How to stop snoring

Mar 2, 2017 | DailyJournalOnline.com

Some 37 million Americans snore, making grunting, whistling, choking, snorting and/or chain sawlike sounds on a regular basis, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

The bothersome noises occur when the airway narrows or is partly blocked during sleep, often thanks to nasal congestion, floppy tissue, alcohol or enlarged tonsils, explains Consumer Reports.

Your snoring can not only ruin your partner’s shut-eye but also is a red flag for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is marked by noisy stops and starts in breathing during sleep, and hikes risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and hypertension. And 34 percent of men and 19 percent of women who snore routinely have OSA or are at risk for it, says the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Consumer Reports offers this advice on how to stop snoring — for yourself or for the person you share a bed with.

Start With Lifestyle Steps

• Ease a stuffy nose. Over-the-counter nasal strips “may help keep nasal passageways open,” says Romy Hoque, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. You can also rinse your nose with an over-the-counter saline solution or stand in a steamy shower.
• Elevate your head. You can buy a special pillow to lift your chin and keep your tongue from blocking the back of your throat as you sleep. Any wedge-shaped pillow will do, Hoque says.
• Sleep on your side. To keep from rolling onto your back during the night, which triggers snoring, place a body or bolster pillow against your back.
• Avoid alcohol for four hours before bed. Alcohol relaxes your airway muscles, constricting airflow.
• Quit smoking. Tobacco smoke can irritate throat membranes.
• Lose excess weight. “Fat around the neck compresses the upper airway and impedes airflow,” says Raj Dasgupta, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In fact, OSA has been associated with a neck circumference greater than 17 inches in men and greater than 16 inches in women.

Try Exercises to Strengthen Your Mouth and Tongue

Snoring occurs when soft tissue in your throat partially blocks the airway, and airflow causes the tissue to vibrate, producing the telltale noise. Some research suggests that strengthening the mouth and tongue may help prevent snoring.

Consumer Reports suggests trying these exercises (perform each 20 times):

• Exercise 1: Push the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth and slide the tongue backward.
• Exercise 2: Suck the tongue upward against the roof of the mouth and press the entire tongue against the roof of the mouth.
• Exercise 3: Force the back of the tongue against the floor of the mouth while keeping the tip of the tongue in contact with the bottom front teeth.
• Exercise 4: Elevate the soft palate (the back of the roof of the mouth) and the uvula (the fleshy protrusion that hangs from the soft palate) while making the vowel sound “A.”