WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Can Side Sleeping Help Prevent Snoring?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here with a classic

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<v Speaker 1>episode from the Vault. Snoring can be so annoying that

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<v Speaker 1>it seems like a simple fix is too good to

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<v Speaker 1>be true. But most of the time, getting a sleeper

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<v Speaker 1>to rest on their side instead of on their back

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<v Speaker 1>camp stop their snores. Today's episode explores why Hey brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Vogel bom here, almost half of all adults snore.

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<v Speaker 1>Loud and persistent snoring may be a symptom of sleep apnea,

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<v Speaker 1>a serious sleep condition that requires medical attention. But is

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<v Speaker 1>it true that most snoring problems can be fixed just

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<v Speaker 1>by sleeping on your side first? A quick snoring primer.

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<v Speaker 1>Snoring is the result of an obstruction of the breathing

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<v Speaker 1>pathways during sleep. As you drift off to sleep, your mouth, tongue,

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<v Speaker 1>and throat relax. The soft tissue in your throat can

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<v Speaker 1>relax to the point that it partially blocks your airway.

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<v Speaker 1>If air passes through this restricted space, it causes the

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<v Speaker 1>tissue to vibrate, producing detail tale rumble. The narrower that

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<v Speaker 1>your airway is, the more forceful the flow of air

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<v Speaker 1>will be, which increases the vibration of the tissue and

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<v Speaker 1>makes your snoring sound even louder. The root causes of

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<v Speaker 1>snoring vary from person to person. Obesity is a common

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<v Speaker 1>underlying reason for storing because excess weight on the neck

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<v Speaker 1>and chest compresses breathing pathways. Other causes can include allergies

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<v Speaker 1>they cause congestion and inflammation that tighten airways in the

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<v Speaker 1>nose and throat, and drinking alcohol before sleep, which relaxes

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<v Speaker 1>the throat muscles. And some people are just born with

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<v Speaker 1>an extra thick soft palette or a low hanging uvula

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<v Speaker 1>that obstructs air flow to the throat. So where does

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<v Speaker 1>sleep position come into all of this? Sleep experts agree

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<v Speaker 1>that sleeping on your back exacerbates snoring. That's because when

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<v Speaker 1>you're asleep, your tongue, soft palate, and throat muscles automatically relax,

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<v Speaker 1>and if you're sleeping on your back, those relaxed muscles

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<v Speaker 1>will sag downward and backward, increasing the odds of an

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<v Speaker 1>structed airway. Sleeping on your side is most effective on

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<v Speaker 1>true tongue snoreres where the chief cause of the obstruction

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<v Speaker 1>is a relaxed tongue blocking your airway, but turning on

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<v Speaker 1>your side won't necessarily solved the snoring problem if it's

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<v Speaker 1>an allergy or obesity issue. The trouble beside sleeping is

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<v Speaker 1>a cure is that unconscious people are terrible at following directions.

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<v Speaker 1>If your bed partner has a hard time maintaining a

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<v Speaker 1>side sleeping position, you might try using pillows to prop

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<v Speaker 1>them up, or place a tennis ball under their shirt

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle of their back to remind them to

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<v Speaker 1>turn over with their permission. Of course, today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article thus sleeping on your side stop

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<v Speaker 1>Snoring on how stuff works dot com, written by Dave Rhodes.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.