At-Home Snoring Treatment
If your snoring is minor and you aren’t experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea, you can start by trying home remedies for your snoring.
The easiest home remedy for snoring treatment is to change your sleep position. Lying on your back increases the risk that your airways will narrow, the root cause of snoring. If you move to sleeping on your side, your airways will stay more open, leading to reduced snoring. Many people see their snoring go away completely.
Alcohol is a muscle relaxant, and can increase the amount your airway muscles relax at night. To reduce the impact alcohol has on your snoring, don’t consume alcohol less than four hours before bedtime.
Some medications can also lead to more relaxation of muscles. Talk to your doctor about your medications, and whether the time of day you take them can impact your snoring.
Allergies and irritation of the airway can make snoring worse. Try reducing dust in your home, avoiding foods that you are slightly allergic to, and even getting an air filter.
Smoking is a major contributor to airway irritation. Quitting smoking will reduce your snoring.
When You Need Professional Snoring Treatment
If your snoring doesn’t respond to the above strategies, or if your snoring is excessively loud or accompanied by sleep apnea symptoms, you need to seek professional treatment.
Oral Appliances
The most common snoring treatment is an oral appliance. An anti-snoring appliance is similar to a sports mouthguard, but designed to reposition your lower jaw to help keep your airway open.
Although these are available online or over-the-counter, if you want to ensure good results, they have to be customized to your anatomy. This can be done in a dentist’s office by a sleep dentist who has received special training in the anatomy of the airway and the use of oral appliance therapy for the snoring treatment and sleep apnea.
Snoring Surgery
In some cases, surgery is a successful treatment option for snoring. However, snoring surgery should only be attempted after other treatment options have failed because it isn’t always successful and, as with all surgery, comes with serious risks. Snoring surgery is most successful when the cause of snoring is in the nose, but other parts of the airway, including the uvula, tonsils, and soft palate can also be modified with snoring surgery.
If you (or your partner) is tired of snoring, it’s important to seek professional help for snoring treatment. In Columbus, OH, please contact Firouzian Dentistry.
