Ask HN: Why do we snore? And what to do about it?

My spouse snores every night. She went to see a doctor, and after waiting for a few months, they prescribed her a device that she had to attach to her face during the night to "measure" snoring. It was so uncomfortable that she didn't sleep that night at all; the device didn't detect any snoring.

The doctor said it's all good, problem solved.

Just mentioning this since no one else has yet: it could be your tonsils and/or adenoids, so it may also be worth seeing an ENT if you suspect this is the case.

There are many ways to fix snoring:

(a) if one is overweight, losing weight helps

(b) Adjustable bed bases help

(c) check with a sleep medicine provider to check for sleep apnea and cpap machines

(d) new drugs [1]

(e) see whether breathing exercises [2] help

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48242278

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48242278#48243574

Get a sleep study done to find out how serious it is

There's no one-size-fits-all advice, as the causes of snoring vary widely from person to person. Consult an ENT doctor.

Tighten up the diet to get weight down.

Exercise. Any kind of exercise, from strength training to walking.

The diet-and-exercise cliche is a cliche because it effects just about everything about us. It may not be the only factor in snoring. Or even the dominant factor. But I'd bet the house it's a factor.

Mouth taping worked surprisingly well for me. Took a week to get used to, but my partner says the snoring dropped significantly. Worth trying before jumping to CPAP."

I had an appointment with an ENT recently. He said that weight and age affects snoring mostly unless it’s some actual condition. The weight affects it because of some compression on the neck or something like that.

I went because I had a deviated septum and thought that was the cause of the snoring but he said that’s unlikely if the snoring only started recently.

If snoring might be apnea, see a pulmonologist.

Although others have mentioned losing weight, weight might be a side effect of a medical condition (e.g. type 2 diabetes) or social pressure (e.g. communal dining) which makes controlling diet and eating schedules very difficult.

Nasal dilators, mouth tape and possibly a nightly salt rinse for your sinuses with a neti pot are your friends buddy

Talk to your doctor about getting evaluated for sleep apnea.

Being fat old or having a blocked nose can make it worse. Sleeping on your side losing weight or cleaning your nose can help. If it is bad see a doctor.

I've seen some people try tongue exercises or throat stretches to reduce snoring. Doesn't sound glamorous but some swear by it.

Snoring usually happens when air cannot move smoothly while sleeping. Sleeping on your side or keeping your nose clear may help.

I'm allergic to dust mites. Clean sheets, sleep well. After 10 days, even with afrin+allergy spray my nasal passages become completely blocked up.

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