Learning how to prevent snoring is most likely on the to-do list of almost all individuals in this situation. Unfortunately, this problem occurs for a great number of people when sleeping. According to the National Sleep Foundation, roughly 90 million United States citizens are affected by snoring. Even though it was all fun and giggles when we were young, adults have come to identify snoring as a genuine issue. Finding out how to prevent loud snoring can end up making or breaking a marriage, if the other partner is a light sleeper. Our 12 home tips on how to prevent snoring will help you get the solutions you need.
Regardless if you’re searching for advice on how to prevent snoring in men or in women, a few natural remedies can help you get back on the right breathing track. The best part about our how do you prevent snoring guide is that you won’t need almost anything that requires you to leave your house. Our home tips on how to prevent from snoring come in the form of habits and actions that you should be able to fit into your normal schedule. Even though lack of abundant research doesn’t lead us to numerous solutions for how prevent snoring, we’re sure that at least a handful of these tips can help you out.
As you will soon find out in our brief guide for how can you prevent snoring, you will frequently need to find the cause to control the effects. Allergies, a deviated septum or previous injuries (like multiple fractures) can lead to asking yourself, ‘how can I prevent snoring?’. These are just a few of the most popular examples, but we recommend that you reach out to your doctor if these tips for how to prevent snoring during sleep don’t work out for you.
Generally speaking, how to prevent snoring naturally is easier than you think, so consult our tips and get back to easy sleeping!
1. Maintain Hydration
We always hear about how important it is to drink as much water as possible throughout the day. But who would have thought that it could be the golden ticket for how to prevent snoring? A lack of hydration can lead to your nostrils sticking together and being a main cause for snoring. When you think about it, this should come as no surprise. After all, when you don’t have adequate amounts of water flowing through your body, you are bound to see your whole body function a lot less smoothly.
Knowing how much water you should drink throughout the day really depends on you as a person. Someone more after what hobbies do you need to drink a lot more. However, a good rule of thumb is that you should consume at least eight full glasses of liquid throughout the day, preferably water.
If you have a hard time drinking plain water, you can add a slice of lemon. For more flavoring, you can even infuse different fruits and veggies into your water. By using a water infuser, you can get refreshing water with you wherever you go. Another healthy alternative is to drink unsweetened herbal tea. Proper hydration will help keep your nasal passages clearer and reduce your risk of snoring.
2. Allergy Checkup
As we described in our introduction, to understand how to prevent snoring (the effect), you need to get to the root (the cause). One of the most common causes of snoring is allergies. If you feel that you have any environment-related allergies, it is best to schedule a checkup with your doctor. He or she can help you determine not only if you have allergies, but which ones they are and how you can treat them. There are plenty of natural remedies for all types of allergies that you can look into. For our personal favorites, you can check out our list of 20 home remedies for allergies. If you succeed in keeping your allergies under control, you most likely will have one of the answers for how to prevent snoring.
3. Irritant-free Environment
Speaking of allergies, one of the main reasons they tend to act up throughout the night is that we don’t live in a suitably clean environment. Our bedrooms are almost always packed with seemingly inexistent irritants that can lead to long hours of snoring during sleep. You can explore how to prevent snoring simply by properly cleaning the area you sleep in. Make sure that you remove all dust on a regular basis and any particles left from animals, if you own pets. It is recommended that you wash your bed sheets once a week and maintain general cleanliness at all times.
If you use a vacuum on a regular basis in your bedroom, make sure you are using a vacuum that is allergy rated. Some vacuums may clean and suck up dirt and irritants, but unless it is an allergy certified one, the little bits of dust and irritants are just going to go back into the air.
4. Nettle Tea
The only tip on how to prevent snoring that includes ingredients in our list is stinging nettle tea. While this home remedy might not apply to all, some specialists recommend that it can help alleviate pollen allergies. All you have to do is take one tablespoon of dried stinging nettle and boil one cup of water. Allow it to steep for approximately five minutes and enjoy it before you go to sleep at night. It might help you clear up your snoring issues.
