Snoring can be a problem for those who do it and those who have to listen to the racket. In some cases, snoring can be a symptom of a serious sleep disorder that requires medical attention. In other cases, snoring can be brought on by a stuffy nose or the wrong position in bed. There are many modern medical approaches to the problem, but some old-fashioned remedies may also do the trick.
Get Off Your Back
The conventional wisdom for years has been that sleeping on your back can cause snoring. If you sleep with someone who snores, a poke in the ribs that gets him to shift positions may be all it takes to stop the snoring. Factexpert.com suggests that one home remedy calls for a person who snores to sew a ball into the back of his PJs to prevent him from shifting onto his back during the night.
Exercise
Apneasleepdisorders.com advises that good old-fashioned exercise is another possible cure for snoring. When you weigh too much, the extra fat causes a narrowing of your air passages and can lead to snoring. If you start an exercise program to lose a few of those pounds, it may help to ease the snoring and improve your general health, too. Relaxation exercises also may be useful. Tensing the jaw may lead to snoring, so concentrate on relaxing the jaw area.
Water
The University of California Los Angeles has been gathering folk remedies from across the country and entering them into its archives. Several of those remedies call for the use of water. One remedy from Alabama says, "To make someone stop snoring, put his hand into water." A similar remedy was reported in the 1940s in Utah. In the 1950s, some people in the southern part of the country believed that putting a pan of water under the bed could stop someone from snoring.
Religion
If you sleep with a snorer, you may find yourself praying for the noise to stop. UCLA found a snoring remedy in Illinois that takes religion to another level. One person reported, "To keep yourself from snoring, put a Bible under your head."
Stinky Socks
Another of the remedies collected by the UCLA Folk Medicine archive uses stinky socks. According to a person in Oregon, "To cure a person of snoring, thrust a ripe sock in his face."
