Snoring home treatments and lifestyle modifications
Simple home treatments can often be utilised to treat cases of snoring caused by benign causes such as sleep posture. Certain lifestyle adjustments can also aid in the treatment of snoring.
1. Sleep on your left side.
When you sleep on your back, your tongue may slide to the back of your throat, partially blocking airflow through your throat.
Sleeping on your side may be all that is required to allow air to move freely and minimise or eliminate snoring.
2. Get enough rest.
Ensure that you obtain the 7–9 hours of sleep that adults require each night, as recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
Snoring can be exacerbated by a lack of sleep. This is due to the fact that it can cause your neck muscles to relax, making you more prone to airway obstruction.
Snoring can also increase your risk of sleep deprivation because it causes interruptions in your sleep.
3. Raise your bed’s head.
By keeping your airways open, elevating the head of your bed by a few inches may help prevent snoring. To gain a little extra height, you can use things such as bed risers or pillows.
Stick-on nasal strips or a nasal dilator can be placed on the bridge of your nose to help improve the room in the nasal canal. This can improve your breathing and minimise or eliminate your snoring.
You might also try an external nasal dilator, which is a stiffened adhesive strip that is put across the nostrils on top of the nose. This can reduce airflow resistance, making breathing easier.
Internal nasal dilators, which you insert into your nostrils, are also available.
5. Limit or avoid drinking before going to bed.
Avoid drinking alcohol for at least 3 hours before going to bed. Alcohol can cause snoring by relaxing the throat muscles.
Alcohol can also interfere with your sleep in other ways.