Snoring: Causes and Cures

How to stop snoring

Snoring can often seem like a problem without a solution – especially when it is getting in the way of a good night’s sleep for you and your partner. If you want to stop snoring, it is important to consider the cause and severity of your snoring. Identifying the cause can help you choose the right cure.

It also makes sense to try some simple non-invasive treatments first to see if they will reduce or prevent your snoring. See the section on Self help tips and remedies below for more information on these snoring cures.

• Sleep on your side
• Elevate the head of your bed
• Limit alcohol and medications
• Clear your nasal passages
• Lose weight

You may find that your snoring persists even after trying these changes. If your snoring results from a more serious cause, a cure may be more complex – but there are solutions. Your nights don’t have to be noisy! Read on to learn more about the possible causes of your snoring as well as treatment options. If you can uncover the cause of your snoring, you should be able to find a cure that is right for you.

The causes of snoring

People who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue, or “floppy” tissue that is more prone to vibrate. The position of the tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing.  Evaluating how and when you snore will help you pinpoint whether the cause of your snoring is within your control or not. Enlist your sleep partner or keep a sleep diary to help you determine the possible cause of your snoring  

Causes and Risk Factors of Snoring
Causes out of our control	Causes within our control
Heredity - A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids and other physical attributes which contribute to snoring can be hereditary. Being middle-aged or beyond - As you age, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases. Being male - Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. Allergies, asthma, a cold, or sinus infections - Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring	Being overweight or out of shape - Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring. A history of smoking – Smoking (or exposure to second-hand smoke) relaxes muscles and creates nasal congestion. Alcohol or medications - Alcohol and  medications increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring. Sleeping posture - Sleeping flat on your back allows the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.

Snoring problems and relationships

Snoring can get in the way of a good night’s sleep and a healthy relationship with your spouse or partner.  Many couples affected by snoring resort to sleeping in separate bedrooms in order to get a good night’s sleep. This arrangement may help both people sleep better, but it can disrupt communication and intimacy.

Mild snoring that isn't related to sleep apnea responds well to home remedies. Finding a cure for your snoring problem can result in an improved quality of life for you and your loved ones.

Snoring and relationships

Sleep partners of people who snore heavily often awaken over twenty times per hour. The constant sleep disruption and excessive tiredness caused by noisy snoring takes a toll on social and physical aspects of a relationship.

Many partners of snorers decide to sleep in separate rooms, and the resulting lack of bedtime chatting and physical intimacy can lead to a strained relationship. The person who snores often becomes isolated and frustrated about a problem they seemingly have no control over.

Negative health effects of snoring

The most typical health problem snoring causes is loss of sleep for both the person snoring and his (or her) sleep partner. The snoring noise combined with tossing and turning often keep both people from sleeping soundly. Sleep deprivation has significant consequences: excessive sleepiness, irritability, and lack of productivity during the day, as well as negative health repercussions.

People who snore chronically are often middle-aged and overweight, and snoring may indicate a more serious underlying medical problem.

Snoring and sleep apnea

Snoring can also be a symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening condition. While snoring is caused by narrow airways, sleep apnea is a true breathing obstruction, which requires the sleeper to awaken to begin breathing again. A person with sleep apnea wakes up many times a night to regain breathing, but usually remembers nothing at all about the awakenings. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but snoring by itself does not involve the cessation of breathing.

Diagnosing snoring

Most people seek treatment for snoring because a bed partner alerts them to the problem. However, if you sleep alone, it may be difficult to determine if and how you snore. If you wake in the morning and do not feel rested after a reasonable number of hours of sleep, it may be a sign that you are snoring.

If you suspect that you snore, you can see an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT or otolaryngologist), or a sleep specialist. The doctor will examine your throat, nose, mouth, palate, and neck, and check for underlying health conditions.

The doctor may also enroll you in a test at a sleep clinic, where experts can observe your sleep patterns and diagnose your snoring problem. See related links below for information on specialists in your area.

Snoring relief: Self help tips and remedies

In addition to the self-help tips listed at the beginning of the article, the following cures for snoring may be worth a try.

