Snoring can be annoying and embarrassing if you share a room with someone, and can prevent them from sleeping well. Even more importantly, snoring could mean that you have a serious medical ailment. This article contains insights about why you may snore, and several techniques for handling your snoring.

You are more likely to snore if you are overweight. The weight of the body does not always affect snoring, but extra fat around the neck area can lead to more pressure on the airway, resulting in snoring. If you are even a few pounds overweight, this may be the culprit.

“Fish face” may sound silly, but it could help you to stop snoring. It sounds funny, but making these faces will strengthen throat and facial muscles. Close the mouth and suck in the cheeks. Try moving your lips like a fish. Repeat this routine a few times a day for maximum efficacy.

Nasal Passages

Keep your nasal passages open to prevent snoring. If your nose is blocked or constricted, it will increase the chance of snoring. There are many things that can help eliminate clogged nasal passages, including humidifiers, steam showers, and vapor rubs. Nasal strips are also a good investment in the fight against snoring. These are placed over the bridge of the nose and allow extra air to flow through by forcing the nasal passages to open.

Consult your doctor in order to determine if your snoring may be caused by medications you are currently taking. The side effects of many prescription drugs can cause you to snore, or make your existing snoring more severe. Medicines like antihistamines, pain killers, muscle relaxers, and sleeping pills tend to relax your muscles, and one consequence can be a restricted airway. Snoring is caused by restricted airways.

To help minimize your snoring, make sure you get good quality exercise. Exercise can help make your breathing more regular and will prevent snoring at night. Exercise reduces your stress, as well as helps your lungs stay healthy. Too much stress can change the way you breathe, thus increasing the probability of you snoring.

Stop smoking, and you might stop snoring as well. If quitting doesn’t work, ensure that you don’t smoke within two hours of your bedtime. When you smoke, your throat swells, which will cause your air passages to get narrower. This inflammation and narrowing leads to snoring; therefore, not smoking should relieve some of the swelling.

The best sleeping position to reduce the risk of snoring is lying on your side. If you sleep on your back, it ups the chances of you snoring. On the contrary, sleeping on the stomach can cause stress to the neck. This is why it’s good to sleep on your side.

Adequately monitor how much exercise you are doing each hour and try to push in a much smaller amount before going to bed. Straining your body through exercise and lifting can make it hard for you to breathe at night. This can constrict airways, and cause additional snoring.

After reading this, you should understand the causes of snoring better. The advice in this article covers many of the common causes of snoring, and can help you to resolve them. If you are concerned that something more serious may be causing you to snore, you should probably talk to your doctor.