Snoring Sleep Apnoea

Lifestyle Changes And Tips To Help You Stop Snoring For Better Sleep

September 24, 2021
sleep specialist sleeping

When we sleep, our muscles relax and we lose consciousness of how our body responds. The muscles around the throat and nasal passages also relax and partially block the airways. This results in vibrations and sounds that we recognise as snoring.

Have you ever felt like you did not get a good night’s rest and you wake up feeling tired? Snoring is a common occurrence and while many people brush it off as ‘part of their nature/bad habit’, there’s actually more to snoring than meets the eye. Not only is snoring a source of discomfort or embarrassment for the snorers,  but it also reduces the quality of your sleep. 

More than just a night-time noise, Sleep Medicine Specialists in Singapore (sometimes known as “Snoring Specialist”) also warn that snoring could be associated with a serious condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea or OSA. Despite it sounding severe, the good news is there are several lifestyle changes that you can make to help you stop snoring.

Read more: Snoring & Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)

Change your sleeping position

In many cases, snoring tends to happen if you are sleeping in an awkward position. If you are a back sleeper, then you have a higher chance of snoring since this position allows the soft tissues in your mouth and throat to fall backward. As such, the airways become blocked or narrowed, and when you breathe, the narrowed airway vibrates to create a snoring sound. 

sleeping on your back snoring treatment

Many Sleep Specialists in Singapore recommend switching your sleeping position to sleep on your side. If you often find yourself rolling onto your back mid-sleep, you can invest in a body pillow to help you maintain a side sleeping position. Alternatively, a cheaper and easier approach would be to tape a tennis ball to your back during sleep!

sleeping on your side snoring treatment

Add humidifiers to your room

If you are snoring and have allergies or upper respiratory illness, a humidifier may be an option to help decrease your snoring. Dry air (especially in an air-conditioned room) may aggravate your snoring and humidifiers work by adding moisture in the air to prevent your nose as well as throat from drying up. 

improving sleep apnea with humidifier

Change your beddings

Nasal allergies due to common house dust mites and other allergens in your bedroom is a major cause of snoring. As such, it is advisable to clean your pillows, mattresses, and sheets regularly or change them frequently for quality sleep every night. Furthermore, you can also keep your head elevated during sleep by choosing a pillow that aligns your head and shoulders to keep your airways as open as possible. Not only does this help keep your head elevated but it also encourages better breathing to reduce snoring. 

Open nasal passages

Another possible treatment option for snoring would be the use of over-the-counter products like stick-on nasal strips – these can be placed on your nose bridge to widen the space in your nasal passage. Similarly, a nasal dilator can be applied across the nostrils to make your breathing more effective, allowing you to experience lower airflow resistance, overall reducing your risk of snoring. 

However, the effectiveness of these products often varies from person to person. Thus, you may have to visit an ENT Specialist to find out the root cause of your blocked nose and receive the optimal treatment option so you can have a better quality of life. 

Read more: Blocked nose – Top 3 reasons for a stuffy nose!

Lose weight!

If you are overweight or obese, there will be more fat tissues around the neck and throat region. This results in a narrower breathing passageway, making it more susceptible to collapse during sleep. The key to losing weight is to reduce your calories intake and exercise regularly. 

Check if you have OSA and seek treatment

While the above tips can help you reduce or potentially stop snoring, ultimately they are not treatment options to cure your snoring. Instead, they are lifestyle modifications with effectiveness that varies from person to person. Hence, if you experience irregular breathing patterns, loud snoring followed by episodes of quiet during which you cease breathing, there is a high chance you may have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Consult an ENT Specialist or a doctor trained in Sleep Medicine to get a diagnosis and treatment for the condition. Doctors have observed that overweight men who drink alcohol are the most common group who suffer from OSA, yet this does not rule out the other demographics such as women, children, or slim people. If left untreated, there’s a higher risk of fatigue-related conditions as well as heart disease.

Medically reviewed by Dr Gan Eng Cern

When Should You See An ENT Specialist In Singapore?

  • Any Ear, Nose or Throat symptoms that you are troubled with or concerned of
  • Persistent blocked nose with mouth breathing or snoring

Dr Gan Eng Cern

Dr Gan Eng Cern is a fellowship trained Consultant Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Surgeon. He completed his ENT training in Singapore and obtained his subspecialty training in Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery at the world renowned St Paul’s Sinus Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He was also a Senior Clinical Lecturer at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Dr Gan was an avid researcher with numerous publications in reputable international ENT journals. He was also an invited speaker and surgical dissection teacher in many ENT conferences and courses.

Awards

  • 2020 – Reader’s Choice Gold Award for Best ENT Specialist
    (Expat Living Singapore)
  • 2016 – Best Educator Award (Eastern Health Alliance)
  • 2016 – “Wow” Award (Patient Compliment)
  • 2014 – Eastern Health Alliance Caring Award – Silver
  • 2014 – 19th Yahya Cohen Memorial Lectureship (awarded by the College
    of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore for best scientific surgical
    paper)
  • 2012 – Human Manpower Development Award (Ministry of Health,
    Singapore)
  • 2007 – Singhealth Best Doctor Award

Qualifications

  • MBBS - Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)
  • MRCS (Edin) - Member of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • MMed (ORL) - Master of Medicine in ENT (National University of Singapore)
  • FAMS - Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore

Why Choose Dr Gan Eng Cern

1

Reliable & Reputable ENT Expert

Experienced and patient ENT Specialist who has your best interests at heart. We aim to provide you with accessible and specialized care for any ENT condition in a comfortable setting.

2

Friendly & Helpful Clinic Staff

Our friendly staff will assist you to the best of our ability and we are happy to accept most insurance providers and assist with E-filing with relevant insurance providers or Medisave.

3

Advanced ENT Equipment & Fully Equipped Facility

Our ENT Specialist, Dr Gan Eng Cern, will be able to diagnose and offer personalised treatments for your specific ENT condition. You can expect a high level of ENT care in a spacious setting with in-house minor surgical, endoscopy, allergy testing and microscopy services.

4

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There are various financial options available for you to ensure that you are able to receive the most optimal treatment and care. Our ENT clinic staff will be able to assist you with your medical insurance claims and work with your chosen healthcare organization to minimize the hassle and paperwork required. In some cases, you may be able to utilise the funds in your Medisave account to defray part of the costs of your treatment. As our clinic is accredited by the Medisave board, we are able to process your claims from your Medisave for certain clinic procedures.

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