Feeling foggy, fatigued and waking up your partner each night? You’re not alone. As reported by Sleep Health Foundation, almost 1/4 men and 1/5 women report ‘frequent, loud snoring’ - each and every night.
As a consequence, compared to non snorers, you’re more likely to suffer sleep deprivation, unintentionally fall asleep through the day and even fall asleep whilst driving - as noted in clinical research.
Before I go into the solutions though, it’s imperative you know - exactly why are you snoring in the first place?
1. A deviated septum
Broken nose? Have chronic nasal congestion? Both factors can indicate a deviated septum - a crooked partition between your nostrils. Forcing you to breathe through the mouth, this is less than ideal - research shows it’s linked to louder and more frequent snoring.
2. Allergies
Notice your snoring flares up in spring or autumn? It could come down to allergies - as this inflames your nostrils and throat, the opportunity for airflow becomes more narrow. This can be accompanied with wheezing through the day, but not always - during the night allergens settle in your bedroom environment so it’s possible that you only react through the nighttime.
3. Alcohol
While we all love a nightcap, if you’re snoring, it’s one of the worst things you can do pre-bed. Relaxing the muscles that usually keep the airways open, after your post dinner espresso martini you’ll notice your snoring is louder, as the passage for airflow has been restricted.
4. Sleeping on your back
This can be for two reasons: one, the tongue can collapse into the throat, narrowing the airway. Second, the muscles around the throat are more likely to collapse - again, limiting the opportunity for air to pass through. Not only does this make snoring more likely, it also makes it louder.
Needless to say, rather than put up with the ill-effects of snoring, arming yourself with SnoreMD, a class 1 medical device used by sleep specialists in clinical practice, is the way go to. The easy to wear, easy to clean mouthguard gently holds the lower jaw in a forward position, keeping the airway open through the night. Result? You’re less likely to snore, wake up through the night or wake up your partner. Sounds dreamy, right?
