Around 45% of all adults snore and while it is usually harmless, it becomes a problem when it affects your quality of life. That problem expands when it harms the quality of not one, but two lives – you and your partner who you share a bed with – and it is only a matter of time before you decide to take action that puts an end to this noisy problem.
Snoring occurs when there is a barrier in the normal, nasal pathway for air. This redirects the airflow to the mouth where soft tissue vibrates to create the rumbling and rattling sound known as snoring. Addressing this key problem is how you make someone stop snoring, and many fixes do just that.
Quick Solutions
There are multiple sleep habits that you can rapidly adapt to cure snoring. If you are a troubled partner, you can even perform these to make someone else stop snoring.
Change Sleeping Position
Snoring is enhanced when you lie on your back because the neck muscles press on the airway and the tongue moves back in the throat to further obstruct the airflow. Elevating the person’s head by a few inches through pillows or turning them on their side is how you can make someone stop snoring.
A popular do-it-yourself method is stitching a pocket onto the back of a T-shirt and keeping a tennis ball in it, thereby preventing rolling onto the back during sleep. If that is too uncomfortable, hugging a pillow works too.
Moisten the Bedroom
Lack of moisture in the air can irritate the membranes lining your nasopharynx and result in inflammation that hinders airflow. Turning on the humidifier is a quick fix that can stop someone from snoring.
Clean Bed Linen
Allergic reactions lead to nasal congestion which obstructs the normal passageway for air, giving way to snoring. One of the most common allergens is dust mites which inhabit bed linen that has not been cleaned in a couple of weeks. If your allergies only act up during the night, dust mites are probably the culprit.
Pillows should be cleaned once every two weeks and replaced twice a year.
Open Nasal Passages
In some people, a hot shower and saltwater rinse of the nose are enough to relieve nasal congestion and cure snoring. However, many require external resources to open their nasal passages, ranging from stick-on nasal strips on the bridge of the nose to internal or external nasal dilators.
If these do not work, anti-snoring mouthpieces such as mandibular advancement devices or tongue stabilizing devices are highly effective in making someone stop snoring. Additionally, if your snoring is accompanied by obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices with a pressurized air mask over the face to keep airways open are the standard treatment.
Lifestyle Changes
If your snoring is caused by a lifestyle problem, a quick modification to a sleep regimen would not accomplish anything. Changing your habits to include the following is how you can stop snoring asap.
Get Enough Sleep
Adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep every night and any lesser than that raises the chances of you snoring. If you are sleeping less, you are probably overburdened with work and that means you are overtired when you hit the bed. This reduces the muscle tone in the body and as the throat muscles relax, the airway is obstructed and a person snores.
Lose Weight
Overweight people have excess fatty tissue in their throat which narrows the airway and increases susceptibility to snoring. In that demographic, losing weight is the number one way to make someone stop snoring. Staying in a calorie deficit by portion control and eating more nutrient-rich foods, and regular exercise are trusted methods to shed body fat.
Your exercise plan can also include anti-snoring throat exercises called oropharyngeal exercises whereby you strengthen the muscles in your tongue, soft palate, and throat.
Limit Alcohol and Smoking
Alcohol or sedative medications before bed relax the throat muscles, whereas smoking results in nasal inflammation that provides a barrier to airflow. While ending alcohol consumption at least 3 hours before bed is doable, you can consult a physician for smoking substitutes like gums and patches and alter your prescription to make the medication timing change possible.
Medical Intervention
In some cases, snoring is a result of chronic allergies or a structural deformity that acts as a permanent barrier to airflow. In them, medical intervention is the only way to make someone stop snoring.
Treat Chronic Allergies
Allergies that irritate the nasal membranes result in their swelling, blocking that pathway from the air and causing snoring. Treating this underlying problem is critical to making someone stop snoring and usually, over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays, and other nasal decongestants are enough.
Nonsedating antihistamines like Claritin and sedating ones like Benadryl are popular choices but consult your doctor before consuming any medication.
Surgical Procedures
If there is an anatomical structural defect such as a deviated septum, a septoplasty to correct this misshapen cartilage is how you cure snoring. Similarly, many other surgical procedures can make someone stop snoring but such intervention is usually the last resort.
Among many options like the Pillar procedure that uses palate implants to stiffen the soft palate, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty that removes excess soft tissue in the throat, soft palate, and mouth, and radiofrequency ablation that uses radio waves to stiffen the soft tissue, your healthcare provider is the only one who can guide you regarding the best option for you.
Conclusion
Snoring is a common condition that only becomes a cause of concern when it is punctuated by obstructive sleep apnea. Either way, there is a lot you can do to stop someone from snoring, even if it is yourself.
From quick changes in sleep habits and major lifestyle changes to professional medical intervention, there isn’t a shortage of ideas that will get you your soundless and peaceful sleep back.
