27 June 2024 , 15:07
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Figures indicate that no less than 30 million Brits are affected by snoring, potentially triggering serious ailments such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). While a bit of night-time noise might just seem irritating, it can seriously impact sleep quality and could be indicative of underlying health issues, underscoring the importance of consulting a healthcare professional.
Get Laid Beds has compiled eye-opening statistics illustrating people's attitudes towards nocturnal nuisances. According to its research, snoring tops the list of bedtime annoyances, with an overwhelming 61% of participants citing it as the pinnacle of irritation.
Following closely behind are restless sleep types who fidget and those who take nightly excursions while sleepwalking. The company highlighted that 77% of UK residents have moaned about their partner's disruptive snoring habits.
Snuzzze's founder Charli Davies said: "It doesn't surprise me that snoring is at the top of the ick list. It's the bane of millions of people's lives and the cause of less-than-decent sleep. Why so many people snore and the cause of some of the other icks, in my opinion, are down to our overall lifestyle from what we eat to the amount of alcohol we drink."
Five warning signs that your snoring should be checked out by a doctor
- Your snoring severely lowers your sleep quality
- You struggle to stay as alert as you'd prefer
- Morning headaches are a regular occurrence
- You're experiencing memory or focus problems
- There's been recent weight gain
Changing your lifestyle could help you reduce snoring
Altering your lifestyle could be a game-changer for your snoring issues. If you're a regular drinker, the most effective method is to avoid alcohol near bedtime or even give it up entirely.
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Charli explained: "It goes without saying then that we can reduce snoring by avoiding alcohol and leading a generally healthy lifestyle. Alcohol relaxes the muscles and this goes for the muscles in our throats too. This means that your throat can relax too much as you're sleeping and collapse in as you breathe, which causes snoring.
"Sleeping pills can have the same effect as alcohol too you might become over relaxed and the same thing will happen. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces any weighing down on your airway preventing air to flow in and out easily."
Adjust your sleep position
For those trying home remedies, one of the easy fixes they can do is changing sleep position such as avoiding sleeping on their back. Charli said: "The trick I think most people are aware of to reduce snoring is changing sleep position from our backs to our sides, although this doesn't always help. I think most of us achieve this with a dig to the ribs or pushing the person we're sharing a bed with.
"But if we want to avoid this and reduce waking those that we share a bed with, putting a pillow behind our back can stop you rolling onto your partner in the night."