Snoring 101: Conquer Your Nighttime Noises, Enhance Your Health
Seeking remedies for a snoring partner? Medical professionals suggest top anti-snoring products
Here's the lowdown on those loud, rhythmic honks that keep you and your partner awake at night: snoring. Don't be fooled by cartoons' portrayal – snoring often points to underlying health issues that aren't exactly kid's stuff.
We tapped sleep experts to break it all down for us. Let's dive in!
What causes snoring?
First, let's brush up on our biology. Dr. Emerson Wickwire, a board member for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, explains our body's four-step breathing cycle: brain signals to the diaphragm, diaphragm contraction, air intake, and heart pumping oxygen to the brain and vital organs.
During the day, this cycle repeats as we work, chat, exercise, and conquer tasks. When we snooze, the muscles and tissues in our upper airway (nose, sinuses, mouth, and upper throat) relax and shrink, making it difficult for the same volume of air to flow with ease. This pressure causes the tissues to vibrate, creating that familiar snoring sound. Imagine placing your hand in front of a powerful fan. The tissues in your upper airway are vibrating just like that.
Health Impacts of Snoring
Snoring falls on a spectrum, from quiet, almost inaudible snores to disruptive, sleep-interfering snoring often associated with sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dr. Kevin Postol, a certified sleep dentist, says that if you sleep for seven to nine hours per night without any discomfort or significant health issues, your mild snoring shouldn't cause major concern. However, a louder snore doesn't automatically mean your health is in worse shape; it might just annoy your sleep partner more.
If you experience symptoms such as gasping for air, chest pains, increased anxiety/depression episodes, unresolved high blood pressure, memory issues, or excessive daytime sleepiness, it's time to chat with your doctor about potential sleep apnea, which could be a sign of more severe sleep disorders, like OSA.
Treatments for Snoring
There's no one-size-fits-all solution to snoring. Lifestyle changes like weight loss, exercise, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol before bed might help. You can also try sleeping on your side or with your head elevated to help keep your airways open. But if these fixes don't work, it's time to seek professional help.
Roughly 37 million Americans[1] reported regular snoring, and many people are hesitant to address the issue due to embarrassment. Women, in particular, underreport their snoring, which could lead to sleep disorders being overlooked. Dr. Postol recommends custom-made oral appliances from qualified sleep dentists for many patients with snoring and sleep apnea. These appliances help keep the jaw forward and the airways open while you sleep.
At-Home Snoring Aids
If you're not quite ready to schedule an appointment yet, here are some expert-recommended snoring aids you can try:
- PAP MD Mouth Tape: Mouth taping is becoming increasingly popular as a snoring solution. However, ensure you have good nasal airflow before you start taping.
- Nexcare Strong-Hold Pain-Free-Removal Tape: This hypoallergenic medical tape can also help reduce snoring.
- Apple Watch Series 10: This smartwatch comes equipped with sleep apnea detection, which might alert your doctor to your condition.
- Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow: Side sleeping might help alleviate snoring. This adjustable pillow from Eli & Elm is perfect for side sleepers.
- Coop Sleep Goods Original Adjustable Body Pillow: Body pillows can help keep you in a side-sleeping position, which may improve snoring.
- Forias Wedge Pillow: This wedge pillow keeps your head and neck elevated, potentially reducing snoring.
- The Snorinator Anti-Snoring Pillow: This unique pillow encourages upright sleeping, potentially reducing snoring.
- Breathe Right Nasal Strips: These strips can help open your nasal passages for better airflow.
- Hatch Restore 3: This white noise machine provides soothing guided meditations, sleep stories, and other features to help you get a better night's sleep.
- Ozlo Sleepbuds: These sleep headphones can block out nighttime disturbances, including snoring.
- Flents Foam Earplugs: Budget-friendly earplugs can help dampen and block irritating snoring sounds.
- Loop Dream Earplugs: Comfortable and difficult to forget, these earplugs are a worthwhile upgrade.
- SnoreLab: This app records your snoring throughout the night, allowing you to track your sleep sounds. However, it's not a diagnostic tool.
[1] Yale Medicine. (2022). Why Am I Snoring So Much? Retrieved from https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/snoring
[2] Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Snoring. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/snoring/symptoms-causes/syc-20374907
[3] National Sleep Foundation. (2015). Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/obstructive-sleep-apnea
[4] National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Do Women Snore More Than Men? Retrieved from https://sleep.org/articles/do-women-snore-more-than-men/
[5] Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Sleep Position to Reduce Snoring. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/snoring/in-depth/snoring-reducing-techniques/art-20045872
- Dr. Emerson Wickwire, a board member for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, recommends understanding our body's four-step breathing cycle to combat snoring, as the tissues in our upper airway vibrate during sleep, causing the familiar snoring sound.
- If you're not ready to seek professional help for snoring, you can try at-home solutions like mouth taping, using hypoallergenic medical tape, or using certain pillows to improve sleep position.
- According to Dr. Kevin Postol, a certified sleep dentist, loud snoring could be a sign of more severe sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which might result in symptoms such as gasping for air, chest pains, increased anxiety/depression episodes, unresolved high blood pressure, memory issues, or excessive daytime sleepiness.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness and mental-health, addressing snoring could help maintain overall well-being, as significant health issues are often linked to sleep disorders like OSA.
