5 Easy Habits to Stop Snoring Naturally

Diet & Lifestyle, Solutions

5 Easy Habits to Stop Snoring

Some snoring experts call snoring a habit [1]. Whilst you don’t consciously choose to snore, they argue that your habits in your waking life are creating the snoring habits in your sleep.

Conversely, there are lots of positive habits that are easy to adopt and can massively reduce your snoring. Here are SnoreLab’s top-5 easy lifestyle habits to stop snoring naturally without having to use any specialist, invasive remedies …

1. Eat earlier

Large, late evening meals can make your snoring worse. Therefore, we strongly recommend not eating anything for at least 4 hours before you go to bed. It’s working for lots of SnoreLab users and could very easily work for you too.

“For people who would like to control their snoring, eat your dinner early – at least 4 hours before bedtime. Keep the dinner light and use the app to monitor the difference. You will be amazed!” – user review, Google Play

Having a full belly can exert pressure on your chest and affect your breathing. When your stomach is very full, your diaphragm has less room to expand and contract. This explains the shortness of breath people often feel after a particularly heavy meal.

Reflux is also a common symptom of eating late. The stomach takes several hours to empty properly. Lying down too soon after eating can allow the contents of the stomach to come back up with the help of gravity. As well as impacting the oesophagus, there is growing evidence to show reflux affects the airway which can exacerbate snoring [2].

 

SnoreLab’s 4-hour fast

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2. Do mouth exercises

Exercising the airway muscles every day has shown to help people’s snoring problems.

We recommend slotting this into your daily routines, such as whilst you brush your teeth in the morning and evening.

Weakness in your airway muscles is known to worsen snoring. There is increasing amounts of research to show that exercising these muscles can have positive results for snoring and sleep apnea.

Try these five exercises which are proven to make a difference if performed consistently:

  • Slide the tip of your tongue backwards along your hard palate as far back as it will go.
  • Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth and suck it upwards.
  • Force the back of your tongue against the floor of your mouth whilst the tip remains in contact with the lower incisors.
  • Pull your cheek out with your finger, pull your cheek back inwards against the force of your finger using the muscles in your mouth.
  • Elevate your uvula by sounding and holding “aahh”.

 

SnoreLab’s full article on mouth exercises and snoring

Read

3. Short walk before bed

A short, low-intensity walk in the evening can have unexpected benefits for snorers.

Exercise is a great step towards combating snoring, but we aren’t recommending a massive physical effort here – simply moving around can be advantageous.

A recent study by scientists in Australia found that when people are sedentary in the evening, fluid accumulates in the legs. When a person lies down, this fluid can then migrate upwards to the tissue surrounding the airway which can worsen snoring [3]!

4. Shower or bathe

Showering or bathing before bed is great for normal sleep hygiene as it lowers your core temperature which prepares you for restful sleep. Steam can also help to humidify and soothe your airway – particularly helpful if your snoring is linked to nasal breathing difficulties.

5. Sleep on your side

Switching to sleeping on your side is one of the most basic and effective ways to reduce snoring. This is because side-sleeping reduces compression of your airways.

If you often sleep on your back, there are multiple ways to shift yourself into a side-sleeping position:

Free, homemade hacks. The infamous “tennis ball therapy” or clever use of pillows are free ways to coax yourself into a healthier sleeping position. Learn all the hacks with SnoreLab’s guide.

Anti-snoring pillows. There are a number of different pillows designed to help you sleep in a healthier position. Explore the different types with SnoreLab’s full article on anti-snoring pillows.

Vibrating training devices. Positional trainers are devices that attach to your body and vibrate when they detect that you are sleeping on your back. This is the automated equivalent of a nudge in the ribs from a disturbed partner. Check out SnoreLab’s review of the Snooor wearable, a vibrating positional trainer.

Conclusion

Most snorers prefer to address their snoring naturally with lifestyle changes as opposed to using anti-snoring consumer remedies. One change on its own may not cure snoring, but the cumulative effect of multiple positive changes can certainly get you well on your way.

Stop Snoring Naturally with these 7 Effective Lifestyle Changes

Diet & Lifestyle, Solutions

Seven Lifestyle Changes to Stop Snoring Naturally

We found that more of our users prefer to help their snoring naturally with lifestyle changes as opposed to trying consumer anti-snoring remedies. But what are their techniques? What changes can you make that truly have a positive impact on your snoring? Here are SnoreLab’s seven recommendations …

1. Sleep on your side

One of the simplest ways to combat your snoring is to make sure you sleep on your side.

Sleeping on your back makes you far more likely to snore or experience sleep apnea; here, your jaw recedes, your tongue falls back, and weight on your neck compresses your upper airway. All of these disturb airflow and cause vibration [1].

There are several ways to get yourself sleeping on your side:

  • Use pillows effectively. You can buy specialist pillows that promote side sleeping or you can use normal pillows to prop yourself up to prevent you rolling onto your back.
  • Make back sleeping difficult. The well-known method amongst many back-sleeping snorers is to tape a tennis ball to the back of your pajamas so that sleeping on your back is uncomfortable and practically impossible.
  • Positional trainers. There are devices that detect when you are sleeping on your back and give a small vibration which tells your subconscious mind that it is time to turn over.

