How to Stop Snoring: Habits Worth Trying
· 4 min
Snoring is the sound of air rattling past relaxed tissue in the throat, nose and mouth while you sleep. As the muscles loosen, the airway narrows, and the soft structures at the back of the throat vibrate with each breath. Nearly everyone snores now and then, often after a cold or a late night out. For some people, though, it becomes a nightly soundtrack that disturbs a partner, the rest of the household or their own rest.
This guide looks at common reasons for snoring and everyday habits that may make it quieter. It is general information only. Snoring can occasionally point to a condition that needs medical attention, so please read the section on when to see a doctor as well.
Why some nights are louder than others
Snoring tends to vary from one night to the next, and that pattern can be a helpful clue. Things that commonly make it worse include:
- Sleeping flat on your back, which lets the tongue and soft palate sink towards the throat.
- Alcohol in the evening, which relaxes the throat muscles even further.
- A blocked nose from a cold, hay fever or dust, which nudges you into breathing through your mouth.
- Being overtired, which can deepen how much the muscles slacken.
- Smoking, which can irritate and swell the lining of the airway.
- Some medicines that cause drowsiness, such as certain sedatives or older antihistamines.
- Extra weight around the neck, which can narrow the space air passes through.
Keeping a simple log for a couple of weeks, or asking a partner to keep one, can reveal whether noisy nights line up with any of these.
Habits worth trying
Sleep on your side
For many people snoring is loudest on their back, and turning onto one side keeps the airway more open. If you keep rolling back during the night, a firm pillow wedged behind you or a long body pillow to hug can make side-sleeping easier to hold. Raising the head end of the bed a little helps some sleepers too.
Clear your nose before bed
When the nose is stuffy, mouth breathing takes over and snoring usually follows. A warm shower, a saline rinse, and keeping the bedroom free of dust and pet hair can all make breathing through the nose easier. If congestion hangs around for weeks or you suspect an allergy, a pharmacist can talk you through suitable options.
Rethink the evening drink
Leaving a longer gap between your last alcoholic drink and bedtime, or skipping alcohol on weeknights, is one of the simplest experiments you can run. Many couples notice a difference within a few nights.
Keep a steady sleep schedule
Going to bed at similar times and getting enough rest can stop you tipping into the heavy, floppy sleep that follows exhaustion. The guide to how long it should take to fall asleep covers wind-down steps that support a calmer routine.
Look after your general health
Regular movement, balanced meals and, where it applies, gradual weight loss may ease snoring for some people. If you smoke, stopping benefits your airways along with almost every other part of the body, and your GP or a local stop-smoking service can support you through it.
Products you might come across
Pharmacies and online shops sell nasal strips, nasal dilators, chin straps, shaped pillows and mouthpieces that hold the lower jaw slightly forward. Some people find one of these useful and others notice nothing, largely because the reason for snoring differs from person to person. Mouthpieces in particular are best chosen with advice from a dentist. Be wary of any product promising to end snoring overnight.
Simple snoring or something more?
| Often ordinary snoring | Worth a medical check |
|---|---|
| Loudest on the back or after a drink | A partner notices pauses in your breathing |
| You wake feeling reasonably rested | Gasping, choking or snorting yourself awake |
| Worse during a cold, then settles | Heavy daytime sleepiness despite a full night in bed |
| No other symptoms | Morning headaches, a very dry mouth or poor concentration |
When to see a doctor
Book an appointment with your GP if someone has seen you stop breathing, gasp or choke while asleep, if you feel very tired during the day or nod off at the wrong moments, or if loud snoring every night is affecting your life or your relationship. These can be signs of obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition in which the airway repeatedly closes during sleep and which needs a proper assessment. Do not drive or use machinery while you feel drowsy.
Children who snore most nights, breathe through their mouth while asleep or seem unusually tired or restless in the daytime should also be checked by a GP. And if a new snore turns up alongside other changes in your health, mention it at your next appointment rather than putting it down to getting older.
From our side of the desk
Why our guides end with a warning list
We are three writers, not clinicians. The most useful thing we can do is explain a topic clearly and then say, without fuss, which signs deserve a professional's attention.
So every article finishes the same way. It may feel repetitive if you read several in a row, but we would rather repeat ourselves than leave out the one line someone needed.
Isolde, Dace and Leontyne
Start small
Three changes for this week
Pick one, try it for seven days, then decide whether to keep it.
Earlier last coffee
Move your final caffeinated drink to lunchtime and see how bedtime feels.
Sunscreen by the door
Keep a bottle where you pick up your keys so it joins the routine.
Morning pulse note
Count once before breakfast and write it down to build your own baseline.