Are you wondering how to stop snoring naturally? There are numerous suggestions and solutions which claim to resolve snoring; some of these are effective whereas others are questionable. Others still, such as sedative use, may be harmful.
Many purported snoring solutions directly address certain lifestyle choices which may be modified to help you stop snoring and achieve a better night’s sleep. You may also favour natural remedies for snoring. If these work for you, it is a much better solution to snoring than using drugs or needing to have surgery.
What is Snoring?
Snoring is the sound of the soft palate and other tissues in the airways vibrating as you breathe. At best, it is noisy enough to annoy your sleep partner and interrupt his or her sleep. It can also lead to disrupted sleep for you, which has significant implications for your quality of life, health and wellbeing, performance, productivity, and safety (particularly in the workplace and on the road). It’s very important to address snoring and, ideally, to understand how to stop snoring naturally.
Snoring in NZ
Snoring is a very common health issue, and it can lead to broken sleep and an array of health and wellness issues.
Quality sleep is crucial to your health and wellbeing.
- 2-4% of New Zealanders suffer from sleep apnoea
- 60% of men and 40% of women in NZ snore
- 25% of people snore almost every night
- Fewer than 5% of snorers seek medical advice to address the issue
How to Stop Snoring Naturally – Is there an Underlying Cause?
Snoring is usually the result of:
- Obesity, particularly in the neck area (common in men)
- Large tongue blocking the airways
- Undershot jaw (which can block the airways)
- Mouth breathing
- Back sleeping position
- Allergies or a cold
- Smoking
- Muscle relaxation, often exacerbated by alcohol consumption before bed or sedative use
- Sleep apnoea
For the majority of chronic snorers, while the above may contribute, the underlying cause of snoring is due to the natural positioning of the lower jaw.
During sleep (especially when lying on the back), the lower jaw (mandible) naturally relaxes and falls slightly backwards. This relaxes the soft palate and other tissues of the mouth and throat. The result of this is restricted airflow through the airways, and snoring results as the body strives to take in enough oxygen.
Lifestyle Considerations for Snorers
Being overweight or obese is the main lifestyle-related reason people snore. This is the case particularly when weight is carried as fat deposits in the neck area. Loss of muscle tone enables more vibration of the airways as one breathes, causing snoring even if you are only in a very light sleep.
There’s not one single cause of snoring for most snorers. In most cases, a range of lifestyle choices and behaviours work together to result in snoring and/or broken sleep.
Tips to improve sleep:
- Maintain a healthy weight and BMI
- Eat a balanced, diet with a modest evening meal
- Exercise regularly
- Drink plenty of water
- Don’t smoke
- Limit or avoid alcohol before bed
- Don’t eat a large meal at night
- Don’t consume caffeine in the evening
- Turn off digital devices before bedtime
Natural Snoring Remedies
Many natural snoring remedies claim to help stop snoring. Some are unproven, however for temporary or non-severe snoring issues, they are worth trying.
These include:
- Sleeping on your side
- Raising the head of your bed
- Treating chronic allergies (using antihistamines, for example)
- Purchasing a new pillow
- Trying an external nasal dilator or nasal strips
- Using an oral appliance (mandibular adjustment device) like ApneaRX
Do not resort to using sedatives as these will only make the problem worse and may be harmful. Avoid using illicit drugs.
See your doctor if snoring is chronic or severe, to rule out any structural airway problems (e.g. deviated septum, uvula issues). These may contribute to your snoring and can be treated. If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea, use a CPAP machine and follow your doctor’s instructions.
The Plain Truth About Snoring Remedies
Snoring is such a common thing that you’d have thought a simple cure would have been found years – even centuries – ago, and the nocturnal world would be a quieter place by now. But no. Despite just about everyone seeming to have a theory – and even more people claiming they don’t snore anyway, so it’s not their problem, it is still going on all over the world.
In these days of internet-enabled self-diagnosis, so-called “snoring hacks” are easily found. It takes only one night to discover that these little bits of homespun brilliance don’t prevent snoring at all.
Sleep on your side, use an extra pillow, put eucalyptus oil on the pillow… all these are well-meaning pieces of advice, and they may even have worked once for someone, but they don’t do it for everyone all the time.
But that is not to say there is no such thing as an effective snoring remedy.
Choose ApneaRX
ApneaRX is a medically proven solution to stop snoring naturally. It is a mandibular adjustment device – worn in the mouth, it gently repositions the lower jaw, holding it slightly forward during sleep. This helps to open the airways for maximum airflow during sleep, even if you habitually sleep on your back.
Without any side effects, ApneaRX effectively corrects the underlying anatomical issues that cause snoring in the first place.
ApneaRX provides an affordable and risk-free solution for how to stop snoring naturally.
For advice on sleep solutions, and to discover a new, better way of sleeping, please browse our website or call 0800 111 325.
