Found: Cures for a sneaky sleep sapper
Experts have identified three distinct types of snoring that rob 64% of women of sound sleep—and the targeted remedies that can free you from feeling tired, groggy and foggy!
Most of us don’t even realize we’re doing it, but by the time we turn 50, 64% of women are sawing logs at night. And new research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows nightly snoring can really take a toll, cutting daytime productivity by 34%. “Snoring deprives the brain of oxygen needed for mentally and physically restorative sleep,” explains sleep specialist Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of The Power of When. “As a result, snorers suffer daytime fatigue and fog, plus increased risks of health concerns like chronic headaches, weight gain, increased blood pressure and accidental injuries.”
Experts say the way to escape this health trap is to find out if you snore and identify your specific snoring type, which you can do with the help of your bed partner or an app like SnoreLab (free on iTunes and Google Play). Then read on for the expert strategies that outsmart snoring and optimize all-day energy and brainpower.
If you tend to…
snore softly & consistently
If your nostrils are narrow due to the structure of your nose or inflammation from colds or allergies, breathing can vibrate the tissues in the sinus cavities and produce a soft rumbling snore, says Breus. He suggests using a neti pot to rinse your nasal passages with a saline solution before bed. “This cleans out irritants and eases inflammation,” he says. Also smart: Wearing a nasal dilator, which clips onto the nose and increases the diameter of the nostrils to ease snoring. One to try: Rhinomed Mute, $13, Amazon.com.
If you tend to… snore loudly & in spurts
As we sleep, the muscles in the mouth relax and shift slightly back, and the tongue may block the airway, Breus explains. The fix: Ask your doctor or dentist to recommend a mouthguard that moves your chin forward one to two millimeters and stabilizes your tongue. Breus’ personal pick: Zyppah ($100, Zyppah.com). “It’s so effective that it’s definitely worth the investment,” he says. And since sleeping on your back can aggravate mouth snoring, try sleeping on your side with a pillow against your back to prevent rolling over.
If you tend to…
snore loudly, pause & gasp
“Very loud snorers frequently have obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when breathing stops for 10 to 20 seconds,” notes David Rapoport, M.D., director of the Sleep Medicine Research Program at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York City. Since research has linked apnea to hypertension and stroke risk, he advises speaking with your doctor. And Steven Lin, D.D.S., author of The Dental Diet, also suggests doing tongue exercises twice daily. “The tongue can be trained to keep airways open at night,” he explains. Indeed, research shows oral exercises ease apnea severity by 50%. To do: Open your mouth, place your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then tighten the muscles you use to swallow so you feel your tongue suction across the top of your mouth. Hold for five seconds; release. Do five repetitions two to three times daily.