How to Stop Snoring and Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Snoring doesn’t just disturb your partner – it can leave you groggy, irritable and unfocused. Which means you want to know how to stop snoring. For everyone’s sake! If you’re ready for better sleep, this practical guide will help you understand the causes of snoring and how to reduce it.
Why Snoring Deserves Your Attention
Snoring affects around 15 million people in the UK – that’s 2 in 5 adults [1]. For many women in midlife, snoring becomes more noticeable as hormone shifts affect muscle tone, weight distribution and sleep quality.
Classed as a breathing issue, it’s often dismissed as a noisy nuisance, but habitual snoring can lead to disrupted sleep, fatigue, poor concentration and frustration for everyone in earshot.
While lifestyle advice like “lose weight” or “cut back on alcohol” is familiar, they’re not always helpful – or realistic. Thankfully, if you’re looking to reduce snoring without drastic change, there are several other ways to approach snoring that are both practical and evidence-based.
What Kind of Snorer Are You?
Snoring happens when soft tissues in your airway vibrate as you breathe. This can be triggered by the shape of your airway, your sleeping position or the level of muscle tone in your mouth and throat.
Understanding where your snoring comes from – your nose, mouth or tongue, or a combination – can help you find more effective solutions.
Self-checks to try at home:
- Nose: Close one nostril, then breathe in through the other. If your nostril collapses, poor airflow might be part of the problem.
- Mouth: Do you wake up with a dry mouth? Do you often sleep with your mouth open?
- Tongue: Stick your tongue out and hold it gently between your teeth. If this reduces your snoring sound, your tongue may be the issue.
Everyday Changes That Help
Snoring triggers can be related to everyday habits or bedtime routines. Some of the most accessible snoring remedies involve how you position your body at night. Here are a few practical places to start:
Adjust your sleep position
Sleeping on your back can cause your tongue to fall backwards and block your airway. A supportive pillow or bed wedge may help keep you on your side more comfortably.
Be mindful of alcohol
Alcohol relaxes the throat muscles and increases the likelihood of snoring. Try cutting back or avoiding it for a few hours before bedtime.
Rethink your pillow
A pillow that’s too flat or too thick can strain your neck and contribute to snoring. Look for one that supports your head and keeps your airway open.
Targeted Techniques to Try
Track your sleep sounds
Sleep apps can help you learn more about your snoring habits – and maybe even give you a laugh in the morning. Sleep Talk and Snore Recorder is free. SnoreLab, Snore Report and Snore Control are others to check out.
These apps can record the volume, frequency and pattern of your snores, helping you track progress if you’re making changes. (They’ll also record any burps, farts and sleep talking. Don’t say you weren’t warned!)
Try mouth and throat exercises
Also known as oropharyngeal or myofunctional exercises, these are designed to strengthen the muscles in your mouth, tongue and throat. The stronger they are, the less likely they are to collapse and vibrate.
One 2015 study found that people who performed targeted exercises for 10 minutes, three times a day, had a significant reduction in snoring frequency and intensity (Guimarães et al., Chest Journal).
These exercises are a way to stop snoring naturally, without medication.
- You can start with the Snore Free app, which offers six free exercises.
- Or try these mouth and throat exercises from the Sleep Foundation
- A myofunctional therapist can offer personalised support if you want to go further.
When to Consider Sleep Apnoea
Snoring that’s loud, frequent and accompanied by choking sounds, night waking or daytime fatigue could point to a condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).
With OSA, the airway temporarily collapses during sleep – often without you realising – leading to dips in oxygen and disrupted rest. It may also cause:
- Morning headaches
- Excessive tiredness
- Poor concentration
- Decreased libido
- Mood swings or irritability
The Takeaway
Snoring may feel like an annoying quirk, but it’s often a sign that your sleep quality – and possibly your long-term health – needs more attention.
Once you know what kind of snorer you are, small tweaks like posture changes or muscle exercises can make a big difference on your journey to stop snoring and sleep more deeply. And if you’re concerned about more serious symptoms, your GP can help you rule out or manage sleep apnoea.
Do you know what type of snorer you are?
Have you tried any of these strategies before?
I’d love to hear what’s helped – or what you’re going to try next. Let me know in the comments below
Jude Infantini at Unsplash
Identify what type of snorer you are and reduce the volume and frequency of your snores
I was inspired to write this blog post by two overlapping health awareness events – Stress Awareness Month which is running from 1st – 30th April and National Stop Snoring Week from 20th – 23rd. Having finally admitted that not only do I snore but that I might win in a contest with a baby rhino, I’m keenly aware of the negative effects snoring has on others – like my husband who’s sleep is interrupted at night. I know that my sleep isn’t always the best – on occasion, I’ve even snored myself awake.
Affecting approx 15 million in the UK alone, snoring has an impact in many homes. What if you’ve had enough and want to get your snores under control? What’s the best thing to do?
As I explored this topic, I found there were many more options beyond drinking less alcohol, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy BMI and sleeping on your side. I was surprised to learn there are 3 different causes of snoring which will influence how effective some snoring solutions will be. As I considered the different ways to stop snoring and get a better night’s sleep, here’s what I found.
