Can Shedding Pounds Help You Stop Snoring?

If you have been trying to lose weight for years, then just reading a title that mentions losing weight likely makes you feel a little discouraged. Now, you have one more reason to make healthier food options and exercise.

If you have recently gained a few pounds, and suddenly you are feeling a lot more tired in the morning, or your significant other is complaining that you have started snoring, shedding those pounds could help you stop snoring, so you can enjoy better quality sleep. Either way, keep in mind that it won’t happen overnight.

You didn’t gain the pounds in one day, so you shouldn’t expect to lose them this fast either, especially if you want to keep them off long-term.

How Being Overweight Causes Snoring

When you are overweight, you carry more fat in your neck. This pushes on the airway, thereby making the passage narrower.

Also, upper throat tissues tend to soften considerably, so they are more prone to vibration from air pressure. So, now you have soft tissue causing an obstruction and flapping around at the back of your throat combined with a narrower airway due to applied pressure from excess fat.

Air has to push through the airway and past the obstruction. The vibration of the tissues creates the snoring sound.

This is not the only reason why you may be snoring though. Carrying around extra weight makes it harder for your diaphragm to push downward when you inhale.

This means that your lungs are not receiving the space they need to fully expand. If your body is struggling to receive adequate airflow, tissues that cause the snoring sound are more likely to vibrate together.

What Happens When You Lose Weight?

If you have excess abdominal fat it is literally packed around all your vital organs. This is why your diaphragm can’t drop like it needs to allow your lungs to expand. When you lose weight space is freed in your abdomen to allow for proper lung function.

Plus, the fat in your neck that was once narrowing your airway starts to disappear. When this happens there is less risk of soft tissues being pushed together to vibrate.

Change Your Outlook

The words “diet” and “exercise” typically have dark clouds hovering over them. If you need to lose weight, you have to stop dieting and also stop looking at exercise as work.

Don’t seek the quick fix. Focus on your long-term health. Make healthy lifestyle changes by getting excited about better food selections and fun activities that get you active. Most view a diet as deprivation.

Do you know how many healthy foods and recipes there are waiting for you to explore? This is an exciting journey! Rather than staring at the walls in the gym, go hiking, kayaking, swimming, skiing, dancing, or cycling instead.

Eat small meals more often throughout the day, so your metabolism stays revved up and you remain energized to be active. Drink plenty of water, and get a good night’s sleep.

Wearing a mouthpiece could help you stop snoring, so you can enjoy better sleep quality and wake up feeling rested, which will help keep you on track for your weight loss goals.