Let's Talk Snoring (And How To Make It Stop)

Mar 29, 2017
2 min read

We all know too well how annoying it is to spend countless nights next to a snorer. Or more importantly to be told that we are snorers ourselves!

I vividly remember my now husband telling me in the early days that I had been "breathing rather loudly" the night before (countless others before him had obviously been too afraid to mention it). I was so embarrassed to think of myself as a snorer, girls don't snore - it's a man thing! My mother clearly didn't drink enough sherry to get a snort up, so I felt shamed and wondered how I sounded. Was my face all contorted, was my mouth gaping open, was it loud and all night long??!

At the time we were living in my husbands old fibre house at the farm, with very thin walls, and one by one my girlfriends would come and stay, and one by one those walls would get their vibrate on. I would suggest this snoring was wine and cheese induced

and I'm sure we all know someone who has been the brunt of a family joke, but on a serious note snoring can be very disruptive for all involved, so lets take a closer look at this problem and how we can help improve on a good nights sleep.

Facts

* 45% of adults snore.

* Snoring can disrupt quality sleep and cause fatigue.

* In more serious cases of snoring, the walls of the throat and surrounding tissue collapse completely and block the airway. This is called obstructive sleep apnea.

What Causes Snoring?

During sleep, the muscles of the throat relax and narrow, and the tongue and soft palate collapse to the back wall of the throat. This causes a vibration which can be gentle or as loud as a Boeing engine.

How To Make It Stop!

Pillows are designed to give us a better sleep, not to hide under to block out the noise of a snorer. Earplugs are probably not a healthy long term solution either, so here are some solutions that may improve a healthy nights sleep -

* Slow down the evening drinks

* Look at your lifestyle. Are you overweight?

* Change your sleep position, avoid sleeping on your back