Lifestyle Changes as a Snoring Solution
Start exercising
We’ve already covered exercise although it’s worth mentioning again. Start exercising if it’s not part of your daily routine yet. Physical exercise can benefit you in so many ways you’d be a fool to skip out on it. Not to mention that some forms of exercise are very fun.
If you want to start exercising don’t limit yourself to just walking or jogging. There are plenty of other ways to exercise. You can hike, bike, run, swim, lift weights, take an aerobics class, or even take your dog for a walk. The ways you can exercise are only limited by your imagination.
Drink Less Alcohol
Up next is alcohol. Before we talk about alcohol I need to make something clear. Whether you drink or not does not make a difference to me. The information is here because it is relevant and could help you or someone else. The fact is that alcohol makes you relax. This is the problem.
When you use a substance like alcohol that causes you to relax, your body can relax too much and that includes your throat. When your throat relaxes too much your airway starts to become smaller. This results in you getting less air while you sleep and the air that you do get is being pushed in and out hard enough to cause things to vibrate.
You do not want your throat to be too relaxed. The same thing can happen with anything that makes you relax such as sedatives and some other drugs. Avoid sleeping pills and pain killers if you can.
Any “downer” can have this effect on you. You know that it is good to relax before bed, but try to do it naturally. Substances can cause you to relax too much. If you go the natural route and do something like reading instead, then you won’t have to worry about your throat and face relaxing too much. Finding your own way to relax before bed is best if that’s possible.
Put That Cigarette Out
If you are a smoker, you could quit smoking or lay off a bit. Smoking is known to be a cause of snoring all by itself. This is because the smoke that you inhale irritates everything it touches. All of this irritation causes your airway to become smaller. If you are a smoker then this is happening mostly in your nose and throat. This habit is known to be bad for you anyway. I’m sure you know why.
Just because you could quit smoking that doesn’t mean that you absolutely have to. You can “smoke smarter” if necessary. It’s not complicated so don’t fret. You could always cut back on your smoking a bit if quitting doesn’t appeal to you. If neither of those options is good for you then you may want to try limiting how much you smoke before bed.
Try not to smoke too soon before bed, or if you do try to keep it to a minimum.
Weight Loss
The next possible lifestyle change is my favorite. It’s time to talk about weight loss. Weight loss has many of the same benefits that exercise does. This is no coincidence since exercise often leads to weight loss.
Losing weight is one of the best things you can do for yourself period. The fact that it reduces snoring is more of a bonus. It is pretty well-known that it only takes a loss of ten pounds to reduce or eliminate snoring.
If you are overweight or obese you could have extra fat in your neck putting pressure on your airway. This isn’t good for you whether you’re sleeping or not. If you are one of the overweight individuals out there I can guarantee that you will feel better in general if you lose some weight.
Pick a Bed Time
I know it’s hard. Everyone is so busy these days. If you are looking for a really simple solution this one may be something to consider. This is one of those cases where the solution is simple but not easy. Getting on a nice consistent sleep schedule can do wonders for you in general. It can also help to keep you from snoring.
This is more of a problem for any of you that have to do shift work and change shifts often. In that case I understand that there isn’t much you can do here. If you can set a consistent bed time I recommend you do it. It could go a long way and also keep you from being tired during the day.
Lifestyle Changes for the Long Term
Although some of these changes mentioned may be a little more difficult for you than simply using a product it is important to remember that the results from these methods are long term. Ideally you will stick to any changes you make and in that case the positive results could easily become permanent.
The takeaway from this article is that smoking, alcohol, body weight, or lack of exercise could be causing you to snore. Even if one of these factors is not the reason you are snoring you will still see an improvement by making any of the lifestyle changes discussed above. Try to keep a set sleep schedule too if it is possible. If nothing else you should feel a lot better in your daily life.
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