It’s estimated that around 45% of adults snore occasionally whilst 25% of people snore regularly. Snoring tends to worsen with age, so if you feel like your snoring is getting in the way of sleeping or affecting those around you, you may wish to explore ways to stop snoring.
Believe it or not, your dentist is best placed to offer advice on snoring and they can offer the best advice to eliminate or reduce your snoring. If you are looking for ways to stop snoring, keep reading. We’ve listed all of the ways our patients have been able to resolve their snoring habits.
Exercise and Lose Weight
A common reason why many patients snore is due to being overweight or out of shape. For example, carrying excess weight around your neck or throat can cause snoring. If your snoring is affecting your sleep and lifestyle, you may wish to address this through weight loss. In some cases, regular exercising and losing weight can resolve your snoring altogether.
Start by reducing your overall calorie intake and adopt a healthier lifestyle with regular daily exercise.
Reduce or Avoid Alcohol Consumption
Drinking alcohol will increase your chances of snoring as your throat muscles become relaxed. Consumption of alcohol can also obstruct the airways. Whether you’ve had several units of alcohol or even a drop, alcohol can impact your sleep and cause you to snore. So if you find that you snore after consuming alcohol, it’s no coincidence.
If you can, reduce or avoid consumption of alcohol, and do not consume alcohol for at least two hours before you go to sleep.
Avoid Taking Sedatives Before Bed
Sedatives are used to treat a number of conditions, however, they can contribute to snoring if you take them just before bedtime.
If you do snore and suspect this is related to your sedatives, we recommend talking to your doctor to see what your alternative options are. Taking alternative medication may help this issue, or you may wish to avoid taking sedatives shortly before going to bed. While this may not stop the snoring altogether, it can ease it.
Quit Smoking
Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemicals and can be detrimental to your health. Not only can smoking affect your overall health, but it can also have a direct link to mouth cancer, with 90% of oral cancer cases caused by smoking.
Smoking can also cause snoring to worsen as it can irritate the membranes in the nose and throat, leading to blocked airways.
As the chances of snoring are high for smokers, you may wish to quit smoking for a quick solution to snoring. By cutting down and stopping smoking or using tobacco products, your oral health will benefit very quickly and you will notice changes in your mouth. If you are a smoker, it’s important you visit the dentist more frequently and explore smoking cessation.
Nasal Strips
Nasal strips are commonly used to eliminate (or reduce) snoring by increasing the space in the nasal passage. As stick-on strips, they attach to the bridge of the nose.
Some patients find nasal strips to be successful in reducing snoring, however, nasal strips can be hit and miss as many patients find that snoring is still an overwhelming issue for them. Nasal strips are extremely affordable so it may be worthwhile to test these out.
Ensure a Good Night’s Sleep
Snoring can sometimes be caused by over-exhaustion, so if you’re finding that you have recently started snoring out of the blue, this may be caused by tiredness. Patients who frequently work long hours or with shift patterns are much more likely to experience snoring compared to patients that work consistent hours.
Try to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
Sleep on Your Side
Sleeping on your back can result in blocked airways as your tongue moves to the back of your throat. While it may be a comfortable way of sleeping, you may be better off sleeping on your side.
Sleeping on your side can allow air to flow easily and, in many cases, can eliminate snoring altogether.
Custom-Made Mouthpieces
One of the most successful and effective methods of eliminating snoring is with a custom-made snoring mouthpiece. Your dentist is best placed to provide snoring solutions and can create a mouthpiece made from impressions taken of your mouth for a more comfortable fit.
This customised snoring mouthpiece is worn at night and allows for better breathing by comfortably holding the bottom jaw in a slightly forward position. Better breathing can eliminate snoring and can even make for a better night’s sleep.
Snoring Treatment in London
Do you suffer from snoring? At Hermes London Dental Clinic, we provide a highly-effective snoring treatment that our patients have found successful in reducing their snoring. We provide advice to address your snoring and, if necessary, we’ll talk you through our snoring treatment in London and how it can help you.
Speak to your dentist today about how your snoring problem can be addressed. Get in touch with us to find out more!