We’ve all been woken awake from our beauty sleep with the terrifying sound of our father’s snoring. Such sounds have annoyed us, made us confused and even frightened us when we are on the verge of sleeping. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that snoring is Pakistan’s national dilemma.

According to research conducted by Gallup Pakistan, one in three Pakistanis have reported that someone snores loudly in their house and ruins others’ sleep. 31% of citizens are affected adversely by the snoring of someone in their family. The sample of this study consisted of nearly 1,800 men and women from all provinces of the country.

So why do people snore? It occurs when air cannot move smoothly through your throat and nose during sleep. Hence, it makes the adjoining tissues vibrate which makes the typical snoring sound. This restricted airflow while sleeping may be because of a number reasons; age, obesity, sinus problems, sleeping posture and medications among others. Snoring can occur as a result of serious issues, like sleep apnea, which requires immediate medical attention.

If you want to quit snoring -or make your partner quit because you’re annoyed to the fullest- then there are easy steps that you can follow. Just by changing your sleeping position and elevating your head four inches can make the air flow freely. You can also try using an anti-snoring mouth device that will aid sleep and discourage snoring.

There are some lifestyle changes that you can make that will give you long term benefits as opposed to giving a quick fix. By losing weight the extra tissue around the throat will reduce, helping you to quit snoring for good. Quitting smoking and snoring goes hand in hand as smoking can cause blockage of airways.

Snoring is a source of annoyance and displeasure for the people who witness it. But by making small changes, one can let go of this habit.