If your family tells you that you snore like a pig, that means you belong to that 45% of Spaniards who snore, at least from time to time. In addition, it is also likely that you have wondered how to stop snoring. After all, snoring makes it hard to get a good night's rest, not just for you, but for everyone who sleeps next to you. Snoring can also be frustrating and embarrassing, because you're clearly not making the noise on purpose.

Would you like to get rid of this horrible habit? We asked Dr. Rita Aouad, a sleep medicine specialist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, to tell us how it was done.

How to stop snoring in 10 easy steps

1) Make sure your snoring is not related to an underlying health issue

You snore when your breath doesn't flow freely through the passageways behind your nose and mouth. Sometimes it can be a "sign of a more serious condition called obstructive sleep apnea," Aouad tells MensHealth.com. “Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-disordered breathing that occurs when the airways narrow or close, causing blood oxygen levels to drop.”

If left untreated, OSA can cause:

Fortunately, "OSA can be easily treated with continuous positive airway pressure to keep your airways open while you sleep," says Aouad. "If you think you have OSA, talk to your doctor about seeing a sleep specialist."

Once OSA is ruled out, you can try some of these ways to stop snoring for good.

2) Use a nasal strip or nasal dilator

These devices can help open the nasal passages and facilitate unobstructed airflow.

Nasal strips like Breathe Right ($16.47 buy here) are attached to the outside of the nose and open the airway. Nasal dilators like this anti-snoring device ($7.99, shop here) go inside the nostrils and slightly open the airways.

3) Wear an anti-snoring mouthguard

Anti-snoring mouth guards "can also be effective," Aouad says. These devices often work by adjusting the position of your jaw and tongue to help you breathe more easily and thus prevent snoring. You can try ZQuiet's anti-snoring treatment for $39.95 (buy here).

4) Change the position when sleeping

"Avoid sleeping on your back, as snoring is usually worse in this supine position," says Aouad. Try using a wedge-shaped pillow to avoid lying on your back.

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Some experts also recommend sewing a kind of bag to the back of the pajamas and putting a tennis ball inside, so that it is uncomfortable for you to lie on your back while you sleep.

5) Do not drink alcohol before bed

"Avoid alcohol and sedative medications," recommends Aouad. "They are breathing inhibitors that can make snoring worse."

For tips on how to fall asleep faster without medicine, click here.

6) Use a nasal spray or allergy medication if you're sick

The more your nose is blocked, the harder it is to breathe, creating an "exaggerated suction" effect in your throat and causing soft tissues to collide and cause snoring, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery .

"Some snore because of nasal congestion," Aouad says. "A custom nasal spray or allergy medication may help."

For more information on how to get rid of congestion in three easy steps, click here.

7) If all else fails, you can try surgery

“Surgery may be an option, but I would only recommend it as a last resort if all other options don't work,” says Aouad.

“If snoring is caused by a blockage in the upper airway, surgery such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), a procedure in which the uvula and nearby tissue are removed to open up the airway, might be considered,” he explains. "If nasal septum deviation is the cause of hoarseness, then septoplasty would be the solution."

"Like all surgeries, these procedures have their risks, including, for example, infection and bleeding," she adds, so they are solutions that should only be considered in very serious cases.

8) Watch overweight

Following a balanced diet and regular moderate exercise are key to maintaining a healthy weight.

9) Quit smoking

Tobacco seriously damages the respiratory tract. In addition, it dries out the mucous membranes and inflames them, which tends to obstruct the passage of air. Write down some tips to quit smoking.

10) Use a humidifier

It is useful when snoring is due to obstruction of the airways by excess mucus. The dryness of the air, so typical of winter and the continuous use of heating at home, irritates the throat and makes it difficult to eliminate mucus. Adding humidity to the environment will facilitate the expulsion of mucus and help you inhale better.

Snoring is the great bedfellow for many Spaniards. Sometimes, they are not only a nuisance for those who have to listen to them, but they can be an indicator that there is something wrong with the body. According to data handled by www.dosfarma.com, the leading Spanish online pharmacy, four out of ten adults in Spain snore regularly, and the myth is true, they do it more than women, since practically half of men snore adults and about 25% of women. It is, therefore, something very frequent and chronic for many people.

Snoring is the noise created when the upper airways relax during sleep and narrow. The collision between the tongue, the soft palate and the uvula (or bell) causes the throat to vibrate, which produces the noise when the air passes. The more they narrow, or if there is something obstructing the airway, the more forcefully the airflow will pass through, and the more powerful the snoring will be. DosFarma experts explain the reasons why they can occur and not all of them involve a health problem:

1. An alteration in the anatomy of the mouth or nose

There are people who have a uvula that is too long or have a swollen soft palate. A very large tongue or a deviated nasal septum can also cause snoring.

2. Adenoids or vegetations

They are masses of tissue located in the back of the nasal cavity. Their function is similar to that of the tonsils, since they are part of the immune system of children. They usually go away around adolescence, but sometimes they become inflamed or infected, making it hard for little ones to breathe.

3. An illness

Ailments that affect the airways and obstruct them (a cold or an allergy, for example) are one of the main reasons, since they do not allow us to inhale normally.

4. Not getting enough sleep

If we are very tired when we go to sleep, the muscles of the throat relax more and can partially block the airways and vibrate due to the passage of air. The 20 tricks to sleep better.

5. Sleeping position

You snore more when you sleep on your back because the effect of gravity on your throat causes the passageways to narrow even more.

6. Overweight

The extra tissue in the neck that overweight or obese people may have presses on the airways and narrows them.

7. Pregnancy

Pregnant women tend to snore because weight gain, tissues swell, hormone levels are altered and the volume of the gut reduces lung capacity.

Snoring is not a disease, but it can be a sign that we have a disorder called sleep apnea. It occurs when the airways become obstructed to the point that we stop breathing while sleeping. People with sleep apnea go through certain phases over and over again while they sleep:

Via: Men's Health. Translation: blarlo.com