All About Snoring (and How to Make It Stop)

Pillows were designed for better sleep, not for drowning out the sound of your partner’s snoring. Defined simply as ‘noisy breathing during sleep,’ snoring can be disruptive to the snorer and especially to his or her bed-partner.

What Causes Snoring?

During sleep, the muscles of the throat relax and narrow and the tongue falls backwards deeper into the mouth. When you inhale, vibrations are created among the loosened muscles of the mouth and throat. These vibrations produce a snoring sound that can be gentle – or in some cases, like a freight train.

I admit it – I snore! What can I do about it?

If you or your partner snores, don’t stress. There are solutions that will either modify or permanently resolve the issue:
Look at your lifestyle. Are you overweight?
Drinking alcohol in the evening?
Sniffling due to allergies?
Sometimes modifying lifestyle factors is enough to resolve the problem. For light snoring – try a white noise machine, ear plugs or a fan.
Surgery. In some cases, doctors will perform surgery on the loose tissue in the nose or throat to reduce the chance of vibration that produces loud snoring.
Oral or nasal appliances (usually constructed by a dentist).

Snoring can be an inconvenience, but there is no reason that it should interfere with a proper night’s sleep. Sweet dreams!