How to overcome the habit of “snoring” to sleep more deeply and healthily

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Snoring, or in medical terms called “snoring”, is often considered only a minor sleep disorder.

However, loud breathing sounds during sleep can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can affect your sleep quality and long-term health.

When a person sleeps, the muscles in the throat area relax. If this relaxation causes the upper airway to narrow or even close, airflow is restricted and causes vibrations in the tissue around the throat, causing the sound of snoring.

In many cases, snoring is a health symptom. However, in conditions of OSA, the airways not only narrow but also temporarily stop, whereby the oxygen in the blood decreases and the body briefly wakes up without realizing it to breathe again.

This condition is often characterized by loud snoring and feeling drowsy or uncool upon awakening from sleep.

Therefore, in addition to comfort, it is important to control snoring to ensure better sleep quality and reduce the risk of health complications.

Triggering factors

Several things that are known to increase a person’s chances of snoring or suffering from OSA include:

1. Lie down to sleep on your back (supine), which causes the tissues of the tongue and throat to fall backward and narrow the passage.

2. Excess weight or obesity, where excess fatty tissue around the neck or throat can put pressure on the airways.

3. Consume alcohol or sedatives before going to bed. This often causes the throat muscles to become more relaxed, thus closing the upper airway more easily.

4. Anatomical abnormalities, such as a deviated nasal septum, enlarged tonsils, or congenitally narrow airways.

5. Lack of sleep or inadequate sleep patterns, which can worsen the quality of the airway muscles.

How to prevent

To avoid the risk of illnesses due to “snoring” sleep, here are some tips for preventing snoring that can be applied in everyday life, according to various health sources.

1. Change your sleeping position to your side (not your back)

Sleeping on your side can prevent your tongue and throat tissues from falling backwards and reduce the risk of airway closure.

If you always sleep on your back, try sewing a tennis ball to the back of your shirt. So, when your sleeping position is turned, you will feel uncomfortable and your body will return to its side position.

2. Lose weight

Losing weight can reduce the fatty tissue in the neck or throat that presses on the airways, so snoring may decrease or disappear.

3. Avoid alcohol and sedatives before going to bed

These two substances make the throat muscles very relaxed during sleep, so that the airways narrow or close more easily. Therefore, avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and sedatives.

4. Treat nasal obstruction or problems

If you have allergies, such as deviated septum or stuffy nose, frequent breathing through the mouth and the risk of snoring will become more frequent.

Appropriate treatment may be taking steroid sprays or directly consulting a doctor for recovery.

5. Perform regular physical activity and maintain quality sleep

Exercise can have the effect of maintaining an ideal body weight and maintaining the tone of the throat muscles. So, maintain a quality sleep pattern with a duration of seven hours for adults and 10-13 hours for children and adolescents.

6. Raise your head when you sleep

Raise your head about 10-15 cm or place several pillows to raise your head. This can help breathing air flow more smoothly and reduce respiratory tract vibration.

7. Use nose strips

Adhesive strips placed on the outside of the bridge of the nose can also widen the area of the nasal passages, thus promoting easier respiratory flow.

If you have made these lifestyle changes but still snore loudly or are accompanied by symptoms such as stopping breathing during sleep, suddenly waking up with shortness of breath, dry mouth in the morning, severe daytime drowsiness, then you need to see a doctor.

Read also: Doctor: Interruption of breathing during sleep can also occur in children

Read also: Five ways to “exercise your tongue” to overcome the habit of snoring during sleep

Read also: Children’s specialists warn of the dangers of snoring for children’s health

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