Do you dread going to bed every night with your significant other because of how loudly they snore? In reality, chronic snoring is one of the most common and bothersome sleep-related disturbances that affects nearly 1 in 2 Americans. It can prevent you and your partner from enjoying a good, regenerative night’s rest. With the poor quality rest inevitably come daytime fatigue, crankiness, and endless arguing. Now, if you’ve decided to be proactive and help your spouse overcome their nocturnal roaring, here’s a practical guide with various solutions that may help remedy the problem effectively.
Make Sure They Get Enough Sleep
While this might sound obvious, sleep deprivation can be an aggravating factor for those who are naturally prone to snoring. A stressful lifestyle and demanding responsibilities during the daytime will exhaust the body physically and mentally, which is often compensated for with loud and excessive snoring. So, allowing your spouse to take a break from time to time and helping them relax and unwind after a tiring day with a massage and some cuddles can do wonders for their snoring issues.
Encourage Them to Diet
One of the most common reasons why people snore has to do with the fact that they’re overweight. Extra pounds can put a lot of pressure on the throat tissues, causing them to emit those familiar and loud sounds at night. As such, with some lifestyle adjustments, it’ll be entirely possible to minimize the issue. Help your spouse keep watch of their caloric intake, encourage them to eat healthier and in moderate quantities, and make sure they get enough exercise daily. A doctor or a nutritionist will provide recommendations for optimal results.
Switch Sleeping Positions
If your partner tends to sleep on their back, this might also explain why they snore. In this particular position, the tongue often rolls to the back of the throat, which partially obstructs the airflow and causes nighttime noises and sometimes even sleep apnea. To avoid this, you can try having them sleep on their side to open up the airways and prevent blockage. Of course, changing posture while sleeping is not an obvious endeavor, but behavioral therapy can help a great deal in that regard.
Buy Them Nasal Strips
Affordable and widely available over the counter in every drug store or supermarket aisle, nasal strips are a popular product to help relieve snoring problems. They’re stick-on bands that are positioned on the bridge of the nose to dilate the nasal passage and make breathing more natural and effective. Depending on the severity of the problem, nasal strips can help reduce or eliminate snoring altogether.
Use CPAP Therapy
A proven method for treating excessive snoring is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy (CPAP). In essence, CPAP machines deliver a steady flow of air through a pressurized mask that you wear while sleeping. While they’re very effective against snoring and sleep apnea issues, they can be expensive and quite cumbersome, sometimes causing difficulties falling asleep and dry mouth/nose. Alternatively, this range of CPAP chin straps will help your spouse keep their mouth shut during sleep and encourage them to breathe through their nose to avert those disturbing decibels. In any case, it’s advised to proceed with some specialized research to find a fitting anti-snoring chin strap. There are other CPAP alternatives that you can try.
Sign Them Up for Surgery
While everybody snores to varying extents, many people do it loudly and frequently. Now, if you’ve been overlooking your spouse’s loud snoring problem for years, it might be that they have a structural issue in their nose that needs correcting. One such common issue is a deviated septum, a condition characterized by a misalignment of the interior wall, which separates the two sides of the nose. This prevents normal breathing and restricts proper airflow, resulting in heavy snoring. Look into scheduling an appointment with a health professional for an assessment, after which they’ll decide whether surgery is necessary.
Avoid Substances Before Bed
Lastly, consuming alcohol, sedatives, spilling pills, or narcotics at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime can worsen the problem by making the throat muscles relax too much. As such, ban any of these substances to ensure it doesn’t interfere with breathing and cause tectonic snoring.
No couple wants to be forced to sleep in separate rooms because of serious snoring issues. Not only can your spouse’s dramatic nighttime symphony routine prevent both of you from sleeping well, but it can also pose greater challenges to your relationship down the line. Solutions do exist. With some online research and a consultation with a specialist, you’ll be able to reacquaint yourself with peaceful and serene sleep!
