How to Stop Snoring

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If you're a snorer in your household, you're probably getting a lot more sleep than anyone who can hear you. Try the following preventative measures.

Steps

1. Avoid the things that make snoring worse: alcohol, sleeping pills, coffee and rich foods before bedtime.[1] If you regularly take any kind of medication, talk to your doctor about alternatives. Some drugs can make snoring worse, including sleeping pills and sedatives.
   
   • Alcohol, sleeping pills, and other sedatives make your throat muscles relax, narrowing your airway. Large meals and rich food restricts your airway by pushing up on your diaphragm [2]
     
2. If you sleep on your back, buy yourself a few extra pillows and prop yourself up in bed, rather than lying flat on your back. Also, raise the head of your bed. An easy way to do it is to place several flat boards under the legs at the top end of the bed. A couple of old phone books under each leg should also raise the bed enough to do the trick.
   
3. Sleep on your side. There's a good reason you don't want to sleep on your back: in that position, your tongue and soft palate rest against the back of your throat, blocking the airway. One way people train themselves to stay on their side is by taping or sewing a tennis ball to the back of their shirt, so whenever you roll onto your back, it's very uncomfortable.
   
4. Address any nasal congestion.
   
   • Try taking a decongestant or antihistamine if nasal congestion is causing your snoring. Use these only as a temporary measure if you suspect that a cold or allergy is to blame. Prolonged use of either can be harmful.
     
   • Gargle with a peppermint mouthwash to shrink the lining of your nose and throat. This is especially effective if your snoring is a temporary condition caused by a head cold or an allergy. To mix up the herbal gargle, add 1 drop of peppermint oil to a glass of cold water. (Only gargle - do not swallow.)
     
   • Change your sheets and pillowcases often to relieve nasal stuffiness, alleviate bedroom allergens. Try to vacuum your floors and curtains often too.
     
   • Tape your nose open with nasal strips, available at most pharmacies. They may look odd, but who's looking? Following the directions on the package, tape one of the strips to the outside of your nose before you fall asleep. They work by lifting and opening your nostrils to increase airflow.
     
5. Try mouthpiece devices. Also known as dental appliances or mandibular advancement splints, these are usually small plastic devices worn in the mouth during sleep to prevent the soft throat tissues from collapsing and obstructing the airway. They do this by bringing your lower jaw forward and/or by lifting your soft palate. Some devices also stop the tongue from falling back over your windpipe.
   
6. Do exercises to firm the tissue associated with your snoring.
   
   • Stick your tongue out as far as you can, then relax. Repeat 10 times.
     
   • Stick your tongue out again, and try to touch your chin. Hold. Repeat with trying to touch your nose. Repeat 10 times.
     
   • Smile as wide as you possible can, hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat this as many times as you can throughout the day.
     
   • Sing La-La-La-La as loud as you can. Hold each La for 3 seconds. Repeat 5 times. Then, repeat singing Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka. Follow that with Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma. This will strengthen your throat so that it does not relax (and thus block air) when you sleep.
     
   • Close your mouth and perform a chewing motion. Make sure molars on both sides move apart, then touch again. Make an "mmmmm" sound as you do this for added affect. Continue for 1 minute. [3]
     

Stop Snoring Caused By a Sinus Infection

1. Know that sometimes people become snorers because of sinus infections. Snoring is caused during a sinus infection because the mucus blocks the nasal passages.
   
2. Follow some of the tips below to stop snoring when you are suffering from sinus infection:
   
   • Do not forget to take the drugs prescribed by your physician for curing the sinus infection. Reduction of the infection will act as a remedy to stop snoring
     
   • Consider using a sinus/nasal rinse. These are designed in such a way that the debris and mucus formed in the nose is completely flushed out. Rinsing will be helpful in relieving yourself of the snoring.
     
   • You can place a nasal dilator strip on your nose channel. This will open the nostrils and can prevent snoring.
     
   • You can use a menthol scent, which will be helpful in clearing the nose.
     
   • You can try to have a warm shower or bath. Hot moist air will be helpful in draining the mucus from the sinuses, thereby reducing the possibility of snoring.
     
   • You can raise the head portion of your bed. This will be helpful in reducing the amount of mucus draining down and blocking your nasal passages. When nasal passages are not blocked, you will not snore.
     

Video

Tips

• Lose Weight. Weight loss can reduce your snoring by easing any constriction of the upper airway.
  
• Consider the underlying cause. Discuss with your physician the possibility of a sleep disorder which may be more serious than just the snoring. The current gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea treatment is a CPAP device which opens the airway with pressurized air delivered through a mask or a nose-mounted appliance.
  
• There is surgery available now if your snoring problem is a function of sleep apnea.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Sleep when Someone Is Snoring
  
• How to Quit Smoking when You Don't Really Want to
  
• How to Lose Weight
  
• How to Sleep Better
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/3481883/When-sleeps-a-snore-point
2. ↑ http://www.stopsnoringtips.com/tips.htm
3. ↑ http://www.thestopsnoringexerciseprogram.com/?hop=ssshnzl

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