How to Stop Snoring: Tips and Treatments

Snoring affects nearly half of middle-aged men and more than a quarter of middle-aged women. For most people it is an annoyance. For others it signals an underlying health issue. Either way, there are real steps you can take to reduce or eliminate it.

Why Snoring Happens

During sleep, the muscles in your airway relax and the passage narrows. Air has to move faster through a smaller space, and the soft tissues at the top of the airway flutter against each other. That flutter is snoring. Certain physical features make it more likely, including a receding jaw, a deviated septum, or enlarged soft tissues. Obesity, age, alcohol use, and sedatives also increase the risk.

Lifestyle Changes

Most experts recommend starting with lifestyle changes. They are low-risk and often effective.

Sleeping on your side is one of the most reliable fixes for people whose snoring worsens on their back. Back sleeping allows the tongue and jaw to fall backward, narrowing the airway. Switching to side sleeping removes that pressure. Special pillows and positional alarms can help you stay on your side through the night.

Elevating your head can also open the airway. Use a wedge pillow or raise the head of the bed with blocks under the frame. Sleeping with just a taller pillow does not work as well because it allows the neck to bend.

Losing weight is one of the most impactful changes for people with overweight or obesity. Both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are caused by excess tissue narrowing the airway. Even modest weight loss can make a difference.

Avoiding alcohol before bed reduces airway muscle relaxation during sleep. Alcohol is dose-related in its effect, so cutting back or moving your last drink earlier in the day both help.

Quitting smoking reduces airway inflammation and is associated with less snoring.

Mouth exercises, also called myofunctional therapy or oropharyngeal exercises, involve repeatedly moving the tongue and throat muscles in ways that strengthen them over time. Research suggests these exercises can reduce snoring volume and frequency.

Nasal and Oral Devices

If lifestyle changes are not enough, several devices can help. Nasal strips stick to the outside of the nose and pull the nasal passages open. Internal nasal dilators work from inside the nostrils. Both are available over the counter and are low-risk.

Anti-snoring mouthpieces reposition the jaw or tongue to keep the airway open during sleep. Mandibular advancement devices are the most common type. They move the lower jaw slightly forward, which widens the throat and reduces snoring. Tongue retaining devices hold the tongue in place using suction. Both types are more effective when professionally fitted by a dentist.

When to See a Doctor

Snoring that does not respond to lifestyle changes may have an underlying cause. Your doctor will evaluate whether the snoring is linked to obstructive sleep apnea, which involves repeated breathing pauses during the night and carries risks for heart health if untreated. Diagnosis typically involves a sleep study, either at home or in a lab. If sleep apnea is ruled out but snoring persists, surgical options exist, though their long-term effectiveness varies and they are generally considered a last resort.