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Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

To prevent or quiet snoring, try these tips:

  • If you're overweight, lose weight. Being overweight is a common cause of snoring. Extra bulkiness in the throat narrows your airway.
  • Sleep on your side. Lying on your back allows your tongue to fall backward into your throat, narrowing your airway and partially obstructing airflow. Try sleeping on your side. If you find that you always end up on your back in the middle of the night anyway, try sewing a tennis ball in the back of your pajama top. It also may help to raise the head of your bed up by about four inches.
  • Nasal strips. Adhesive strips applied to your nose help many people increase the area of their nasal passage, enhancing their breathing. These strips aren't effective for people with sleep apnea, however.
  • Treat nasal congestion or obstruction. Having allergies or a deviated septum can limit airflow through your nose. This forces you to breathe through your mouth, increasing the likelihood of snoring. Don't use an oral or spray decongestant for more than three days in a row for acute congestion unless directed to do so by your doctor, because long-term use of these medications can have a rebound effect and actually make your congestion worse. Ask your doctor about a prescription steroid spray if you have chronic congestion. To correct a deviated septum, you may need surgery.
  • Limit or avoid alcohol and sedatives. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages at least two hours before bedtime, and let your doctor know about your snoring before taking sedatives. Sedatives and hypnotics (sleeping pills) and alcohol depress your central nervous system, causing excessive relaxation of muscles, including the tissues in your throat. In addition, if you stop breathing due to obstructive sleep apnea, it may take longer for you to begin breathing again because alcohol and sedatives blunt the brain's ability to arouse from sleep.
Alternative medicine Treatments and drugs
References
  1. Snoring. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/snoring.cfm. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  2. Troell RJ, et al. Sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing. Classification of sleep disorders. In: Cummings CW, et al. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194312835-3/0/1263/677.html?tocnode=49544117&fromURL=677.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01985-4..50078-2_2965. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  3. Snoring and sleep apnea. American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. http://www.aaoms.org/sleep_apnea.php. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  4. Beninati W. Overview of snoring in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2010.
  5. Sterni LM, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea in children. In: Cummings CW, et al. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194312835-3/0/1263/1656.html?tocnode=49548178&fromURL=1656.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01985-4..50186-6_7026. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  6. Basner RC. Continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnea. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:1751.
  7. Oral cavity and pharynx. In: Rakel RE. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194312835-3/981212438/1481/284.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50027-0--cesec128_1281. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  8. Beninati W. Treatment of adults with snoring. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2010.
  9. Panossian LA, et al. Review of sleep disorders. Medical Clinics of North America. 2009;93:407
  10. MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane). Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  11. Puhan MA, et al. Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal. 2006;332:1.
  12. Ernst AOE. Can singing exercises reduce snoring? A pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2000;8:151.
DS00297 May 25, 2010

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