Alcohol consumption before bedtime is commonly associated with snoring. Often dismissed as a minor annoyance, snoring can have a significant impact on the quality of sleep, not just for the snorer but also for their bed partner. But what is it about alcohol that exacerbates snoring? Science suggests that the effects of alcohol on the body’s muscles and nervous system play a critical role in disrupting breathing patterns during sleep, leading to snoring or even sleep apnea. In this article, we will explore the science behind snoring and alcohol consumption, and what steps you can take to minimize its effects.
Does your partner snore? If so, you may notice that things get worse after they’ve consumed alcohol. This can be a nightmare for sleep-disrupted partners, especially as snoring is more likely to occur when lying on the back but, after drinking, it can be harder to move the snorer onto their side. According to the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, 41.5% of the UK population snore, meaning that many more people are affected if you take partners into account.
But what is it about alcohol that makes things worse? “When you’re awake, muscles in your nose, mouth and throat keep your airways open,” explains Amy Gallagher, a senior sleep physiologist at Cromwell Hospital, London. “But when you sleep, these muscles relax and can lead to airways narrowing. As air passes through, it can cause the surrounding tissues to vibrate, resulting in the sound we call snoring.” A proportion of these snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where there’s a greater degree of airway narrowing.
Alcohol plays a role in both snoring and OSA. Good tension in the muscles around the upper airway keep it open, but sleep reduces this tension, increasing the likelihood of narrowing to produce snoring, and total blockage, resulting in apnoea. Alcohol consumption enhances the relaxation and reduces the tension of these upper airway muscles and tissues and worsens the severity of the snoring, and can unmask apnoea and/or also increase its severity. Gallagher adds that alcohol has a negative impact on the quality of your sleep and can make snoring worse, or if you don’t usually snore it can mean that you do.
So, what can you do to stop snoring? Here’s the experts’ advice:
Avoid alcohol
While not drinking won’t necessarily stop you snoring, it’s likely to reduce it. The advice is to avoid alcohol totally if you have snoring or have been diagnosed with OSA. And if you don’t want to give up alcohol completely, then both experts warn it’s best to at least not drink close to bedtime.
Quit smoking
Smoking irritates the throat and nasal passage. “This irritation can cause swelling and dryness which may lead to snoring. Smoking is also associated with congestion and this can further worsen breathing,” explains Gallagher.
Sleep on your side
Sleeping on your back makes you more likely to snore, says Gallagher. Sleeping on your side is the best sleep position to help prevent snoring because it reduces the compression of your airways.
Maintain a healthy weight
People who are excessively overweight, particularly with a BMI of 35 or above, and/or with a neck size of 16.5 inches or greater, are more likely to snore. “If you’re overweight, you may have extra tissue in and around your throat which contributes to snoring. Leading an active and healthy lifestyle and maintaining an ideal weight can reduce pressure on your airways and helps stop snoring,” Gallagher suggests.
Elevate your pillow
By raising your head around four inches on your pillow, pressure is removed from the throat and the nasal passage opens up. This forces your tongue and jaw forward and can help reduce snoring, says Gallagher.
Try stop snoring treatments
Dhillon recommends treatments, including mandibular advancement devices, which hold the lower jaw and tongue forward to make more space to breathe and prevent snoring, a nocturnal mouth guard, which holds the jaw in the right position to stop snoring, or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which provides a continuous flow of air into the upper airway via a face mask.
In conclusion, alcohol is known to disrupt our sleeping pattern, and as a result, make snoring a more persistent problem. It causes relaxation of muscles that support breathing, which in turn contributes to snoring. While some people may not notice a change in their snoring habits after drinking, it is important to bear in mind that alcohol has an adverse effect on the quality of our sleep. In order to minimize the effects of alcohol on our snoring and overall health, it is best to limit our alcohol consumption and make positive changes to our lifestyle. Doing so will not only improve our sleep but ultimately, our quality of life.
