Can You Stop Snoring? How?

Stopping snoring can be the goal of many people. However, is it really possible to stop? And if so, how to achieve it? Many times just changing your pillow or trying to sleep on your side is not enough.

Snoring is an action that does not necessarily have to indicate a health problem. However, if the doctor has diagnosed a disease, such as being overweight, obesity, or a disorder of the respiratory tract, then you must pay attention to snoring.

Why do we snore?

A person can snore for various reasons. Among the most common we can mention:

• Smoking
• Overweight, due to airway pressure when lying down.

• Intake of alcohol and sedatives, especially in the hours before sleep.
• Obstruction of the airways, either temporary, as in the case of colds, allergies or inflammation of the tonsils, or chronic due to alterations in the nasal septum, presence of nasal polyps, inflamed adenoids (vegetations), etc.

Is snoring dangerous?

Although snoring can be normal on some occasions, there is evidence that there is a close relationship between snoring and cardiovascular disease. Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea. This condition momentarily stops breathing while we sleep.

“All people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all who snore have apnea,” explains neuroscientist Ricardo Osorio. The only way to know when snoring is associated with apnea is by consulting a specialist. Medical statistics indicate that half of people who snore suffer from apnea.

Can we stop snoring?

There are some attitudes or habits that we can change to try to stop snoring or, at least make snoring not so loud. Some guidelines are found in a study published in the Medical Seminar in 2007. 

Since the action of snoring does not depend exclusively on one factor, but on several, then the most logical thing is to attend to those that may be promoting it, such as obesity. When the patient begins to lose weight, their health improves and one of the benefits associated with this is that snoring begins to decrease.

So, it would be advisable:

• Avoid having large meals and dinners.
• Avoid the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. 
• Losing weight (if you are overweight or obese).
• Raise the head of the bed slightly or use two pillows.
• Stay well hydrated so mucus doesn’t thicken and make breathing difficult.
• Avoid sedatives and antihistamines before bed. The latter have the secondary effect of drying out the mucous membranes, which favors snoring.

• When sleeping, try to do it on your side, not on your back. Some people place an object on their back to force them into a lateral position.
• Try to maintain good sleep habits, that is, sleep the necessary hours, maintain fixed hours, etc.
• Keep the room clean and ventilated, trying not to accumulate dust, tobacco smoke, etc.
• Before going to sleep, it is advisable to clean your nose and decongest it with physiological saline. In case the doctor indicates it, the person can use nasal strips, to keep the nostrils open during the night.

If you succeed, you will notice that your quality of life will improve, as you will wake up much more rested, your stress level will decrease and your family life will improve significantly.

If with these tips you cannot stop snoring, see your doctor to consider other therapeutic options that exist and that should be supervised or carried out by a medical professional.

You should also go to the doctor if a family member warns you that you suffer from sleep apnea, that is, when you snore, at some point you stop breathing for a few seconds, as this is a more serious problem that should be evaluated.