How to Stop Snoring: What Science Says Works

Snoring disrupts sleep for the snorer and, usually more significantly, for anyone sharing the bed or room. It is also one of the most commonly dismissed sleep symptoms, assumed to be harmless background noise. In many cases it is harmless. In some it is a sign of obstructed breathing that warrants medical attention. Understanding which situation applies to you is the first step.

Why Snoring Happens

Snoring is the sound produced when air passes through a partially narrowed airway during sleep. As the muscles of the throat relax during sleep, the soft palate, uvula, tongue, and tonsils can partially obstruct the passage. Air forces its way through and causes these tissues to vibrate. The louder the snore, generally the more narrowed the airway.

Several factors increase the likelihood of snoring. Anatomy plays a role: a low, thick soft palate, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a long uvula, or a jaw that sits further back can all reduce airway space. Body weight matters: excess tissue around the throat compresses the airway from the outside. Sleep position matters: lying on your back causes the tongue to fall back toward the throat. Alcohol and sedatives matter: they relax the throat muscles more than normal. Nasal congestion matters: when nasal breathing is restricted, mouth breathing increases turbulence and narrows the effective airway.

When Snoring Is a Warning Sign

Simple snoring, meaning snoring without breathing pauses, is generally considered a nuisance rather than a medical issue. But when snoring is accompanied by gasping, choking, observed pauses in breathing, or significant daytime sleepiness, it may indicate obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea fragments sleep architecture continuously and carries meaningful cardiovascular risks if untreated.

If you snore loudly, wake frequently, feel unrefreshed in the morning, and find yourself falling asleep during the day, it is worth ruling out apnea before pursuing simple snoring remedies. For a full breakdown of sleep apnea symptoms, see our article on sleep apnea symptoms.

What the Evidence Supports

Positional Changes

Sleeping on your side rather than your back is one of the most consistent and simple interventions for snoring. When you lie on your back, gravity pulls the tongue and soft palate toward the back of the throat, reducing airway space. Side sleeping removes this effect.

The practical challenge is staying on your side through the night. Body position pillows, which are long cylindrical pillows placed behind the back to prevent rolling over, are effective for many people. The tennis ball trick, sewing a tennis ball into the back of a sleep shirt so it is uncomfortable to lie supine, is old but still cited in sleep medicine as a viable intervention.

Weight Loss

For people who are overweight, weight reduction is among the most effective solutions over time. Fat deposits in the neck and throat narrow the airway from outside. Even modest weight loss of five to ten kilograms can meaningfully reduce snoring severity in people where excess weight is a contributing factor.

Reducing Alcohol Before Bed

Alcohol relaxes the throat muscles more than normal sleep does and is a consistent trigger for snoring in people who do not otherwise snore, and a significant amplifier in those who do. Cutting alcohol, particularly in the two to three hours before bed, often produces a rapid reduction in snoring intensity. This is one of the quickest changes to make and costs nothing.

Addressing Nasal Congestion

When the nose is congested, the mouth opens to compensate, and mouth breathing produces significantly more turbulent airflow through the throat. Treating the source of nasal congestion, whether allergy, structural deviation, or chronic rhinitis, reduces the drive toward mouth breathing and often reduces snoring.

Nasal dilator strips (the adhesive strips placed across the nose before bed) open the nasal passages mechanically. The evidence for them in simple snoring is modest but they are low risk, inexpensive, and worth trying if nasal breathing appears to be a factor.

Saline nasal rinses before bed clear congestion and reduce nasal inflammation. For people with chronic nasal congestion due to allergies, addressing the allergy with antihistamines or corticosteroid nasal sprays treats the root cause rather than the symptom.

Oral Appliances

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are mouthguards fitted by a dentist that hold the lower jaw slightly forward during sleep. This position pulls the tongue and soft palate away from the back of the throat, widening the airway. The evidence for these devices is strong across multiple clinical trials. They are effective for both snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Devices custom fitted by a dentist are more effective and comfortable than versions bought over the counter, though both reduce snoring in a significant proportion of users.

Addressing the Soft Palate

In some people, the primary source of snoring is excessive vibration of the soft palate. Palatal procedures, which stiffen or reduce the tissue of the soft palate, can reduce snoring. These range from minimally invasive office procedures like radiofrequency ablation to surgical uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). These approaches are generally reserved for cases where conservative measures have failed and snoring is significantly disrupting quality of life.

Things That Are Less Effective Than Claimed

Pillows marketed as snoring remedies are promoted widely, but the evidence for their effectiveness beyond simple positional support is limited. If a regular body pillow or wedge pillow achieves the same positional result, it is likely adequate.

Throat and tongue exercises (myofunctional therapy) have some evidence supporting modest reductions in snoring, particularly when muscle tone in the throat is a contributing factor, but the effect size is generally smaller than positional changes, weight loss, or oral appliances.

For people looking for faster sleep onset alongside addressing snoring, see our article on how to fall asleep faster.

What This Means for Your Sleep

Snoring usually has at least one identifiable contributing factor: sleep position, weight, alcohol, nasal congestion, or airway anatomy. The most effective interventions target the specific cause. Side sleeping and reducing alcohol are the simplest starting points, both achievable immediately and without cost. For persistent or loud snoring, particularly if daytime tiredness is present, ruling out sleep apnea and considering an oral appliance are the appropriate next steps.