 

More about promoting side sleeping

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2. Lose weight

Weight loss is one of the most potent remedies for snoring.

If you are overweight, dropping only a few pounds can set you well on your way to stopping snoring. Studies have shown that losing 10-15% of your body weight can half your sleep apnea severity [2].

 

Lose weight using SnoreLab’s SMART strategy

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Weight has such an influence on snoring because neck fat directly compresses your upper airway. Additionally, fat on your midriff pushes your diaphragm up, shrinking your residual lung volume and making your airway more prone to collapse [3].

Losing weight needs to be sustainable. This means no drastic solutions, just sensible techniques that you can easily stick with. We recommend the following:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake. Monitor the amount of carbs you eat and make smart substitutions.
  • Eat little and often. Big meals make you feels sluggish and less inclined to do the necessary activity to lose weight effectively.
  • Slow down. Digestion has a natural delay where we are physically full before our brain realizes we are. This can make us overeat. Enjoy your meal more and recognize when you are full by slowing down.

 

More about snoring’s link with bodyweight

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3. Clean your surroundings

Dust and pollen can get trapped everywhere in your home, triggering allergies, a blocked nose and ultimately snoring.

To stop allergies ruining you and your partner’s sleep, try the following techniques:

  • Wash your bedding. Soft materials are great at trapping allergens. When your allergies are particularly bad, hot washes can be effective at removing these snoring triggers.
  • Regularly and thoroughly vacuum. As well as cleaning those easy to reach places, remember to occasionally vacuum those places that don’t see much action as this are ideal places for pollen and dust to lurk.
  • Consider alternatives to your soft furnishings. Soft drapes/curtains and carpets are great at trapping allergens that can kick start your snoring. Hard floor and blinds are easier to clean and less likely to aggravate allergies.
  • Shower/bathe before bed and quarantine the clothes you step out of. Pollen can easily stick to your skin, hair and clothing. Showering rids your body of this as well as setting you up for a great night’s sleep.

 

More about dust allergies and snoring

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and hay fever

4. Kick the habits

Smoking, alcohol consumption and to an extent, caffeine can all influence snoring.

Smoking or living in a smoky environment can trigger snoring. This is because exposure to smoke can increase mucus production and aggravate the tissues in your nose and throat. This causes a narrowing of your airway and potential obstruction.

Alcohol is a depressant. This means it enhances the relaxation in your airways, compounding the already slack airways we all have during sleep. It also disrupts your normal sleep patterns which can make you feel more tired the next day, all having knock-on effects on your snoring.

Caffeine is a stimulant. If consumed too close to bedtime, it disturbs normal sleep patterns and increases your level of activity which can make you more susceptible to snoring.

5. Exercise your snoring muscles

Exercising the muscles in your mouth, tongue and throat can help to reduce snoring.

Weakness in these muscles is known to make your airway slacken and bring on snoring.

In a study in 2006, patients with sleep apnea swapped their CPAP at night for didgeridoo lessons in the day, giving their mouth, tongue and throat a good workout. They saw amazing results; significantly reducing their apnea severity, feeling less sleepy during the day and disturbing their partners less [4].

Many studies have since taken these principles and formulated a set of exercises for your mouth, throat and tongue. Try the following exercises once a day, 20 times for each:

  • Slide the tip of your tongue backwards along your hard palate as far back as it will go.
  • Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth and suck it upwards.
  • Force the back of your tongue against the floor of your mouth whilst the tip remains in contact with the lower incisors.
  • Pull your cheek out with your finger, pull your cheek back inwards against the force of your finger using the muscles in your mouth.
  • Elevate your uvula by sounding and holding “aahh”.

It might all sound a bit strange, but consider that research has shown that people who regularly perform these exercises significantly reduce their snoring frequency and intensity, cut their apneic episodes in half and report feeling less tired [5].

 

More about mouth exercises for snoring

Read

6. Stay hydrated

Not drinking enough water may aggravate snoring as it can irritate the tissues in your throat.

Dehydration also thickens the mucus in your airways, making the surfaces more likely to stick together causing obstruction and snoring, especially if you sleep with an open mouth.

Something as simple as keeping on top of your water intake can have benefits for your snoring.

7. Practise good sleep hygiene

Having good sleep makes you feel readier to make the changes necessary to combat snoring.

This is an indirect solution, but one that can really improve your sleep health and snoring. Try the following tips to sleep better:

  • Have regular bed times
  • Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep
  • Make sure your room is dark
  • Mentally declutter with gentle activity before bed, such as reading a book
  • Avoid napping too soon before bedtime
  • Have a cool bedroom
  • Take a shower or bath before bed
  • Don’t force sleep if it’s not forthcoming

Conclusion

Because snoring is more complicated than many of us appreciate, one thing alone might not completely cure your snoring. Often, the best anti-snoring tactic is to combine well-matched remedies with positive lifestyle changes. We’ve heard stories from our users who put this combination therapy to very good use, you can read one of these stories here.

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