• Lose weight – Losing weight is often a very effective cure for mild to moderate snoring. Even a little bit of weight loss can reduce fatty tissue in the back of the throat and decrease snoring.  See Healthy Weight Loss Your Way for some tips on getting started.
• Sleep on your side – If you sleep on your back and snore mildly, sleeping on your side might cure your snoring altogether.
• Elevate your head – Try elevating the head of your bed four inches, which may make breathing easier and encourage your tongue and jaw to move forward. Sleep without a pillow (or with a specially designed pillow) to make sure your neck muscles are not crimped.
• Avoid certain foods, alcohol and medications before bed - Alcohol and certain medications increase relaxation of throat and tongue muscles, which makes snoring more likely. Sleeping pills or tranquilizers may help you sleep, but they will also relax your muscles and increase the chance of snoring. High-fat milk products or soy milk products cause mucus to build up in the throat which can lead to snoring as well.  
• Clear your nasal passages - Having a stuffy nose makes inhalation difficult and creates a vacuum in your throat, which in turn leads to snoring. Nasal decongestants or nasal strips may help you breathe more easily while sleeping. Antihistamines can help with allergies, but will relax throat muscles and cause snoring.

Medical cures and treatments for snoring

If your own efforts to stop snoring do not help, consult your physician or an otolaryngologist (ENT, or ear, nose, and throat doctor). If you choose to try a dental appliance for your snoring, you will need to see a dentist specializing in these devices.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

To keep your airway open during sleep, a machine at your bedside blows pressurized air into a mask that you wear over your nose or face

Dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw positioners

Dental devices, which often resemble the mouth guards worn by athletes, can help open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep.

Most dental devices are acrylic and fit inside your mouth; others fit around your head and chin to adjust the position of your lower jaw. A dentist specializing in sleep disorders can help fit you for one of these devices.

Surgery

Certain surgeries, including Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP), tonsillectomy, and adenoidectomy, increase the size of your airway by surgically removing tissues or correcting abnormalities. Using a scalpel, laser, or microwaving probe (radiofrequency energy), a surgeon may remove tonsils, adenoids, or excess tissue at the back of the throat or inside the nose, or reconstruct the jaw.

The Pillar procedure, or palatal implantation, is a new surgery which has shown promising results for snoring. Small plastic implants, less than an inch-long in size, are inserted into the soft palate using a syringe-like instrument. The procedure is usually performed in a doctor’s office under local anesthesia, with little pain and mild side effects. Scar tissue builds up around the implants, causing the tissue of the soft palate to stiffen which ceases the vibrations that cause snoring. The down-side of this procedure, and any surgical cure, for that matter, is that it is relatively new and it is expensive. Most insurance plans does not cover surgery for snoring. 

See your doctor or dentist to discuss the medical treatments available and to decide which might help your snoring.

Related links for snoring causes and cures

Related Helpguide Articles

Sleep Disorders and Problems - Symptoms, Test and Treatment 

Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment 

General information about snoring

Mayo Clinic -Snoring – Seven-section article, from causes to self-care and cures (Mayo Clinic)

The Physiology and Anatomy of Snoring – Covers the physical causes of snoring, and surgical and non-surgical cures and treatments.. (Centre for Snoring and Sleep Disorders, Sydney, Australia)

Snoozing or Snoring – Written for kids, and provides a good overview of snoring, typical causes, and possible treatments. (KidsHealth, Nemours Foundation)

Snoring Questionnaire – Helps determine causes of snoring. (Put An End to Snoring – commercial site)

Treatments for snoring

Surgery For Snoring – Brief descriptions of the types of surgery for snoring. (British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association – commercial site)

Palatal Implants Provide Effective Snoring Relief – Covers the methodology and results for this snoring cure    (Medical News Today)

Stop snoring with dental appliances – Explains the various types of mouthpiece devices that can cure snoring (Snoring shop – commercial site)

Singing Your Way to a Snore Free Night – NPR story describes “Singing for Snorers,” a program which teaches singing exercises to reduce snoring. (National Public Radio)

Didgeridoo helps stop snoring – A study done at the University of Zurich in Switzerland has shown that participants who played daily slept better and complained less about daytime sleepiness. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Finding sleep clinics, dentists, and otolaryngologists

Locate a Sleep Center by Zip Code / Locate a Sleep Center by State – Helps you to find an accredited sleep center near you. (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

Find a Dentist – Search for a dentist near you who specializes in dental devices for curing snoring. (Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine)

Find an Otolaryngologist – An international directory of head and neck surgeons, who may be able to help cure snoring. (American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery)

Suzanne Barston, Gina Kemp, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A., contributed to this article. Last modified on: 7/6/08.