Snoring Cures

Snoring cures are in demand with research indicating that more than 50 percent of people snore at various times in their lives - and at varying intensities. Snoring is only an occasional problem for half of these snorers and it is usually brought on by transient circumstances such as a cold, allergy, or consuming too much alcohol at a party.

However, the remaining half of people who snore do it every night. Their sleep is disrupted and they often disturb their bed partners, leaving everyone involved tired and grouchy the next day.

On this page you'll find some popular snoring cures that may help you, or the snorer in your life, to get a better night's sleep. Though before seeking your own solution to snoring, talk with your doctor and get a proper evaluation so that you can choose the best approach for your snoring condition.

If your snoring is accompanied by gasping and choking sounds, or you find that you wake up short of breath, you may have a serious and potentially life-threatening condition called sleep apnea. So if you have these snoring symptoms, see your doctor right away.

Snoring Causes Lead to Snoring Cures

Eliminate Cigarettes and Alcohol
If you're a regular smoker or drinker (even in moderation), chances are good that you snore at times. Quitting these habits could improve your snoring problem. If quitting "cold turkey" is too daunting a prospect, try to resist smoking or drinking for at least four hours before bedtime. Particularly in the case of alcohol, this may make enough difference to give you the incentive you need to give up completely.

Lose Weight
Carrying excess weight is a common cause of snoring and the obvious answer is to shed some pounds. Adjusting your diet to reduce your calorie intake and increasing your daily quota of exercise will go along way towards getting the sleep you need, free from snoring. Studies show that losing even 10 pounds may make a difference.

Of course, looking better and feeling healthier are both great motivators when it comes to weight loss. But the health benefits of a good night's are major motivators in their own right.

Change Your Sleeping Position
If you normally sleep flat on your back, there's a great chancee that you will snore. Learning to sleep on your side is one of the simplest potential cures for snoring. If you always end up rolling over onto your back during the night, no matter how hard you try, try one of the tried and true home-grown snoring cures - the 'tennis ball trick.'

This involves either sewing a pocket onto the pack of your PJ shirt and putting a tennis ball inside it, or slipping the ball into a sock and pinning it on. Having the tennis ball on your back will stop you from rolling over in your sleep.

You can also buy sleep cushions that you can strap onto your back, which will have basically the same effect as the tennis ball. While the cushions are certainly more expensive, they are also more comfortable.

Exchanging your regular pillow for a firmer, fuller one (or even two pillows one on top of the other) can also help reduce snoring, as it gives your head and neck better support.

Over-the-Counter Options

There's a wide variety of snoring remedies you can find at your neighborhood drugstore or address through behavioral modification. The success of each method varies by individual. If you know why you're snoring (i.e. your throat is too dry, or your sinuses are congested), then you may be able to determine which of the following snoring cures will work for you/

Snoring Nasal Spray
These can be a simple saline spray that moistens your nasal tissue or a decongestant/antihistamine spray that can shrink your nasal membranes, making it easier for you to breath during sleep.

Nasal Strips
Also called snoring strips, these easy-to-use strips fit over your nose and hold your nasal passages open while you sleep. This lets the air flow more freely and may reduce the likelihood of snoring.

Humidifier
Running a humidifier in your bedroom helps to keep the air moist, reducing the dry, scratchy throat and nasal passages that can contribute to nightly snoring.

Weight Control and Diet
Having a full stomach when you sleep puts extra stress on your diaphragm, making it more difficult for you to breath easily. Heavy, high-fat foods make things even worse. Also, you may want to stay away from dairy products at night since they can increase mucus in your throat and chest. All of these things can increase the chances that you'll snore.

Snoring Cures for Chronic Cases

As mentioned above, if you are a chronic snorer, the first step is to see your doctor to make sure that sleep apnea isn't the cause of your snoring. If you do have sleep apnea, there are specific treatments for the condition, including the possibility of using a CPAP machine.

If your doctor rules out sleep apnea, then you may require a special sleep appliance or even surgery to stop snoring. Appliances include snoring mouthpieces, chin straps, jaw braces and other oral devices.

There are also a handful of surgical snoring cures that may help. Some remove or reduce the size of the soft tissue in your throat, using traditional methods or laser treatment. Others stiffen the tissue to eliminate the vibration that causes snoring.

Since snoring can have many different causes, you will need to do your research and expect some 'trial and error' before you find the what works for you. For more tips on how to stop snoring, click here.