If snoring is keeping you – or your bedmate – awake all night, you’re not alone. While it’s often dismissed as a harmless annoyance, persistent snoring can affect sleep quality, long-term health, and sometimes signal a more serious sleep disorder known as sleep apnoea.
New data released on World Sleep Day suggests the condition may be more common than many people realise. According to health tech company Withings, around one in three Australians are showing signs of mild sleep apnoea, which often goes undetected.
“Sleep apnoea is a harmful yet often misunderstood condition characterised by repeated interruptions in breathing during the night, leading to sleep fragmentation, micro-awakenings, and cardiovascular stress,” said Professor Pierre Escourrou, a cardiologist, sleep physician and senior medical Advisor at Withings.
Here’s how to stop snoring and reclaim a good night’s sleep.
Change your sleeping position
The best case scenario is that your snoring could simply be a result of a bad sleeping position. While you might think that sleeping on your back is better for you, it’s most likely the reason you’re snoring. If you’re a back sleeper, you’ll find that your tongue and soft palate partially blocking your airway which will cause you to snore. One of the easiest ways to learn how to stop snoring is simply to try switching to sleeping on your side instead and see if this improves your snoring.
Watch your alcohol intake
A glass of wine or a beer at the end of the day before bed might feel like a great way to lull you to sleep, but having a nightcap could be the reason you’ve become a snorer. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat which can cause you to snore excessively. It’s important to remember that if you’re prone to snoring, it’s recommended that you don’t drink for at least 4-5 hours before going to bed.
Look after your sleep hygiene
Another culprit that causes snoring is a lack of sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene essentially just means making sure that you get a good night’s rest in a comfortable space for at least seven hours. Being overtired when you go to bed can cause the muscles in your throat to relax to the point that it restricts your airways and causes you to snore. Fixing your sleep schedule and sleep hygiene are easy ways to not only prevent snoring, but to have a better night’s rest, too.
Maintain a healthy weight
One of the biggest causes of snoring is obesity. Excessive weight gain can make your snoring worse because adding pressure to your airway. If your snoring is getting the better of you, making a few lifestyle changes such as incorporating regular exercise and a balanced diet into your everyday routine not only helps with overall health but can also keep your airways open and reduce snoring.
Talk to an expert
If none of these snoring solutions work for you, then it’s time to bring in an expert. Chronic snoring may not be due to your sleeping position or alcohol intake, rather it could be an underlying symptom of sleep apnoea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
Left untreated, sleep apnoea can have serious health consequences, with research linking it to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart rhythm problems.
Start by talking to your GP who can potentially refer you to a sleep specialist where you’ll undergo sleep study and recommend treatments such as nasal strips or a CPAP machine.
