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Self-help for snoring
Add a pillow
Elevating your head means your neck is less constricted, thus allowing better air flow.
Change your pillows
Potential allergens such as dust mites build up, which can irritate nasal membranes. Clean pillows regularly or buy new ones.
Add moisture
Drink plenty of water to keep your nasal membranes moist – and make sure the air in your bedroom isn’t over-dry. You might want to try a humidifier, or try steaming your face or a hot shower before bed.
Sleep on your side
Sleeping on your back makes it more likely that your mouth, tongue and soft tissue will sag open, so turn over.
To make it impossible to sleep on your back, you can try the classic remedy of attaching a tennis ball (or something similar) to the inside back of your nightclothes – that way, you can’t lie on your back!
Raise the head of your bed
Insert a couple of pieces of wood under both legs at the head of your bed, to raise the bed by a couple of inches.
Keep pets off the bed
Animal hair and dander can also be an irritant and cause snoring, so banish them from the bedroom.
Avoid alcohol
Alcohol and other sedatives relax the tissues at the back of the throat, making snoring more likely.
Don’t eat late
A heavy meal within three hours of bedtime can cause the throat muscles to relax, and snoring can result.
Lose weight
Obviously, slim people snore too, but if your snoring has increased as your weight has, it may be because excess fat is narrowing your airways.
Give up smoking
Tobacco irritates the mucous membranes, and that can lead to snoring.
Add a pillow
Elevating your head means your neck is less constricted, thus allowing better air flow.
Change your pillows
Potential allergens such as dust mites build up, which can irritate nasal membranes. Clean pillows regularly or buy new ones.
Add moisture
Drink plenty of water to keep your nasal membranes moist – and make sure the air in your bedroom isn’t over-dry. You might want to try a humidifier, or try steaming your face or a hot shower before bed.
Sleep on your side
Sleeping on your back makes it more likely that your mouth, tongue and soft tissue will sag open, so turn over.
To make it impossible to sleep on your back, you can try the classic remedy of attaching a tennis ball (or something similar) to the inside back of your nightclothes – that way, you can’t lie on your back!
Raise the head of your bed
Insert a couple of pieces of wood under both legs at the head of your bed, to raise the bed by a couple of inches.
Keep pets off the bed
Animal hair and dander can also be an irritant and cause snoring, so banish them from the bedroom.
Avoid alcohol
Alcohol and other sedatives relax the tissues at the back of the throat, making snoring more likely.
Don’t eat late
A heavy meal within three hours of bedtime can cause the throat muscles to relax, and snoring can result.
Lose weight
Obviously, slim people snore too, but if your snoring has increased as your weight has, it may be because excess fat is narrowing your airways.
Give up smoking
Tobacco irritates the mucous membranes, and that can lead to snoring.