takes to end your snoring.
The way you're built. Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, and other physical attributes that contribute to snoring are often hereditary. Again, while you have no control over your build or gender, you can control your snoring with the right lifestyle changes, bedtime routines, and throat exercises.
Alcohol, smoking, and medications. Alcohol intake, smoking, and certain medications, such as tranquilizers like lorazepam (Ativan) and diazepam (Valium), can increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring. 041b061a72