Snoring occurs when airflow passes through a narrowed airway during sleep, causing soft tissues in the nose, mouth, or throat to vibrate and create sound. Sleep posture can influence how much the airway narrows.

According to Times of India, when sleeping on your back, the tongue and soft tissues in the throat can fall backward, narrowing the airway. Air passing through causes these tissues to vibrate, resulting in snoring. Conversely, when sleeping on your side, the effect of gravity on the tongue and soft tissues changes, limiting their tendency to fall backward. This helps maintain an open airway in the throat, reducing snoring.

Beyond reducing snoring, sleeping on the left side also helps decrease stomach acid reflux into the esophagus, particularly for individuals with reflux disease. For pregnant women in late pregnancy, this sleep position lessens uterine pressure on major blood vessels, supporting blood circulation.

To maintain a side-sleeping position, individuals can use a body pillow or a pillow placed behind their back. It is advisable to choose a pillow with appropriate height to keep the head and neck naturally aligned, avoiding overly high pillows that can cause neck strain.

However, changing sleep positions does not eliminate snoring for everyone, as snoring can also be linked to nasal congestion, airway structure, weight, and other health issues. Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea may still experience airway closure even when sleeping on their side, according to Verywell Health.

Sleeping on your side is beneficial for the airway. AI-generated image

Sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes intermittently blocked, causing breathing to stop for several seconds during sleep. Those affected may snore loudly, experience pauses in breathing, gasp, or feel choked upon waking. During the day, they often feel drowsy, have difficulty concentrating, experience morning headaches, or wake up feeling tired.

If these symptoms are present, individuals should seek medical evaluation for risk assessment and a sleep study if needed. For moderate or severe sleep apnea, doctors may prescribe a continuous positive airway pressure (cpap) machine or other appropriate treatments.

People who snore regularly should limit alcohol consumption close to bedtime. Alcohol increases the risk of airway narrowing and can worsen snoring. Sedatives or sleeping pills can also exacerbate this condition, so they should not be used without medical advice to improve sleep. For overweight or obese individuals, weight loss can help reduce fat tissue around the neck and airway, thereby decreasing snoring.

Le Nguyen (Compiled)