In regard to sharing a bed with a partner, snoring is a commonality and often has a detrimental impact on one of the two sleepers in bed. We often wake up in the morning, explain to our partner how loud their snoring was the night before, and wonder how they didn’t wake up during the night. Unfortunately, snoring is a prevalent issue, and despite many people declaring, ‘I don’t snore!’ an estimated 45 percent of adults snore occasionally, while 25 percent snore regularly. Continue reading our blog for insight into why snorers don’t wake themselves up and advice on how to combat snoring.
As mentioned above, it’s a frequently asked question, and sometimes it seems scarcely believable that your partner remains asleep throughout their snoring spell. This is because whilst asleep, our brain’s decision-making process differs from when we are awake, and because our brain prioritises restfulness whilst we sleep, it filters out ‘low-priority sounds’, consequently ‘letting us snooze through unimportant background noise‘.
Perhaps the most obvious solution to cope with snoring is to purchase a pair of ear plugs; this is a common measure put in place by those exposed to snoring and is known to be beneficial. However, using earplugs can be considered reactive instead of proactive as ear plugs won’t help stop the matter at the source; instead, they help to deal with the problem. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a short-term solution and an easy, temporary fix, then ear plugs present a viable option.
Of course, snoring isn’t exclusive to those of a larger stature, however; if you’ve gained weight and started snoring, despite not previously snoring, weight loss could help. Daniel P. Slaughter explains, ‘If you gain weight around your neck, it squeezes the internal diameter of the throat, making it more likely to collapse during sleep, triggering snoring.’
Typically, snoring is caused by a blockage of one or more air passages in the nose and back of the throat; the throat and mouth muscles are the ones responsible for snoring, and when they are relaxed, you’re more likely to snore.
Ben Trapskin provides insight into anti-snoring mouthpieces and explains how ‘these oral devices have been designed by dentists to control the position of the mouth while sleeping.’. Trapskin continues to explain how oral mouth guards’ prevent the tongue from sliding to the back of the mouth and the jaw from relaxing’ in order to reduce the possibility of snoring.
There is often a correlation between sleeping on your back and snoring, as ‘lying on your back makes the base of your tongue and soft palate collapse to the back wall of your throat, causing a vibrating sound during sleep‘. It is, therefore, beneficial for those prone to snoring to evaluate their sleeping position. However, mattresses aren’t a case of one size fits all, and different mattress tensions are suited for different sleeping positions. So if you’re considering a new mattress and are currently faced with a snoring dilemma, now may be the perfect time to purchase a new one. Our range of medium firm mattresses represents a viable option; the medium firm tension is soft enough to cushion the hip and shoulder whilst side sleeping and has the additional benefit of being firm enough to adequately support the spine while back sleeping. The other advantage of a new mattress is that it could encourage falling asleep sooner, after-all an uncomfortable or unsuitable mattress is likely to keep you awake longer at night. In contrast, a new mattress could ensure you fall asleep before the prospect of your partner snoring occurs. With a wide range of supportive and comfortable mattresses available, you can rely on Mattressman to improve your sleep quality.
