The habit of snoring while sleeping often makes you uncomfortable for fear of disturbing those around you. However, there are several ways to deal with snoring that you can try to make sleep more comfortable and your sleep quality to improve.
Snoring or snoring can be experienced by anyone. This condition is generally harmless if it occurs occasionally, for example when a person feels very tired.
However, the frequent complaints of snoring need to be watched out for. Not only can disrupt your sleep or those around you, frequent snoring during sleep can be a symptom of certain medical conditions that cannot be underestimated.
Various Causes of Snoring
As you drift off to sleep, the muscles in the roof of your mouth, tongue, and throat weaken, blocking part of your airway. Obstruction of the respiratory tract will cause vibrations and cause snoring. The narrower the airway, the louder the snoring sound that appears.
In addition, a person is also more at risk of experiencing complaints of frequent snoring if he has certain conditions or diseases, such as:
- Sleep apnea or sleep apnea
- Blocked airways due to allergies or enlarged tonsils
- Swelling and inflammation in the sinus cavities (sinusitis)
- Overweight or obesity
- Deformities of the face and nose, eg deviated septum
- Consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking
- Mumps
- Pregnancy
Some Ways to Overcome Snoring
If you often snore while sleeping and feel disturbed by it, there are several ways to deal with snoring that you can try, including:
1. Changing sleeping position
You are advised to sleep with your body tilted to the right or to the left. This is because sleeping on your back can cause the base of your tongue to lean more toward the back of your throat, blocking airflow in your throat and causing snoring.
Thus, to stop snoring, change the sleeping position on your side so that air can move freely through your throat.
2. Sufficient rest time
Fatigue or lack of sleep can make a person snore more often. Therefore, you need to get enough rest to prevent and treat snoring complaints. The recommended sleep time is around 7–8 hours each night.
3. Maintain ideal body weight
Maintaining an ideal body weight can prevent thickening of the throat tissue and narrowing of the windpipe. Therefore, try to maintain your ideal weight by exercising regularly and following a healthy diet.
4. Keeping the bed and room clean
The nose and throat can become swollen due to allergies, such as allergies to dust or cigarette smoke. This condition can make you snore more often.
Therefore, try to stay away from these allergy triggers by keeping your room and bed clean. If necessary, you can try to maintain the air quality in the bedroom by using an air humidifier (humidifier).
However, if the complaint of snoring due to allergies often appears or recurs, you should consult a doctor so that the doctor can provide the right treatment.
5. Clean yourself or take a warm bath
If snoring is caused by sinusitis, try to take a warm bath before going to bed. This can open the airways thereby reducing snoring.
In addition to a warm bath, you can also try inhaling warm steam for a few minutes before going to bed to relieve snoring complaints.
6. Adequate intake of body fluids
Lack of fluids can cause mucus in the nose to become more sticky. Sometimes, not drinking enough water can also make it easy for you to snore during sleep. To overcome this, try to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
7. Quit smoking
Irritation from cigarette smoke can cause narrowing of the airways and inflammation of the throat, which can trigger snoring during sleep. The habit of consuming alcoholic beverages also weakens the tongue and throat muscles, causing the sound of snoring.
8. Using nasal strips
You can try using nasal strips which are sold freely to overcome complaints of frequent snoring. This tool is shaped like a plaster that is used by attaching it to the bridge of the nose.
Nasal strips useful for making the airways more open, so that airflow in the nose and throat can be more smoothly while you are asleep.
Snoring can reduce the quality of your sleep and make you often sleepy when on the move. So that these complaints can be resolved, you can try some of the ways to deal with snoring that have been mentioned above.
However, you need to be vigilant if snoring complaints still appear or often recur even though you have tried some of these methods. If your snoring habit does not decrease or disappear after doing some of the ways above, immediately consult a doctor.
That way, the doctor can perform an examination and determine the cause of your snoring so that the condition can be treated appropriately. To deal with snoring complaints, your doctor may give you medicine, suggest that you use assistive devices such as CPAP, or perform surgery.