Drink and its effect on sleep
An ENT consultant and a sleep physiologist on how alcohol affects snoring
If your partner snores, you might notice that things get a whole lot worse after they’ve had a few drinks. This can make life a misery for any sleep-disrupted partners – not just because many snorers are more likely to snore when lying on their back, but when they’ve been drinking, they’re harder to move on to their side.
According to the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, around 41.5% of the UK adult population snore – and a whole lot more people are affected if you take partners into consideration.
But why does alcohol make things worse?
“When you’re awake, muscles in your nose, mouth and throat keep your airways open,” explains Amy Gallagher, sleep physiologist at the Cromwell Hospital, London.
“But when you sleep, these muscles relax and can lead to airways narrowing. As air passes through, it can cause the surrounding tissues to vibrate, resulting in the sound we call snoring.”
A proportion of these snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where there’s a greater degree of airway narrowing.
“Usually, the louder the snoring, the greater the degree of narrowing, sometimes with total blockage of airflow,” says Professor Ram Dhillon, a consultant ENT surgeon. “This blockage is termed an apnoea if of 10 seconds or longer in duration.”
Alcohol plays a role in both snoring and OSA, say the experts. Dhillon explains good tension in the muscles around the upper airway keep it open, but warns: “Sleep reduces this tension, increasing the likelihood of narrowing to produce snoring, and total blockage, resulting in apnoea. Alcohol consumption enhances the relaxation and reduces the tension of these upper airway muscles and tissues and worsens the severity of the snoring, and can unmask apnoea and/or also increase its severity.”
So how can you stop snoring?
Avoid alcohol
While not drinking won’t necessarily stop you snoring, it’s likely to reduce it.
Dhillon says: “The advice is to avoid alcohol totally if you have snoring or have been diagnosed with OSA. If you suffer from snoring made worse with alcohol and have disruptive sleep, then a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea may need to be considered.”
And if you don’t want to give up alcohol completely, then both experts warn it’s best to at least not drink close to bedtime.
Gallagher stresses: “Don’t drink alcohol late at night. Alcohol relaxes your muscles, making your airways more likely to narrow. You might also snore louder if you’ve been drinking because your throat is dry.”
Quitsmoking
Smoking irritates the throat and nasal passage, and Gallagher explains: “This irritation can cause swelling and dryness which may lead to snoring. Smoking is also associated with congestion and this can further worsen breathing.”
Sleeponyourside
Sleeping on your back makes you more likely to snore, says Gallagher.
“Sleeping on your side is the best sleep position to help prevent snoring, because it reduces the compression of your airways,” she adds.
Maintainahealthyweight
Dhillon suggests people who are excessively overweight, particularly with a BMI of 35 or above, and/or with a neck size of 16.5 inches or greater, are more likely to snore.
Gallagher explains: “If you’re overweight, you may have extra tissue in and around your throat which contributes to snoring.”
Elevateyourpillow
By raising your head around four inches on your pillow, pressure is removed from the throat and the nasal passage opens up, says Gallagher, who explains: “This forces your tongue and jaw forward and helps to reduce snoring.”
Trystopsnoringtreatments
Dhillon recommends treatments including mandibular advancement devices, which hold the lower jaw and tongue forward making more space to breathe and prevent snoring, a nocturnal mouth guard, which holds the jaw in the right position to stop snoring.