Prevent snoring by staying sober

Staying sober is referring both to alcohol as well as sleeping pills and any chemical or substance which numbs the body or relaxes is or subdues it. When we speak about relaxing and snoring we are specifically referring to the neck muscles.

How is snoring connected to relaxing?

The air passage through which we take in air through our nose or mouth, down the throat and into our lungs is made of soft and flexible tissue and it is kept open by the use of our muscles. This is an unconscious job done by our muscles and even though we do not think about it at all they work hard every moment that we are breathing to keep us alive.

When we go to sleep at night time we already go down to a much more relaxed state, yet some notion of conscience remains to keep the muscles working and our air passageway open.

What does alcohol and sleeping pills have to do with snoring?

Both alcohol and sedatives in general relax the body too much up to the point where the body loses control of its parts, meaning that the brain is no longer able to connect to the muscles and tell them to keep the air passage open. This is because through the use of alcohol or sleeping pills or similar you have sedated yourself into this condition.

As the neck muscles are unable to keep the passage fully open the air is pressurized through a smaller opening which causes a vibration to occur which we call snoring. The more serious the problem the louder and more frequent the snoring will become and the ultimate worst case is the blockage of the air passage in which case you stop breathing completely and this condition is called sleep apnea.

How to prevent snoring through remaining sober and alert

The suggestion here is not to completely stop drinking alcohol or using pills, but if you already have this problem you can definitely limit your consumption and therefore prevent snoring. As a general rule the bigger the person the more substance he or she can take, so a man can usually safely consume 2 glasses while women 1 glass of wine. Also if you eat at the same time as you drink there will be less effect from alcohol so that is a trick to reduce damage if you are already drinking.

Finally it takes time for the body to process and get rid of these toxins so if you allow it at least 4 hours before sleep time then it should be able to clean up a moderate amount of these substances. Preventing snoring by using this method instead of other snoring solutions is better for you because your health will benefit in general and you will not be forced to go to the doctor or wear any kind of devices.