With the festive season comes the likelihood of moving around for Christmas and that should be an experience that’s full of joy and relaxation. However, for many, the idea of sleeping at a loved one’s home can be daunting.

Dr Bhik Kotecha is a leading ear, nose and throat doctor that specialises in snoring aids and solutions. He has recently retired but is still available for consultations and has taken his extra time to tackle some of the more prominent issues related to snoring and sleep difficulties such as the impact of COVID-19 (https://www.snoringmanagement.com/about-Bhik-Kotecha-snoring-ent-Sleep-apnoea#Sleepissuesinthecoronavirusera).

To continue with this, Dr Kotecha has decided to look into seasonal snoring patterns and offer advice and guidance on how to best counteract the bad habits we fall into in the festive and winter season that can have a serious impact on our sleep patterns.

Seasonal snoring is a very real issue that affects many of us with over 15 million snorers in the UK alone. Snoring becomes even more of an issue over the holiday season as our lifestyles change and many bad habits creep in as the Christmas spirit demands. This means more drinking, smoking and eating more food without doing as much exercise. While this is often discussed as ‘winter weight’, it can have other impacts than just on the waistline.

Snoring is attributed to many of these things we typically do at christmas time and when this is combined with the lack of sleep most of us face, it can lead to more consistent and louder snoring. This can lead to embarrassment and shame in keeping other people up.

Many will be looking for solutions and while the obvious solution is to keep bad habits to a minimum, this is not exactly ideal and there are other ways to stop or reduce snoring while still taking part in merriment and enjoying yourself.

Mouthguards. Mouth pieces are a popular tactic for reducing snoring amongst those with longer term problems and there are a wide variety available. Whether you should go with a TRD or MAD style mouthguard is a topic for another day and we’ll discuss the differences and pros and cons of both in a future piece. However for a short term solution, TRDs are best in most cases. They’re usually cheaper and use a one-size-fits-all shape so they are more convenient for seasonal use.
Nasal Strips. A simple, cheap solution to reducing snoring, nasal strips are a thin strip of material that pushes down on your nose, opening your airways and giving you more space to breathe. For more chronic snoring, these products are fairly ineffective but as a quick solution to a seasonal period of snoring, they can offer some relief.
Pillows. Using your pillows to open your airways is a good simple way to help your snoring problem. Positioning the pillow so your head is elevated can open up your airways and relieve the pressure on your throat. A position pillow can also be a good help as it keeps you on your side and means you are less likely to roll onto your back.

So there are just a few different tips for you to try and solve your snoring problem. But please don’t stress or be embarrassed by it. It’s a problem that impacts over 30% of the population. If you are having serious or continual problems, it is best to check in with a professional or your GP to make sure it’s not something more serious or to find ways of relieving it. Dr Bhik Kotecha is available for consultations across London and offers a range of useful links and information on his website for those farther afield. While snoring can’t always be avoided, it can be reduced and helped and Dr Kotecha is on hand to help you gain the best possible night’s sleep.