Sleep expert shares top tips to stop your partner from snoring all night long

According to research, there are 20 million people in the UK alone that struggle to get to sleep, or remain asleep, due to their partner’s loud snoring. But it turns out there are several simple things you can try to reduce the noise at night. To mark National Snoring Week, bed and mattress store, Happy Beds, have commissioned sleep expert, Joy Richards, to discuss the recommendations she gives to clients to help them get their partner to stop snoring. Joy said: “There is no ‘one problem fixes all’ for snoring, so it depends on the person’s diet, how they sleep, where the snoring is coming from so the nose or mouth and even whether or not there is a deeper problem.”She went on to share four top tips and tricks you can try at home and the first was using a body pillow. “People think that body pillows are just for comfort, but they’re actually so much more than that,” the expert explains.

“Similar to a pregnancy pillow, it stops the user from rolling onto their back. “Most snorers are back sleepers, as this makes the base of their tongues and soft palates collapse to the back wall of their throat, causing a vibration sense while they sleep. “The body pillow will prevent the user from rolling onto their back in the night and will hopefully keep them on their front or side the whole way through, meaning you should sleep a little sounder.” Her second piece of advice was all about tennis ball therapy. She said: “Again, one for the back sleepers, which is the position most likely to lead to someone snoring. Sometimes I ask my clients to sew a tennis ball, or something else that they might not want to lay on to the back of their pyjamas. “This will make sleeping on their backs difficult in the night, forcing them to change their position. “I’ve had multiple clients that have returned to discuss this and they’ve said that this dramatically reduces the snoring in the night, making everyone happy.”If neither of those work, your partner could try avoiding certain foods, such as sugar, caffeine and cheese.

She continues to say: “For snoring specifically, research has proven that having large meals before bed or consuming lots of dairy may make snoring worse. Have smaller nightly meals, and don’t have any late-night cups of tea!” Similarly, drinking alcohol before bed is a definite no-no! “Some people tend to think that alcohol gives them better sleep. This is completely wrong. While you or your partner may sleep for longer, or fall asleep quicker after a few glasses of wine, the overall sleep quality won’t be as good. “Alcohol reduces the resting tone of the throat muscles, making it a higher possibility that you’ll end up snoring in the night. You should avoid drinking alcohol five hours prior to going to sleep, if not more.”

May 23, 2021 | 12:09 am