Weird Snoring Cures That People Thought Might Help

Summary: People have been looking for a cure for snoring for a long time but those cures didn’t work to cure sleep apnea. These old wives tales may have some truth to part of them, but they didn’t work in the end.

Snoring is one thing that everyone agrees on — at least they agree that they don’t like it. Whether you snore yourself, or sleep close to someone who snores, people are always trying to find a cure for snoring, and thereby, take back the night. For a very long time, people have been sharing snoring stories, and old wives tales as to what might cure snoring, but did they really help?

Yes, sort of. Some of them might work a little bit, for one reason or another. For instance, sewing half a tennis ball to the back of the t-shirt that you sleep in will prevent snoring, but it will only stop you from sleeping on your back. If you only snore when you sleep on your back, then it will work. These old wives tales do have some grounding in reality.

Toothpaste and onions, anyone? It is common knowledge by now that Diana, Princess of Wales, didn’t spend every night of her married life sleeping in the same room as Prince Charles, and one reason was because she said he snored “like a train” and one of his bedtime routines to stop this was to rub toothpaste under his nostrils and eat a boiled onion. Princess Diana didn’t like that anymore than she liked being kept awake by the snoring!

Have you tried taping your mouth shut with duct tape every night? The idea behind this one is that people snore through the mouth, and if you can’t get your mouth open then you can’t snore. This seems unpleasant (and dangerous, don’t do this!) And can you imagine trying to get that duct tape off in the morning?

Or you could gargle with a garlic tea. Garlic, onion and horseradish help to reduce snoring by reducing mucus buildup and drying up the nasal passages and airways. If the sinuses aren’t blocked then there might be less snoring.

It’s likely that none of these “cures” sound appealing, and even if they do work, they probably won’t work long term. Instead, why not see a sleep specialist and find out why you are snoring? Sometimes snoring is more than just snoring. It can be a sign of sleep apnea, and that can be serious. The airways close and the sleeper finds him or herself gasping for breath and waking up, sometimes hundreds of times a night, to begin breathing again. Sleep apnea can cause a great deal of problems for the sufferer. Lack of sleep is one, as is loss of concentration. Since sleep is essential for good health, snoring that keeps the snorer and family awake is a problem that needs professional attention.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) helps to keep the airways open by increasing air pressure in the throat. The sleeper wears a mask over the nose and mouth, and a motor keeps air pumping through a tube to the mask. If you think that your snoring problems are more than a little toothpaste in the nostrils can cure, then visit a sleep apnea clinic like CPAP Solutions Inc. and see how they can help you.