Snoring can really affect the quality of your sleep, whether it is your own snoring or that of a partner. Snoring occurs when your soft palate vibrates, and this can be caused by many different factors. The muscles in your tongue and soft palate relax when you sleep and this can cause them to collapse together, which contributes to snoring. Older people are more pre-disposed to snoring as age affects muscle tone. Other things such as tonsils can add to the noise of snoring. The position that you sleep in can also affect how much or little you snore, lying on your back is the most common position to snore in as it allows your tongue to fall back and block your airway slightly. You may also find that you are more likely to snore if you have a cold or hayfever as this causes your airways to swell and therefore be restricted. Some medications can cause snoring and of course most people will have noticed that consuming alcohol also seems to contribute to snoring.

There are several ways to alleviate snoring, which in turn can lead to a better nights sleep. For starters make sure you (or your partner!) are sleeping on your side. Try to avoid alcoholic drinks before bedtime and if you are taking any kind of medication, check to see if snoring is listed in the possible side-effects. If you suffer from hay fever and therefore “seasonal snoring” you may find it beneficial to take an anti-histamine about an hour before you go to bed to help relieve any airway irritation, of course always check with your GP first if you are on any other type of medication. If you are overweight, you may find loosing some weight will help you stop snoring. If it is your partner that is snoring, and none of the above seems to help, invest in a pair of soft foam earplugs to help you get a good nights sleep.

While snoring in itself isn’t harmful, it can seriously disrupt sleep, which leads to feeling tired and unrested in the mornings, being grumpy and slightly dysfunctional during the day, and not being able to enjoy spending time with family or friends in the evenings as all you can think about is getting to bed. If you think that snoring is disrupting your sleep then try the simple steps above that can help prevent it and see if you wake feeling well rested the next morning.