Your persistent snoring can be enough to disrupt your own sleep or jolt your partner awake throughout the night. Although multiple health and lifestyle factors can contribute to snoring, excess weight is one of the most common causes: MayoClinic.com explains that extra fat can narrow your airway and create unpleasant, jarring noises while you breathe. By shedding unwanted pounds, you can help curb your snoring and promote a better night's sleep -- both for yourself and for anyone within earshot.
Step 1
Determine how many pounds you need to lose to reach a healthy weight. If your snoring is related to excess fat, achieving a healthy body mass index -- between 18.5 and 24.9, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute -- may help relieve your symptoms. Using an online body mass index calculator can help you determine which weight range is optimal for your height.
Step 2
Reduce your calorie intake. Losing weight requires eating fewer calories than you burn, so focus on consuming fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, beans and lean meats while limiting added sugars, trans fats, high-calorie desserts and fast food. According to a May 2001 study published in "Nutrition Review," eating fiber-rich foods like vegetables and whole grains can help curb your appetite, keeping you satiated and naturally promoting a lower calorie intake.
Step 3
Engage in exercises you enjoy. Physical activity plays a vital role in weight loss by helping you burn energy, and some exercises such as strength training can build calorie-guzzling muscle mass. Walking, jogging, bicycling, skiing, swimming, tennis, aerobic exercise classes, weight training and other activities that let you break a sweat can help boost your weight loss efforts. Choosing exercises you look forward to will help ensure you stick with your workouts instead of viewing them as a chore.
Step 4
Find friends or family members to provide support and hold you accountable to your goals. Weight loss can be a difficult and sometimes discouraging process. Having a support team to keep you on track will help you avoid giving up and abandoning your goals prematurely.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoiding alcohol, changing sleep positions, using adhesive nasal strips and quitting smoking may help silence your snoring if weight loss alone does not work. In severe cases, surgical procedures that remove excess throat tissue or stiffen the soft palate may also help relieve snoring.
- Talk to your doctor to rule out a more serious cause for your snoring, such as sleep apnea or swollen adenoids and tonsils. In some cases, weight loss alone is not enough to relieve snoring. Do not attempt to lose weight below a normal body mass index. If your snoring hasn't improved, consult your doctor to discuss other ways to treat your symptoms.