2 Out Of 5
Classified as a breathing issue rather than a sleep issue, snoring isn’t usually deemed harmful to your health. But a case of chronic snoring may present several hazards – like daytime sleepiness, a lack of focus and concentration, or a frustrated partner who wants to kick you out of bed. Snoring is a common concern, affecting 2 out of 5 adults in the UK – as reported by the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association. That’s a nightime snoring chorus – a snorus? – of around 15 million people. Even if your snoring isn’t troublesome to you, it may stress your partner beyond tears.
What Does Your Snoring Sound Like?
There’s a secret delight in discovering what you get up to as you sleep, and hearing when and how frequently you snore never fails to satisfy. If you’ve ever questioned whether, or how much, you actually snore, there are plenty of sleep-tracker apps that you might use. (If you also talk in your sleep they can be a riot to listen to the following day).
Any of the sleep tracker apps will record all of your night-time emissions. (Yes, this is a polite way of saying you’ll capture conversations, burps and farts, along with your snores.)
I’ve been using SLEEP TALK AND SNORE RECORDER, which is free and available on the iPhone app store. Snore Lab, Snore Report, Snore Control are others to check out.
What Type of Snorer Are You?
Snoring is the sound made when the soft palate and tissue in the upper airway vibrates as you inhale. As your muscle tone reduces and your tongue becomes floppy – typically while you sleep – the space behind your tongue gets smaller. When the movement of air through this narrower channel causes the floppy muscle to vibrate, this is when you snore. I was surprised to realise that there are different types of snoring, depending on which part of your mouth and airway is involved. Identifying whether your snoring originates in your tongue, nose, mouth or a combination will influence which snoring treatments are effective for you. These can include devices to bring your tongue forward, straps to keep your mouth closed or steps to keep your nostrils open.
The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association have an online quiz. Expect questions such as:
Image by Girl with red hat
Nose… Looking in a mirror, press the side of one nostril to close it. With your mouth closed, breathe in through your other nostril. Does your nostril tend to collapse?
Mouth breathing… Do you sleep with your mouth open?
Tongue… Stick your tongue out as far as it will go and grip it between your teeth. Now try to make a snoring noise. Is the snoring noise reduced with your tongue in this forward position?
(My husband and I laughed so hard when we attempted this last one!!)
Use their INTERACTIVE SNORE TEST to reveal what type of snorer you are.
Common Reasons For Snoring
Topping the list for common reasons for snoring are drinking alcohol, smoking, having a high BMI, and the position in which you sleep – on your back, or on a pillow which is too flat or too thick. There’s no quick fix for any of them, but if you are thinking of ways to reduce the amount that you snore, then these could each be considered in turn.
If you are regularly consuming alcohol could you stop drinking earlier in the evening, giving yourself a few clear hours before you go to bed? If you sleep on your back is it possible to make a bed wedge that encourages you to sleep on your side? Do you need a new pillow of a better thickness to give your head and neck the correct support?
Other Strategies
Mouth Exercises Also known as ‘oropharyngeal exercises’ or ‘myofunctional therapy’ these special exercises can help tone the muscles in the mouth, throat and tongue. With time and practice, as the muscles become stronger, there is less floppiness and less vibration. Together this would improve your sleep quality and reduce the amount of times you snore. Research suggests that exercising for at least 10 minutes a day, two or three times each day, may bring benefits in around 3 months. These short sharp blasts are a bit like HIIT exercises designed specially for the mouth.
Working with a myofunctional therapist will give you insight into whether individual factors – like the shape and size of your mouth, throat and tongue – will impact how these exercises work.If you want to give this a go try SNORE FREE. It offers a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription but there is a free version with access to 6 exercises. Download the app, sign in with your email and register your sex and age. Then scroll down to the BOTTOM of the ‘your choice of subscriptions’ page to gain access to the free exercises.
Sleep Apnoea
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) – where you stop breathing for at least 10 seconds, at least 10 times an hour and your oxygen dips by at least 4% – is at the serious end of the snoring continuum. With snoring accompanied by choking or gasping, abnormal motor activity and waking in the night to urinate (nocturia) OSA is disturbing to both the individual and anyone else sleeping nearby.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Decreased sex drive
- Morning headaches
- Fatigue and irritability
The EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE is a validated risk assessment tool used for OSA. If you have any ongoing concerns I’d encourage you to make an appointment with your GP.
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Sleeping can be stressful, particularly if your sleeping partner is someone who frequently snores. Or you might be a snorer who finds that your noisy nighttime habits leave you groggy, unfocused and irritable the following day. This won’t lead to harmonious interactions. While snoring can’t be ‘cured’, it may be possible to minimise it. Once you know what type of snorer you are, then the appropriate mouth, throat and tongue toning exercises could be the next that you try. I think it’s a no brainer, particularly if you want to keep your sleeping partner sweet on you, and not on the brink of banning you from bed!
Image Jude Infantini at Unsplash.com