How to Prevent Snoring

Is Kentucky the Snoring Capital of America? Well, there's good news and there's some bad news to go along with it.

A recent 2022 study found that loud snoring is the third leading cause of divorce in the United States. To me, that sounds absurd. As a matter of fact, that claim prompted me to look us the leading causes of snoring in the U.S. and found a Forbes article that dives deep into the subject. There are lots of causes cited for divorce in that analysis. Snoring isn't one of them.

That said, I personally know married couples who, instead of divorce, have saved their marriages by sleeping in separate bedrooms. There's no doubt that snoring can pose a major problem in relationships and there's no doubt that snoring is rampant.

Have you ever wondered which states have the most snorers? If you have, there are answers. MattressNextDay conducted a statistical analysis to determine just how many snorers there are in each state and what percentage of adults in each state are keeping their loved ones awake at night.

While Kentucky didn't claim the top spot, the overwhelming number of snorers in the Commonwealth landed us inside the Top 10.

WHICH STATE HAS THE MOST ADULT SNORERS?

While Mississippi may not have the highest number of adult snorers, they do have the highest percentage of adult snorers based on the population. According to the survey, 16.86% of adults in Mississippi snore. That's a whopping 492,328 people who are sawing proverbial logs while they sleep.

Here are the states that round out the Top 5!

2nd- LOUISIANA 16.4% (746,755)

3rd- ARKANSAS 15.9% (487,041)

4th- WEST VIRGINIA 15.9% (280,601)

5th- SOUTH CAROLINA 15.7% (843,404)

KENTUCKY RANKS 6TH

Kentucky most definitely has a snoring problem too. The Bluegrass State has an estimated 709,330 adult snorers that make up roughly 15.7% of the population. Indiana, our neighbor to the north, ranked 18th with an estimated 986,766 snorers and 14.4% of the population.

TIPS TO PREVENT SNORING

In addition to embarking on their mission to find out how many people in each state snore, MattressNextDay also sought out to identify ways to curb it. They're sharing five helpful tips:

1) Sleep on your side rather than your back

According to the experts, 'back sleepers' snore more because the tongue, neck tissue, and chin press down on airways causing turbulence. I know this from experience. The only time I snore is when I am sleeping on my back. If I sleep on my side, there's no pressure on my airways and I am quiet as a mouse.

2) Try to quit smoking

Smoking typically causes a swelling of the throat that causing can block air flow and "soft tissue vibrations."

3) Avoid alcohol before you go to sleep

Many folks who consume alcohol do so because it's typically relaxing. Well, that's a recipe for snoring disaster. Experts claim that consuming alcohol before bed can relax throat muscles and cause the soft tissue to vibrate.

4) Maintain a good diet

Quite frankly, obesity causes fatty tissue around the neck to press on the airway and cause snoring. Losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve your breathing and ultimately muzzle snoring.

5) Get new pillows

Okay, I'll admit this is kind of gross and something I personally never considered. Did you know that flakes of dead skin and pathogens in old pillows can trigger reactions like snoring. Ewwwwww!