How Can I Stop Snoring

Snoring is more or less a common problem among people with almost all of us snoring occasionally. But snoring can have an adverse effect on both the quantity and quality of your sleep. Poor sleep causes weariness, irritability and enhanced health problems. So if you want to stop snoring for the benefit of both yourself and your partner, you should have a look at the cause and strength of your snoring problem. Once you can identify the cause, the job of finding the right remedy becomes easier. Simple non-invasive treatments are preferable at first; other forms may be needed only if they fail.



The noise of snoring is produced by the soft palate and other tissues of the mouth, the nose and the throat because of the fractional obstruction of the airway. The problem of snoring and sleep disturbance intensifies with aging. Snoring is found in more men, especially those who are overweight, than women.

There are several types of self-cures that can help a person stop snoring. Once you are successful in finding an appropriate cure for your snoring problem, you will notice an improvement in the quality of life of you and your partner. Both of you will sleep better and find life much more enjoyable.

One among the self-cures for snoring problem is giving up smoking and drinking and losing weight. Loss of weight will help you to forestall snoring by reducing the amounts of the fatty tissue in your airway. Your can breathe more freely when you sleep by eating less and improving your fitness level. Kicking the habit of smoking is also helpful if you want to stop snoring. Less exposure to smoke can also reduce the noise and severity of your snoring.

Improvement of your sleep posture is also one of the most effective self-cures. If you sleep on your back, your snoring problem is likely to worsen. The soft tissues lying at the back of your throat and tongue are then likely to glide backwards causing a blockage of your airway. If you decide to sleep on your side instead, the situation will improve a lot.

If you find it difficult to give up the habit of sleeping on your back, which more often than not is the case with many people, it is better to try the "tennis ball trick." To follow this method, you have to sleep with a tennis ball (any other ball of nearly the same size will also do) attached to the back of your pajama top. For keeping the ball, you can sew a pocket at the back of your pajama top where you can put it. This will make sleeping on your back painful and force you to turn on your side for comfort. After continuing this practice for some time, you will acquire the habit of sleeping on your side and no longer require the use of the tennis ball.

You can also elevate the head of your bed four inches, which will lead to easier breathing and make your tongue and jaw move forward. Try to sleep without a pillow so that there is no obstruction of your airway because of crimped neck muscles. You can, however, sleep with a specially designed pillow that are available in the market.

If such self-cures fail, seek medical help from your physician or an ENT specialist to stop snoring.

• Juliana Breckinridge
• 08/02/2009, 10:59 AM
• 0 Comments