How to Stop Snoring While Sleeping: 6 Ways That May Help.

Introduction

Snoring can be easy to dismiss as a harmless nighttime habit until it starts disturbing your sleep or keeping your partner awake.

If you’re searching for how to stop snoring, the answer isn’t always another spray, mouthpiece, or internet remedy. Snoring can have several causes, so the approach that helps one person may do little for another.

Your sleeping position, nasal congestion, alcohol use, smoking, weight, and airway anatomy can all play a role. However, in some people, persistent snoring can also occur with obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder.

The good news is that there are practical steps you can try. The key is knowing what may be contributing to your snoring and recognizing when it needs a closer look.

Why Do You Snore While Sleeping?

Snoring happens when the tissues in your upper airway relax during sleep, narrowing the space available for airflow. As air passes through this narrower space, the surrounding tissues can vibrate and produce the sound of snoring.

Several factors can contribute to this narrowing or make snoring more likely:

1. Sleeping on your back:

Snoring may become worse when you sleep on your back because your tongue and other soft tissues can move backward and contribute to upper-airway narrowing.

2. Alcohol or certain sedating medicines:

Alcohol and some sedating medicines can relax the muscles around the upper airway, which may make snoring more likely.

3. Nasal congestion:

A blocked or narrowed nose can increase resistance to airflow and make breathing through your nose more difficult, which may contribute to snoring.

4. Excess weight:

Additional tissue around the neck and upper airway can reduce the space available for airflow and contribute to snoring.

5. Airway anatomy:

A naturally narrow airway, an elongated soft palate, or enlarged tonsils can reduce the space available for airflow and contribute to snoring.

6. Smoking:

Smoking can irritate the upper airway and is associated with snoring. Quitting may help reduce snoring while also supporting overall respiratory health.

This is why there isn’t one universal solution for snoring. The most useful approach depends on what is contributing to it in the first place. If you’re wondering how to stop snoring, identifying those contributing factors is a good place to start.

How to Stop Snoring While Sleeping?

1. Sleep on Your Side, Not Your Back:

If your snoring gets worse when you’re on your back, changing your sleep position may help.

Back sleeping can contribute to upper-airway narrowing in some people, while side sleeping may reduce this effect. The NHS recommends sleeping on your side as one measure that may help reduce snoring.

If you naturally roll onto your back, a body pillow or another positional method may make side sleeping easier. The NHS also describes using a tennis ball in sleepwear to discourage back sleeping.

2. Limit Alcohol Before Bed:

Alcohol can relax the muscles around the upper airway, which may make snoring more likely. If you’re looking for how to stop snoring, limiting alcohol, especially close to bedtime, may help if drinking makes your snoring worse.

If you take prescription or over-the-counter sleep medicines, don’t stop them on your own. Instead, ask your healthcare professional whether they could be affecting your sleep or snoring.

3. Address Nasal Congestion:

A blocked or narrowed nose can increase resistance to airflow and make breathing through your nose more difficult, which may contribute to snoring.

Depending on the cause, you might consider:

• Treating an underlying allergy or nasal condition.
• Using saline nasal rinses when appropriate.
• Trying nasal strips or external nasal dilators.
• Speaking with a healthcare professional about persistent congestion.

Nasal strips and external dilators may help when nasal obstruction contributes to snoring, but they won’t address every cause of snoring.

4. Try Tongue and Throat Exercises:

Tongue and throat exercises, also called myofunctional therapy, may help reduce snoring in some people by strengthening muscles involved in the upper airway. Recent research suggests these exercises may improve snoring intensity, although results can vary.

They require consistent practice and are not a quick fix. If your snoring is loud or persistent, especially with gasping or breathing pauses, talk with a healthcare professional to check for sleep apnea.

5. Work Toward a Healthy Weight If Appropriate:

If excess weight contributes to narrowing around the upper airway, gradual weight loss may help reduce snoring.

The NHS recommends weight loss as one lifestyle measure for people who are overweight and snore.

However, weight isn’t the only possible cause of snoring. People at different body weights can snore, so weight management should not be presented as a guaranteed cure.

6. Consider an Oral Appliance:

A custom-fitted oral appliance may help reduce snoring by gently moving the lower jaw forward during sleep. This can help keep the upper airway open and improve airflow.

Oral appliances may be suitable for some people with primary snoring or obstructive sleep apnea. A dentist or sleep specialist can determine whether one is appropriate for you and ensure it fits properly.

Which Snoring Fix Should You Try First?

What If These Changes Don’t Stop Your Snoring?

If you’ve tried practical changes and still snore regularly, it may be time to look beyond simple lifestyle factors.

A healthcare professional can review your symptoms and determine whether further evaluation is appropriate. This matters because persistent snoring can have different causes, and treating the wrong one may not improve the problem.

Could Your Snoring Be a Sign of Sleep Apnea?

Snoring does not automatically mean you have sleep apnea.

However, loud or persistent snoring can occur with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly when other symptoms appear.

When Snoring Might Mean Something More?

Pay closer attention if you or your sleep partner notice:

• Loud or persistent snoring.
• Breathing pauses during sleep.
• Gasping, choking, or snorting sounds at night.
• Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue.
• Morning headaches.
• Waking with a dry mouth.
• Difficulty concentrating during the day.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Snoring is not always a sign of a serious problem. However, persistent or loud snoring can sometimes occur with obstructive sleep apnea, especially when it is accompanied by breathing pauses, gasping, or daytime sleepiness.

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is linked to health problems such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

If these symptoms sound familiar, home remedies may not address the underlying cause. A healthcare professional can determine whether a sleep evaluation or further testing is appropriate.

How The Doctors of Sleep Apnea Can Help?

If snoring continues despite trying simple changes, it may be worth finding out what is causing it rather than continuing to manage the symptom on your own.

At The Doctors of Sleep Apnea, patients can learn more about snoring, sleep apnea, and other sleep-related breathing concerns. If your snoring is loud or persistent, or you notice gasping, choking, breathing pauses, or daytime sleepiness, a professional evaluation can help determine whether obstructive sleep apnea may be involved.

Contact us to learn more about your symptoms and find out whether a sleep evaluation may be appropriate for you.

Conclusion

If you’re trying to figure out how to stop snoring, start by looking at what may be causing it. Side sleeping, limiting alcohol before bed, addressing nasal congestion, tongue and throat exercises, and weight management may help depending on the underlying factors.

But persistent snoring deserves more than a quick fix. If you also gasp, choke, stop breathing during sleep, or feel unusually tired during the day, don’t focus only on making the snoring quieter. Getting evaluated can help determine whether an underlying sleep disorder needs attention.