Snoring is a big issue. Not only can it prevent you from getting the restful sleep that you need, but it can be disruptive to the sleep of anyone sleeping next to you or in the same room as you.
Beyond that snoring can also feel embarrassing. First of all, nobody feels good about preventing someone from getting a good night’s sleep. Second, nobody wants to be that person who gets chided because they snore like a chainsaw.
For people who are chronic snorers or sleep with chronic snorers, it can feel like a helpless situation. Not only are both of you probably feeling exhausted but that exhaustion can start to take a toll on your relationship.
What if I told you that there were some easy things that you could do to try and help stop you or your loved ones from snoring. It could be life-changing.
Then what if I told you that these ways to stop snoring were completely natural and no drugs (along with their side effects) were required. It would be even better.
Now, what if I told you that all but one of these natural snoring remedies were FREE. You would pretty much have to give them a try. Right?
Well here they are our 4 Easy Things You Can Do to Stop Snoring Naturally.
Table of Contents
#1 Change Your Sleeping Position
The majority of snorers sleep on their back and odds are if you have problems with snoring you sleep on your back too. Changing your sleep position is a simple thing you can do that helps reduce or eliminate snoring for many people.
Research has shown that sleeping on your side improves sleep-disordered breathing like loud snoring or sleep apnea for many people.
If sleeping on your side doesn’t feel natural or comfortable for you know that there are a few things you can do. First, make sure that your pillow properly supports your head in order to take the stress off your neck and shoulders. You may also want to put a pillow between your knees to better support your low back. Lastly, some people may experience heartburn when sleeping on their right side. If this happens to you try laying on your left side as this will often help people who get heartburn when lying on their side.
#2 Lose Weight
If you are carrying a few extra pounds you might consider losing some weight to see if that will improve your snoring. Losing weight could reduce the size of the tissue surrounding your airway, thereby opening it up, which might help you breathe easier and reduce your snoring.
Speaking from experience losing weight worked for me.
Several years ago I suffered from loud snoring and my wife noticed that I would sometimes stop breathing in my sleep. After going in for a sleep study I was diagnosed with a mild case of sleep apnea and needed to use a CPAP machine. Unfortunately for me, I kept taking off the CPAP mask during my sleep so it never really improved things for me.
Then in an unrelated effort to get/stay healthy, I changed some of my eating habits and started exercising more. I ended up losing 20 pounds and as a result of the weight loss my snoring pretty much stopped and my wife no longer noticed my breathing stop when I slept.
#3 Try An Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece
On a related note, you might want to try an anti-snoring mouthpiece. Much like losing weight might help you open up your airway an anti-snoring mouthpiece has the same goal.
With many options below $100 and some even less than $50, anti-snoring mouthpieces try to open your airway by either moving your jaw or tongue forward while you are sleeping. Mouthpieces that work by pulling the tongue forward are known as Tongue Stabilizing Devices (TSD) while mouthpieces that move your jaw forward are known as Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs).
Some people who use a MAD may report jaw discomfort. In addition, if you have dental issues or missing teeth you could be at risk for tooth shifting if you use a MAD. If you worry that these could be issues for you using a TSD might be your preferred option.
You can get a custom anti-snoring mouthpiece from a dentist, but understand that they can be significantly more expensive.
If you are considering trying an anti-snoring mouthpiece for the first time and don’t want to go through a dentist there are lots of options are available at places like Amazon.
#4 Avoid Alcohol Before Bedtime
It is known that drinking alcohol has the effect of relaxing muscles in the throat, which makes snoring more likely to occur.
So the simple solution here is to remember to drink in moderation and avoid drinking alcoholic beverages a few hours before bedtime.
What If These Things Don’t Work?
If these ideas don’t help your snoring you could have sleep apnea or something else could be going on. If you are extremely tired during the daytime, if someone has noticed you stop breathing or gasping for air in your sleep, or if you are experiencing other health issues you should visit your doctor.
Your doctor might suggest that you do a sleep study to get to the precise cause of your problem.
In addition to prescribing a CPAP machine for someone with sleep apnea, there are also surgical options available to help people with their snoring.