You have a lovely, small family with a wife and two little kids. You guys enjoy each other\'s company and cherish the time you get together during the day. You play, eat, and watch TV together. Then, cut to bedtime, your wife and kids collect their things, including their earplugs and go to another room. Even though you like cuddling with your partner and don\'t want your loved ones sleeping away, you let them go. It is so because when they sleep with you in the same room, they fail to get a good night\'s sleep and walk around like zombies the next day. The culprit here is your snoring habit that prevents them from catching proper rest. 

So, what can you do about this situation? Is there a way to keep your family close without making them compromise on their sleep? If your search feed is filled with queries on how to stop snoring, read this article. Hope you have a nice read!

What is snoring? How can you put a stop to the habit?

Snoring refers to a harsh noise that individuals produce during sleep. When the air goes past the relaxed tissues in your throat, a vibration occurs. This is what results in snoring. Although snoring is not life-threatening, it could lead to poor sleep for you and your family. This is why you must stop this habit as soon as possible. Here are some solutions for people searching for how to stop snoring:

• Change your sleep position: 

Snoring occurs when the tongue or soft palate collapses and gets in the way of your throat. As a result, a vibration occurs that leads to snoring. So, for people searching for how to stop snoring, one way to do so is to sleep on your side. When you switch from resting on your back to sleeping on your side, gravity no more acts on your throat and tongue tissues, and the blockage doesn\'t happen.

• Drop the extra pounds:

People who are obese are more likely to snore. The cause for this is the presence of neck fat. At night, when you lie down to rest, the excessive tissues in the throat compress the upper airway. This results in snoring. Thus, obese people are recommended to shed a few pounds to get peaceful and sound sleep. 

• Open up nasal passages:

If you have a cold, the nasal passages become narrower and get blocked. This causes snoring. A solution to prevent this from happening is to use a neti-pod containing non-iodized salt. You can also take a shower before bedtime and rinse each passage with warm water.

• Stay hydrated:

Staying hydrated is good for your health for several reasons, including snoring. When you do not drink enough water, your soft palate and nose may get sticky and dry, resulting in snoring. So, to stop this, you are recommended to drink 11 to 16 cups of water every day.

What if these natural remedies don\'t stop snoring?

If the tips mentioned above do not work out and you are still snoring, maybe you should get checked for sleep apnea. Snoring is one of the common symptoms of this condition.

What is sleep apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea refers to a sleep condition. People dealing with this issue cannot rest well at night because of the obstruction in the airway. As a result of the blockage in the throat, the breathing comes in pauses. Since enough oxygen doesn\'t reach your brain when this happens night after night, the condition is dangerous for your overall health and well-being. Besides, sleep apnea can also lead to other health complications like type 2 diabetes, stroke, liver problems, and hypertension. So, the condition must get diagnosed and treated soon.

How do you know if you have sleep apnea?

Apart from snoring complaints, these are some other signs that may hint you have sleep apnea:

• Reduced focus during the day
• Waking up with a headache
• Depression
• Feeling fatigued in the day
• Frequently waking up through the night
• Weight gain
• Waking up with a dry mouth

What are the possible treatments for sleep apnea-related snoring?

• CPAP machine:

If you get diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, your doctor will probably offer you some treatment alternatives. One could be a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A gold standard for treating mild to severe OSA, the device alleviates the snoring problem. It consists of a hose and masks for delivering air to your lungs. When you use the CPAP device, a steady stream of air is forced into your system, preventing the airway from collapsing. Because the passageway stays open, snoring is relieved.

• Other airway pressure devices:

Some people find it hard to use the CPAP device because the air flows at a steady and unchanged rate. Such patients must try other airway pressure devices. The options include the auto-CPAP device that automatically adjusts the pressure and the bi-level positive airway pressure machine (BIPAP) with two pressure settings. These alternatives make breathing easy for the sleep apnea patient and help solve the problem.

• Oral appliances:

These appliances help keep the throat open so you and your loved ones can sleep peacefully at night. They are easier to use than CPAP machines and relieve the snoring problem by bringing the jaw forward. Most people take about 2-7 days to get used to having a device in their mouth while resting.

• Surgery:

If nothing else works, sleep apnea patients are recommended to undergo surgery. During the procedure, the extra tissues from the rear of the mouth and the top of the throat are removed. Another option is to shrink the excessively large tissues using radiofrequency ablation. 

Conclusion

Snoring is a serious problem that could affect you and your family. One of the best options is to try natural remedies to solve this issue. However, if that doesn\'t work, you should get tested for sleep apnea. OSA treatments like surgery, oral appliances, and airway pressure devices may help with the annoying habit.