Sleep issues are common in women around 50, with about 50%suffering from sleep difficulties. This could be due to hormonal changes in the body, which cause intermittent surges in body temperature.

During pregnancy, you may not sleep as deeply as you usually do and can wake up frequently during the night. If you’ve started snoring, using an inclined pillow may help.

If you are experiencing menopausal symptoms and start snoring, you may beat risk of developing sleep apnea. It is recommended that you take a sleep test to find out.

Nasal snoring occurs when your nasal passages are partially blocked, creating loud rumbling sounds or whistling noises. Allergies, sinus infections, nasal polyps, and having a cold or deviated nasal septum can cause this. Allergies associated with nasal congestion include house dust mites, mould, animal hair and pollens.

Mouth snorers often have blocked nasal passages, so they have to breathe through their mouths when they sleep. This causes the soft tissue inside their mouth to vibrate and produce a low rumbling sound. Another cause of mouth snoring is enlarged tonsils. Mouth snoring can sometimes lead to infection as the air breathed in does not get filtered by the nose.

Tongue snorers can easily be identified by inconsistent high pitched sounds. This type of snoring occurs because your tongue becomes too relaxed. When this happens, it can drop back into your throat and obstruct your airflow. This is more likely to occur if you drink alcohol or use sleep medication. Being overweight can increase the risk because you have more fatty tissue around your airway.

Throat snoring is considered the loudest of snores and is the most severe type. This is caused by sleep apnea, which means that you may stop breathing many times throughout the night. It can occur in every sleeping position, and the noise follows no rhythm at all. The muscles and tissues in your throat become very relaxed, resulting in the throat collapsing and blocking air passing into your lungs.

Some facts about women and sleep

  • Nasal snoring occurs when your nasal passages are partially blocked, creating loud rumbling sounds or whistling noises. Allergies, sinus infections, nasal polyps, and having a cold or deviated nasal septum can cause this. Allergies associated with nasal congestion include house dust mites, mould, animal hair and pollens.
  • Mouth snorers often have blocked nasal passages, so they have to breathe through their mouths when they sleep. This causes the soft tissue inside their mouth to vibrate and produce a low rumbling sound. Another cause of mouth snoring is enlarged tonsils. Mouth snoring can sometimes lead to infection as the air breathed in does not get filtered by the nose.
  • Tongue snorers can easily be identified by inconsistent high pitched sounds. This type of snoring occurs because your tongue becomes too relaxed. When this happens, it can drop back into your throat and obstruct your airflow. This is more likely to occur if you drink alcohol or use sleep medication. Being overweight can increase the risk because you have more fatty tissue around your airway.
  • Throat snoring is considered the loudest of snores and is the most severe type. This is caused by sleep apnea, which means that you may stop breathing many times throughout the night. It can occur in every sleeping position, and the noise follows no rhythm at all. The muscles and tissues in your throat become very relaxed, resulting in the throat collapsing and blocking air passing into your lungs.
  • times throughout the night. It can occur in every sleeping position and the noise follows no rhythm at all. The muscles and tissues in your throat become very relaxed resulting in throat collapse, and the air cannot pass through to your lungs.

What can I do about it?

Try not to discuss snoring with your partner in the middle of the night. It’s better to wait until you and your partner have put some distance between yourselves and the problem. While snoring is not really anyone’s fault and may not be affecting you directly, your partner is suffering from night after night of broken sleep. Empathy is called for on both sides.

If you or your bed partner suspect that you are throat snoring or have pauses in your breathing during sleep, it is recommended that you take a sleep test .

A good way to stop tongue snoring is to use a mouthguard while you sleep.

Mouth and tongue snoring tend to be worse when you sleep on your back, so using devices that help prevent you from sleeping on your back can help.

See if you can raise the head of your bed so that you’re sleeping with your head raised slightly. This can help with snoring.

The risk of snoring is almost double among smokers compared to non-smokers. This is because smoking irritates your airways, causing congestion which can lead to snoring. If you’re a smoker, quitting may enable you to stop snoring.

Drinking alcohol can increase your chances of snoring because it relaxes the muscles in the back of your throat. Try to avoid drinking alcohol with your evening meal or after dinner.

What can I do about it?

Try not to discuss snoring with your partner in the middle of the night. It’s better to wait until you and your partner have put some distance between yourselves and the problem. While snoring is not really anyone’s fault and may not be affecting you directly, your partner is suffering from night after night of broken sleep. Empathy is called for on both sides.

If you or your bed partner suspect that you are throat snoring or have pauses in your breathing during sleep, it is recommended that you take a sleep test .

Have a consistent bedtime and rise time.

A good way to stop tongue snoring is to use a mouthguard while you sleep.

Mouth and tongue snoring tend to be worse when you sleep on your back, so using devices that help prevent you from sleeping on your back can help.

See if you can raise the head of your bed so that you’re sleeping with your head raised slightly. This can help with snoring.

The risk of snoring is almost double among smokers compared to non-smokers. This is because smoking irritates your airways, causing congestion which can lead to snoring. If you’re a smoker, quitting may enable you to stop snoring.

Drinking alcohol can increase your chances of snoring because it relaxes the muscles in the back of your throat. Try to avoid drinking alcohol with your evening meal or after dinner.

A blocked nose is a common cause of snoring. Nasal sprays from your pharmacy may help to reduce congestion in your nose. Alternatively, you can even try rinsing your nose out with salt water before bed.

Discover our range of products

SmartNora

Smart Nora

Smart Nora is designed for back and side sleepers. It is a padded pillow insert that inflates when it detects early snoring sounds before they become loud enough to wake your sleeping partner. It’s designed to work by forcing you to move positions and stop snoring.

Buy now
snorerx

SnoreRX

The SnoreRx is a mouthpiece that is a simple, cost-effective treatment designed to reduce snoring. It is also the only anti-snoring mouthpiece that offers precise calibration in 1mm increments, enabling you to customise it to comfortably fit your mouth.

Buy now
nightshift

NightShift

NightShift is a sleep repositioner worn on the back of the neck. After you’ve fallen asleep, it will gently vibrate each time you start to sleep on your back. The vibration increases in intensity until you change your position and stop snoring. NightShift is ideal for those who snore when they sleeping on their back.

Buy now

Discover our range of products

SmartNora

Smart Nora

Smart Nora is designed for back and side sleepers. It is a padded pillow insert that inflates when it detects early snoring sounds before they become loud enough to wake your sleeping partner. It’s designed to work by forcing you to move positions and stop snoring.

Buy now
snorerx

SnoreRX

The SnoreRx is a mouthpiece that is a simple, cost-effective treatment designed to reduce snoring. It is also the only anti-snoring mouthpiece that offers precise calibration in 1mm increments, enabling you to customise it to comfortably fit your mouth.

Buy now
nightshift

NightShift

NightShift is a sleep repositioner worn on the back of the neck. After you’ve fallen asleep, it will gently vibrate each time you start to sleep on your back. The vibration increases in intensity until you change your position and stop snoring. NightShift is ideal for those who snore when they sleeping on their back.

Buy now