Introduction
There’s a good chance you’ve heard this expression before: “I only snore when I lie on my back.” What kind of effects does your sleeping posture actually have on your level of snoring?
Is there a treatment that can help you to stop snoring? The article that follows will provide answers to all of your questions.
Sleeping On Your Back May Cause Snoring
It is believed that 57% of males and 40% of women in the United States suffer from the condition known as snoring. Even in children, it can affect up to 27% of them. (Source: Merckmanuals)
It’s common for people who sleep on their backs to wake up with their mouths wide open and cause snoring. Your upper airway will take on a different appearance as a result of this.
Your airway will begin to become compressed as a result of gravity’s effect on your face, head, and neck. This problem will be exacerbated if you are overweight since excess fat will collect on your neck.
- Your jaw moves back, which causes pressure to be placed on the upper airway.
- The back of your tongue protrudes.
- The upper airway has a form that is more oval than round.
Snoring is the result of a combination of a number of causes, including the compression of the airway, the disruption of airflow, and vibration. In the worst possible scenario, they lead to full snoring and obstruction of the airway as well as sleep apnea.
Problems with breathing when sleeping is sometimes caused by sleeping in an improper position. More than half of all cases of snoring are referred to as “position-induced” sleep apnea, in which the severity of the illness is dramatically reduced when switching to side-sleeping.
Position-induced sleep apnea accounts for more than half of all cases.
The Best Sleep Position For Snoring
There are a few different sleep positions that can help reduce or eliminate snoring and improve your sleep.
Supine Position, Back Straight
Going to bed with your back and back straight is considered the best sleep position, bringing many health benefits and stopping snoring. This sleeping position not only protects the spine but also helps relieve symptoms of hip and knee pain.
Side Sleep Position
With this sleep position, the body will lean to one side of the body. The shoulders will be pressured, the body will be slightly bent and the knees will be raised above the body and reduce snoring.
Sleeping on your side is a very good sleeping position for general health and stopping snoring, especially for those who suffer from shortness of breath, snoring, heartburn, or acid reflux.
However, you should also not lie on your side for too long. When leaning to the left, the internal organs in the chest tend to shift to the left, the lungs will press on the heart. This pressure can affect heart function and potentially lead to heart failure.
Lie On Your Stomach
People often sleep more soundly in the third round if they lie on their stomachs. Since the third rib is primarily fat, it can’t support much of your weight when you’re lying face down. As a result, the round 3 areas will experience a proliferation of adipose tissue.
Along with that, when lying on the stomach, the face will turn to the side to breathe, helping to avoid the adverse consequences of snoring.
Spoon Sleeping Position
This is the sleeping position for couples when both people lean to one side and are close to each other. Close physical contact can make you more likely to wake up, but cuddling will make it easier to fall back asleep.
Lying face down, like other personal gestures. This is said to trigger the production of the hormone oxytocin, which has been shown to have beneficial effects on mood and reduce snoring.
How to Stop Snoring When Sleeping on Your Back
This advice on how to sleep on your back without snoring will be helpful even if you do not snore, have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and feel that you are in perfect health and safety.
Change The Pillow
Your head and neck should be supported by a firm, high-loft cushion that follows the natural curve of your spine. It shouldn’t be too huge, should be no more than 20% bigger than your head at most. This is very helpful to reduce snoring.
Exercise Your Vocal Cords
Perform a series of quick exercises that include lifting the soft palate and the uvula while making the “A” vowel sound. Other exercises in this series include pressing the back of the tongue on the roof of the mouth and causing snoring.
You Should Wipe Your Nose
When people sleep on their backs, they tend to fill their noses and cause snoring and sleep apnea, which might cause them to snore. If you feel the need to clear your nasal passages before going to bed.
The Air-filled Cushion
Place a fully inflated camping pillow inside of a pillowcase that has been left empty. Position yourself so that your back is supported by the inflated pillow while you lie on the piece of the pillowcase that is empty.
You can do so by standing in a hot shower, using nasal strips, or rinsing the nose with saline solution.
Conclusion
If you believe that your sleeping position is contributing to your snoring, it might be time to try positional therapy so that you can begin sleeping in positions that are less noisy and better for your health and reduce snoring.
There are a good number of people who sleep on their side but still snoring, as is to be expected. We hope the information in this article will help you to reduce sleep apnea and stop snoring.
