Can I ever stop snoring?

Snoring can affect you and your partner in many ways, including sleep disturbance, tiredness, exhaustion, and lack of concentration. A continuous lack of sleep and the resulting frustration can lead to strained relationships. Finding a way to stop snoring can greatly improve your quality of life.

If you desperately want to stop snoring, this article will give you some suggestions about how to avoid it happening.

This article is written by Jackie Griffiths, a freelance journalist who writes health, medical, biological, and pharmaceutical articles for national and international journals, newsletters and web sites. 

What is snoring? 

Snoring is caused by relaxed muscles in the throat that allow other tissues to partially block your airway when you sleep. When air passes through a partially restricted throat, it makes vibrations and a rasping sound that can sometimes be very loud.

What causes snoring? 

Most people want to stop snoring. Unfortunately some causes are impossible to influence, but if your snoring does not originate in these ways there are a lot of techniques you can try to prevent it happening.

Causes we cannot influence 

• Heredity – some physical properties mean that you’re more likely to snore. These include a cleft palate, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a deviated septum, a narrow throat, or the general structure of your jaw and mouth
• Being middle-aged or older – muscle tone in your throat decreases with age, making it more likely your throat will become obstructed when you sleep
• Men – men are more likely to snore than women as they tend to have narrower air passages
• Allergies, asthma, a cold, or sinus infections – all these conditions can lead to partially blocked airways, leading to snoring

Causes we can influence to help us stop snoring 

• Drinking alcohol increases muscle relaxation which often leads to snoring
• Smoking (or regular passive smoking) can create nasal congestion and relaxes the muscles in your airways
• Medication – certain medicines (such as tranquillisers) can increase muscle relaxation
• Sleeping on your back – lying on your back increases throat muscle relaxation, encouraging your tongue to fall towards the back of the throat causing a partial blockage
• Obesity – being overweight means you’re more likely to suffer from poor muscle tone  and a larger mount of fatty tissue (which can block airways)

Sometimes snoring can negatively affect your relationship. Many couples decide to sleep in separate bedrooms after months of disturbed nights; however this is not always a convenient solution. If you want to stop snoring there are a great many products on the market that claim to help, including herbal sprays, sticking plasters for the mouth, special pillows, gum shields, nasal strips, nasal dilators etc.

The cheapest and most direct way to stop smoking (although it requires self-discipline) is to improve your lifestyle by giving up smoking, cutting down on your alcohol intake, and eating healthy, balanced foods. It’s also a good idea to sleep on your side instead of your back, avoid alcohol just before going to bed, and raising the top of your mattress to keep your head slightly elevated.

Sleep apnoea 

Sleep apnoea is a serious health problem that causes the sufferer to stop breathing for more than ten seconds during the night, often more than ten times an hour. This is different to heavy snoring and disrupted sleep, although many people with sleep apnoea also snore heavily. If you think you may have sleep apnoea you should make an appointment to see your doctor.

Profile of the author

Jackie Griffiths writes journal and newsletter articles for companies and non-governmental organisations across the UK. As founder and senior writer at Freelance Copy, she writes top level content for websites and print across a broad range of sectors including health, medical, biological, governmental, and pharmaceutical.

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