Getting a good night's sleep is important for both mental and physical health. Sharing the bed with someone who snores can disrupt your sleep and put strain on your relationship. Snoring occurs when air is unable to move freely through the nasal cavity, causing the surrounding tissue to vibrate, resulting in persistent snoring. To prevent your partner from snoring, you can adjust their sleeping environment, help adjust their sleep habits, and suggest lifestyle changes so you can both get a good night's sleep.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Adjusting the Sleep Environment
Step 1. Use a pillow to lift his head
Lifting his head 10 cm high with 1-2 pillows can allow him to breathe and push his tongue and jaw forward. You can buy pillows that are specifically designed to keep your neck muscles relaxed and open, thereby reducing or eliminating snoring while sleeping.
Note that it's hard for your partner to stay still or shift throughout the night so the pillow can shift or fall into a position that causes snoring. You can work around this by asking your partner to tuck a tennis ball in the back of his or her nightgown. This will cause some discomfort when he rolls over or moves at night and can prevent him from moving during sleep
Step 2. Keep the bedroom moist with a humidifier
Dry air can irritate the nose and throat and cause blockage and snoring at night. If your partner has a problem with swollen nasal tissues, sleeping with a humidifier can help. Keeping the air moist throughout the night will ensure that you and your partner get a good, snoring-free sleep.
Step 3. Consider sleeping separately if the snoring is too loud
Some couples decide it's best to have separate bedrooms, especially if their partner's snoring is a chronic problem. It can be difficult to sleep in separate rooms, especially if one party feels guilty or upset about the disturbed sleep, so take the time to talk to your partner about this possibility.
Explain that you are not getting enough sleep because of the snoring and that it is best for your bedtime routine and your relationship to sleep in separate rooms. Snoring is a physical problem that is the result of a physical problem or disease. The decision rests with your partner to find a solution, whether medical or non-medical. However, if none of the solutions seem to work, a separate bedroom may be the only option
Method 2 of 3: Adjusting Sleep Habits
Step 1. Suggest rinsing the nose before going to bed
If your partner is trying to clear a blocked nasal passage, he or she should try a saline nasal rinse before bed to make it easier to breathe during sleep. To clean and rinse the nose, he can use a neti pot (a container for rinsing the nose) or take medicine to relieve nasal congestion.
Nasal tapes (nasal strips) can help reduce the volume of your partner's snoring, as they tighten the nasal passages. However, these plasters do not help with snoring and are not as effective as a nasal rinse
Step 2. Encourage your partner to sleep on your side, not on your back
Changing your sleeping position so that you are on your side instead of on your back or stomach will reduce the amount of pressure on your throat and prevent snoring. If he's having trouble keeping his side sleeping, you can sew socks or tennis balls into the back of his pajamas. This will cause some discomfort when he sleeps on his back at night and help to keep him on his side.
After a few weeks of sleeping on his side, this will become a habit and he can drop tennis balls or socks in his pajamas
Step 3. Have him talk to the dentist about an anti-snoring mouth kit
Your partner can see a dentist and get a custom dental guard to help open the airway and move the lower jaw and tongue forward while sleeping.
However, dentist-made equipment is expensive, especially if your spouse's health insurance does not cover this. He should consult a dentist and discuss cheaper options, if necessary
Step 4. Instruct the partner to consult with the doctor about surgical options for snoring
If your partner continues to snore despite adjustments to their sleeping environment and sleeping habits, you should consider scheduling a consultation with a doctor to discuss medical devices or surgical procedures to help with their snoring. Your doctor may recommend several options, including:
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): This is a machine that blows compressed air into a mask that is worn over your partner's nose and face. A CPAP machine can help keep his airway open while he sleeps.
- Ordinary snoring surgery: This surgical procedure will help increase the size of your partner's airways by removing tissue or correcting abnormalities in the nose.
- Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP): This procedure uses a laser to shorten the uvula, the soft tissue that hangs at the back of the throat, and make an incision in the soft palate. When this incision heals, the surrounding tissue will stiffen and prevent vibrations in the throat that cause snoring.
Method 3 of 3: Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Suggest weight loss through diet and exercise
If your partner is overweight or has weight problems, he or she should consider losing weight with a healthy, balanced diet and daily exercise. Excess weight can add more tissue around the neck area and cause airway obstruction resulting in louder, more persistent snoring.
Step 2. Suggest not to eat or drink alcohol a few hours before going to bed
Drinking alcohol a few hours before bed can cause the airways to loosen and vibrate during sleep, causing snoring. In addition, eating heavily before bed can cause restlessness during sleep, constant snoring, and moving around in bed.
Step 3. Recommend daily throat exercises to reduce snoring
Throat exercises can strengthen the muscles of the upper respiratory tract and help reduce or eliminate snoring. He should try to do throat exercises every day, starting with one to two sets of exercises and then gradually increasing the number of sets. Advise your partner to combine exercise with other activities such as driving to work, doing household chores, or walking the dog. To do this throat exercise:
- Repeat each vowel (a-e-i-o-u) out loud for three minutes several times a day.
- Place the tip of the tongue behind the upper front teeth. Then, slide your tongue back for three minutes a day.
- Close your mouth and purse your lips. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Open your mouth and move your jaw to the right. Hold for 30 seconds. Do the same on the left side.
- Open your mouth and tighten the muscles at the back of your throat several times for 30 seconds. Look in the mirror to make sure that the uvula (the ball that hangs at the back of the throat) moves up and down.
