If you’re constantly told your snoring resembles a freight train, you’re not alone. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, about 40 percent of adult men snore habitually.
Snoring not only disrupts your sleep, but it can also keep your loved ones awake and lead to frustration or embarrassment. Thankfully, there are proven strategies that can help you—and those around you—finally get some restful sleep. To find out the best ways to tackle snoring, we spoke to Dr. Rita Aouad, a sleep medicine expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Snoring occurs when airflow through the spaces behind your nose and mouth is partially blocked, causing the tissues to vibrate. Before you chalk your snoring up to a harmless annoyance, Dr. Aouad warns it could signal a more serious issue: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). “OSA is a sleep disorder where your airway restricts or closes, which drops your blood oxygen level,” she explains.
Left untreated, OSA can result in:
- Lower overall quality of life
- Chronic daytime fatigue
- Higher risk of hypertension
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Stroke
- Heart disease
The good news: “OSA is very treatable,” says Aouad. If you think you may be experiencing it, schedule a visit with a doctor or sleep specialist.
After ruling out medical causes, try these practical methods to reduce or eliminate snoring for good.
Tools like nasal strips and nasal dilators can widen your nasal passages to improve airflow. For example, Medic Nasal Strips stick to the outside of your nose and gently open up your nostrils, while nasal dilators fit inside your nostrils to help keep them open.
These are simple, inexpensive strategies that work well for some people, though not everyone will get relief from them alone.
“Anti-snoring mouthpieces may be helpful,” says Dr. Aouad. These mouthguards typically reposition your jaw and tongue to open the airway and reduce snoring.
You can consult your dentist about a custom-fitted TAP device, but there are also affordable over-the-counter alternatives like ZQuiet or Snoremeds. If these options fit comfortably, you could see positive results. If not, a custom TAP device may be worth exploring, even though it might not be covered by medical aid.
This sounds quirky, but it works: place a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of an old T-shirt. Wear it to bed, and you’ll find it uncomfortable to sleep on your back—eventually training yourself to sleep on your side instead.
“Snoring tends to worsen when lying on your back,” Aouad notes. Alternatively, a wedge pillow can also help keep you from rolling into a supine position at night.
Steer clear of alcohol and sedating medications before bedtime. “They act as respiratory depressants and can make snoring worse,” Aouad explains.
Plus, alcohol doesn’t help you sleep better anyway—it can disrupt your rest and lead to even more snoring.
Blocked nasal passages make it much harder to draw air through your airway, creating a kind of vacuum that vibrates your throat tissues and causes snoring. The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery explains that nasal congestion is a common culprit.
Dr. Aouad suggests that “over-the-counter nasal sprays or allergy medications may help alleviate snoring for individuals struggling with congestion.”
Try some exercises—for your mouth! Research from Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Lab at the Heart Institute at the University of São Paulo, found that people who performed three sets of the following exercises daily for three months reduced their snoring frequency by 36% and the intensity by 59%.
Press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and slide it backward repeatedly.
Place your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth and press up firmly.
Push the back of your tongue against the bottom of your mouth while keeping the tip touching your bottom front teeth.
Lift your soft palate (the back portion of the roof of your mouth) and your uvula while saying a long “a” sound.
Still snoring despite your best efforts? “Surgery may be an option, but it should be a last resort after all other treatments have failed,” Aouad cautions. For some, surgical procedures like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UP3)—which removes tissue at the back of the throat—or septoplasty for a deviated septum may help open the airway.
“All surgical options carry risks, including infection and bleeding,” she stresses. Therefore, these solutions are reserved for severe, persistent cases.
