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Can’t stop sawing logs at night? Compression stockings—tightly-fitting elastic socks that squeeze the leg muscles—may put an end to your snoring, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers studied fluid retention in men with sleep apnea—a disorder in which your breathing becomes shallow or even stops for a while during the night. This usually occurs because the airway collapses or gets blocked, which makes it harder for air to pass into your lungs. (Cue snoring.) In the study, however, men who wore thigh-high compression stockings each day for a week cut their sleep problems by more than a third compared to when they didn’t wear them.
Why do compression stockings help? Some men who suffer from sleep apnea can pack four times as much fluid in their legs than men who don’t suffer from it, says study author T. Douglas Bradley, M.D., director of the Centre for Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology at the University of Toronto. When you lie down at night, gravity forces that liquid toward your neck, constricting your airways. But the compression stockings drive blood back to the heart and reduce swelling in the feet and legs throughout the day.
But let’s face it: These stockings can be a bit uncomfortable—and frankly, a tad goofy-looking. So we turned to W. Christopher Winter, M.D., Men’s Health sleep advisor and the medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia, f0r more fashionable treatments. Follow these three surprising ways to cut back on the snoring.
Get Off Your Back
There’s a reason your wife or girlfriend makes you turn over in the middle of the night. Staying off of your back reduces snoring, Dr. Winter says. See, snoring is a combination of an unstable airway and vibrations, and “you experience the most airway instability when you’re face-up,” he says.
If sleeping on your side or stomach is easier said than done, place a few pillows snug against your back or buy a high-loft pillow—which is designed with the middle as the highest point—to keep you from rolling over. Still no luck? It may be time to go to the extreme: Some of Dr. Winter’s patients with sleep apnea or snoring issues sew tennis balls in socks to the back of their shirt, keeping them from rolling on their back in the night.
Make Some Music
You may sound like a trumpet when you snore, but learning how to play one might actually put an end to your midnight musical for good. Playing a brass or woodwind instrument tones the muscles of your upper airways, which allows for better airway dilation control, Dr. Winter says. In other words, you’ll breathe easier while you sleep. And if playing the jazz flute like you’re Ron Burgundy isn’t an option, singing in the shower can be helpful, too.
Avoid a Nightcap
Alcohol is a muscle relaxer that eases the tension in the muscles of your airway—and a relaxed airway leads to snoring, Dr. Winter says. So make sure you have your last pint or glass at least 3 to 4 hours before bed.
Researchers studied fluid retention in men with sleep apnea—a disorder in which your breathing becomes shallow or even stops for a while during the night. This usually occurs because the airway collapses or gets blocked, which makes it harder for air to pass into your lungs. (Cue snoring.) In the study, however, men who wore thigh-high compression stockings each day for a week cut their sleep problems by more than a third compared to when they didn’t wear them.
Why do compression stockings help? Some men who suffer from sleep apnea can pack four times as much fluid in their legs than men who don’t suffer from it, says study author T. Douglas Bradley, M.D., director of the Centre for Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology at the University of Toronto. When you lie down at night, gravity forces that liquid toward your neck, constricting your airways. But the compression stockings drive blood back to the heart and reduce swelling in the feet and legs throughout the day.
But let’s face it: These stockings can be a bit uncomfortable—and frankly, a tad goofy-looking. So we turned to W. Christopher Winter, M.D., Men’s Health sleep advisor and the medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia, f0r more fashionable treatments. Follow these three surprising ways to cut back on the snoring.
Get Off Your Back
There’s a reason your wife or girlfriend makes you turn over in the middle of the night. Staying off of your back reduces snoring, Dr. Winter says. See, snoring is a combination of an unstable airway and vibrations, and “you experience the most airway instability when you’re face-up,” he says.
If sleeping on your side or stomach is easier said than done, place a few pillows snug against your back or buy a high-loft pillow—which is designed with the middle as the highest point—to keep you from rolling over. Still no luck? It may be time to go to the extreme: Some of Dr. Winter’s patients with sleep apnea or snoring issues sew tennis balls in socks to the back of their shirt, keeping them from rolling on their back in the night.
Make Some Music
You may sound like a trumpet when you snore, but learning how to play one might actually put an end to your midnight musical for good. Playing a brass or woodwind instrument tones the muscles of your upper airways, which allows for better airway dilation control, Dr. Winter says. In other words, you’ll breathe easier while you sleep. And if playing the jazz flute like you’re Ron Burgundy isn’t an option, singing in the shower can be helpful, too.
Avoid a Nightcap
Alcohol is a muscle relaxer that eases the tension in the muscles of your airway—and a relaxed airway leads to snoring, Dr. Winter says. So make sure you have your last pint or glass at least 3 to 4 hours before bed.
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