How can I minimize my snoring?

Factual Questions
1

Help! It seems that as I’m getting older (I’ll be 29 next month)my snoring is getting worse and worse, according to my wife. I’ve tried sleeping with fans blowing right on my face, a humidifier next to the bed, drinking large amounts of water before going to bed - none of these “remedies” has helped. My wife can’t sleep and I’m getting black and blue from the elbows in the ribs. Short of us sleeping in seperate rooms is there any way to alleviate this problem? I know surgery is an option but that seems a touch extreme for me. Are there any other medical options available? Thanks!

2

I would suggest seeing a doctor to discuss other medical options.

One “home remedy” that I have seen work is breath-right strips. They are little adhesive strips that you put on your nose at night. I am not sure exactly how they work, but I can tell you that for some people they do work. I have a couple of friends that say those breath-right strips have saved their marriages.

3

Thanks, ZUMBA, but… I neglected to mention that I had tried Breathe-Right strips and they apparently had no more effect than anything else. I say apparently because I’ve never heard myself snore and I’m just taking my wife’s word for it that I do. Loudly. And constantly.

4

Weight and alcohol are other factors. Check with your doctor, you might be suffering from sleep apnea. I had mine surgically corrected 10 years ago.

The breath right strips are actually a spring that flare your nostrils, helping keep your nasal passages open. They seem to work real well for some people.

5

I’ve been told that I snore when I sleep on my back, but not when I sleep on my side. I know my father is the same way. Seeing a doctor is probably the quickest way to resolve the issue.

6

The reason that sleeping on your back makes you snore louder, is because of what’s causing your snoring. The muscles of the palate, the uvula, and sometimes the tonsils relax during deep sleep. This obstructs your breathing and everthing in there begins to vibrate. It’s worse on your back because of gravity. On your side, when those muscles relax you don’t close off your airways as much.

How do you cure it?

  1. Well, first of all, try to lose some weight (unless you’re one of the ‘skinny’ snorers).

2)The most common type of surgery is to use a laser and trim the uvula (the hangy downy thingy in the back of your mouth). The idea is that the uvula will restrict air flow as much, therefore you won’t snore.

  1. Get a mouth appliance. When you’re lying on your back and your jaw muscles relax, it restricts air flow. The mouth appliance forces you to have an ‘underbite’ while you sleep.

  2. Get a CPAP machine. (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) It’s a little weird to get used to but it works. You wear a little mask to bed that covers your nose only. The CPAP machine blows air into your nose forcing your breathing passages to stay open. Currently, this is probably to most common way of treating sleep apnea.

Insurance probably won’t cover any of the above unless you have been diagnosed as having sleep apnea. (Long process, requires sleep study, etc.)

I’ve been diagnosed as having sleep apnea. Mine was severe. I was getting the equivilant of about two to three hours of sleep a night. I’m using a CPAP machine. It’s wonderful. For the first time in several years, I’m not falling asleep at work, or getting drowsy at stoplights. I still have a long way to go, but I’m slowly getting more energy, my memory is improving, etc. etc.

7

Getting the cause of the snoring checked out is good advice. To prevent sleeping on your back, you can sew a tennis ball into the back of your pajama top (assuming you wear pjs:) )

8

Have you tried Alt-Tabbing until the snoring process is active, then clicking the "_ " widget?

9

Thanks again, everyone. I’m starting to get the feeling that my snoring situation is a bit different than others, for a couple of reasons.

  1. I am not overweight (5-11", 198 lbs. - I HOPE that’s not considered overweight!).
  2. I almost always sleep lying on my stomach or on my side. I’ve tried to sleep lying on my back but my wife says I start snoring almost instantly and it sounds like a 74 LTD Classic Station Wagon without a muffler, going down a gravel road in low gear and high speed.
  3. Someone previously mentioned alcohol. I drink occasionally on weekends but that’s it.

After seeing some of these posts and consulting with a doctor buddy, I’m gonna check with my doctor.