5. Side Sleeping
One of the most popular methods on how to prevent snoring is simply to change the position that you sleep in. When we sleep on our backs, our air ways become blocked due to the position of our tongue. By sleeping on your left or right side, you can avoid this situation. Even though you can’t be sure that you’ll stay on your side during the whole night, at least you’ll get a good head start. If you want to boost your chances of remaining in a side sleep position, try hugging a pillow and keeping your arms wrapped around it.
6. Rest Routine
Yet another sleeping habit that can increase the chances of mastering how to prevent snoring involves routines. We’re all pretty aware that having a regular sleeping schedule is essential for our general health, but few also know that it can affect snoring patterns. It is fundamental for you to stay well-rested at all times and try to avoid sleepless nights or sleeping in.
7. No Sedatives
Insomnia is more than common among adults. To help them fall asleep, many individuals choose to take sleeping pills or other sedatives that will aid them in drowsing off. However, these pills can actually be a cause of snoring. To prevent this situation, try to avoid taking any sedatives before you slip into bed. If you want natural alternatives for falling asleep, try drinking some soothing herbal tea.
8. Head Elevation
If you don’t feel comfortable switching to the side when sleeping, you can experiment with adjusting the position of your head. It is said that if you keep your head a bit more elevated while you sleep, you’ll have better chances of steering clear from snoring. While some individuals recommend even placing wood blocks under your mattress, we believe that adding a few pillows will get the job done fine.
9. Breathing Exercises
When you break it down, snoring is directly connected to the way you breathe. There are quite a few breathing exercises you can try out to put a stop to snoring. Deep breathing, in particular, will help you in the process. Not only will deep breathing improve your snoring situation, but it will also help you relax and unwind at the end of a long day. This technique can also be applied with those who struggle to fall asleep as night, as a way of calming down and preparing for rest. Alternatively, you can build up your diaphragm if you hum when you breathe out. Try both methods and see which one works the best for you.
10. Clean Nose
No matter what the specific cause is, the general reason for snoring is that your nasal passages are clogged. The easiest way to solve this is to clear up your nose prior to getting in bed. If the traditional tissues won’t do the job ‘til the end, you can consider a hot bath or shower to open your nasal passages. A Nettie pot will help you rinse your nose even better, so keep this in mind as an additional alternative if you need it.
11. Suitable Weight
As a general rule, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help you avoid a myriad of issues. If you follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly, you will avoid being overweight. Studies show that having even a few extra pounds can lead to snoring. By maintaining great weight you will not only be improving your life, but you will also end your snoring problems in most cases. The best way to watch your weight is by consuming fruits and vegetables, burning the right amount of calories, avoiding junk food and taking walks whenever you can.
12. No Alcohol or Cigarettes
Sometimes losing weight isn’t enough, especially if you’re keen on finding out how to prevent snoring. If you smoke, this also might be one of the reasons why you’re keeping your partner up at night for the wrong reasons. In addition to this, alcohol can also be a culprit, so try to avoid any nightcaps. You’ll be doing your body a world of good if you cut alcohol and / or cigarettes from your life, so consider them when exploring tips on how to prevent snoring.
13. Vicks Vapor Rub
One of the most popular ways to help get rid of snoring is by using Vicks Vapor Rub before your bedtime routine. When you rub a little bit of Vicks Vapor Rub on your chest or under your nostrils, the aromatic menthol will help to clear up any congestion you may have. By helping alleviate some of this congestion, you will find that your nighttime sleeping routine will be one that’s without much snoring.
This method only really helps if you are congested. If you are a snorer by nature, then this method may not be as helpful.
Final Thoughts on How to Prevent Snoring
Snoring is one of the trickiest things to deal with because for the most part unless someone tells you you are doing it, you may not know that you snore otherwise. If you do share a bed with someone, then snoring is certainly something that will drive them nuts. Luckily, with these helpful tips, you are one step closer to finding some nostril relife.
If you find that tips help some of the time but that your snoring is still a common occurrence, then it is best to check in with your doctor about any underlying sinus issues that may be going on.