Yes, eating late at night increases the chances of snoring. Here’s why:
The digestion process makes the muscles of the throat and tongue relaxed. So, if we eat late at night, our throat muscles will get relaxed, which is one of the main reasons for snoring. If you must need to eat, then avoid foods that are high in fat as well as dairy products, such as cream. That is because, dairy products prevent the draining of mucus from the throat, which causes obstruction of the airflow.
Now that we know why eating late causes snoring, let’s check out some of the foods that help to prevent snoring as well as some that don’t. It’ll help you to design your diet accordingly and prevent snoring.
Foods That Prevent Snoring
Soy Milk:
I have already said that dairy products, such as milk promote snoring. So, a good alternative to cow milk will be soy milk. Soy milk is suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. It is also helpful for preventing snoring.
Lactose sensitivity is an underlying cause for snoring. It causes an allergic reaction which results in swelling of the nasal airways which leads to snoring.
Tea
I have already written an article about tea for snoring. Tea can be a great home remedy to stop snoring. Not only snoring, but teas can also help you in many other ways.
How does tea prevent snoring?
Teas prevent snoring by reducing phlegm as well as congestion. The steam from boiling tea alleviates congestion in your nose when you inhale it. Depending on the herbs, tea can provide many other health benefits such as anti-inflammation. One of the best herbs for preparing tea is peppermint.
Peppermint has anti-inflammatory properties that soothe nasal airways as well as prevents snoring.
Honey
Like tea, I have also written a detailed article explaining how honey helps to prevent snoring. Honey is God’s special gift for mankind. It can prevent almost all diseases known to mankind.
Honey is enriched with anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial properties. These properties are the key to reduce snoring. You can use a few tablespoons of honey with tea and drink it before bed every night.
The combination of tea and honey will surely help a lot to prevent snoring.
Turmeric
If you sleep in the wrong posture, or if your throat has abnormal soft tissue growth, then it can cause either narrowing of inflammation of the airways. Both of these cases obstruct the flow of air through the airways which in turn results in snoring.
Turmeric is rich in anti-inflammatory properties which prevents inflammation in the throat. Thus, it helps to prevent snoring.
Fish
Red meat doesn’t only cause snoring, too much red meat can cause a lot of health issues too. Switching from red meat to fish will not only prevent snoring, but it will also make your diet a whole lot better!
By now, we know inflammation of throat tissues causes snoring. Red meats contain a type of saturated fat that is high in arachidonic acid. This fat is responsible for causing inflammation in the nasal airways, thus causing snoring.
Fish is an excellent protein alternative to red meat.
Onions
Onions are a great home remedy for preventing snoring. A recent study found that onions also help to reduce the chances of flu as well as cold. That’s why incorporating onions into your daily diet can bring a positive change to your snoring.
Foods You Need To Avoid
These are the foods that encourage snoring:
Dairy Products
Dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, milk, butter, ice cream etc. are major culprits when it comes to snoring. Dairy products increase the amount of phlegm inside the throat as well as thickens the existing mucus. This causes snoring.
Red Meat
Red meats (i.e. beef, pork) are enriched with a type of saturated fat that causes inflammation of the throat muscles. Also, too much red meat in your diet can cause a lot of other health issues. Try to reduce the amount of red meat in your diet as much as possible.
Processed foods
Processed foods such as flour, cereals, bread etc. can increase the production of phlegm. Try to reduce the intake of processed foods as much as you can while increasing the intake of whole grains such as barley, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, corn etc.
Sugar
Processed sugars have acidic properties which can lead to mucus production. Try to avoid sugar and foods that are made with sugar as much as you can. Avoid these at all costs- milk and white chocolates, sweets, pies, pastries, cakes, energy drinks, soft drinks, etc. Not only they cause snoring, they are also responsible for weight gain.
Others
Some other foods responsible for snoring are potatoes, bananas, cabbage etc. They are known for triggering the production of mucus. Also, caffeine from coffee and tea can cause you to snore.
Lastly…
I hope by now you have a clear idea of why eating late causes snoring and what foods to avoid to prevent snoring. I have also shared some foods that will help you to reduce snoring. Creating a diet based around these should be beneficial for you in the long run.
However, I also recognize that it’s not always easy to bring about these changes and can take a long time to be effective. Thus there are many anti-snoring products that are found in the market and I will list them below.
Some of my favorite anti-snoring products are:
- Mouthpieces are great to help you with your snoring and out of the ones available in the market that actually help, I love this one and surprisingly had a great result from it.
- If you are not a very heavy snorer, you can go for a nasal strip
- Switching your bedding system to an adjustable bedding which you can elevate has helped lots of snorers.
- Change your pillow with a wedge pillow
- Try nasal drops before sleeping.
- Last but not least try sleeping elevated and do change your sleeping position if you have an odd sleeping position. You can even raise your pillow with a gadget such as the SMART NORA PILLOW (Find the Smart Nora pillow here)