How to Stop Snoring

Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe. Nearly everyone snores now and then, but for some people it can be a chronic problem. Sometimes it may also indicate a serious health condition. In addition, snoring can be a nuisance to your partner. Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime or sleeping on your side, can help stop snoring.

In addition, medical devices and surgery are available that may reduce disruptive snoring. However, these are not suitable or necessary for everyone who snores. Snoring is often associated with a sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA often is characterized by loud snoring followed by periods of silence when breathing stops or nearly stops.

Eventually, this reduction or pause in breathing may signal you to wake up, and you may awaken with a loud snort or gasping sound. You may sleep lightly due to disrupted sleep. This pattern of breathing pauses may be repeated many times during the night. People with OSA usually experience periods when breathing slows or stops at least five times during every hour of sleep.

If your child snores, ask your pediatrician about it.

Children can have OSA, too. Nose and throat problems such as enlarged tonsils and obesity often can narrow a child’s airway, which can lead to your child developing OSA. Snoring can be caused by a number of factors, such as the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses, alcohol consumption, allergies, a cold, and your weight. When you doze off and progress from a light sleep to a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of your mouth, tongue, and throat relax.

The tissues in your throat can relax enough that they partially block your airway and vibrate. The more narrowed your airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes. This increases tissue vibration, which causes your snoring to grow louder. Having a low, thick soft palate can narrow your airway. People who are overweight may have extra tissues in the back of their throats that may narrow their airways.

Likewise, if the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate is elongated, airflow can be obstructed and vibration increased. Snoring can also be brought on by consuming too much alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles and decreases your natural defenses against airway obstruction. Chronic nasal congestion or a crooked partition between your nostrils may contribute to your snoring.

Not getting enough sleep can lead to further throat relaxation.

Snoring is typically most frequent and loudest when sleeping on the back as gravity’s effect on the throat narrows the airway. Men are more likely to snore or have sleep apnea than are women. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to snore or have obstructive sleep apnea. Some people may have a long soft palate, or large tonsils or adenoids, which can narrow the airway and cause snoring.

Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, increasing the risk of snoring. If you have a structural defect in your airway, such as a deviated septum, or your nose is chronically congested, your risk of snoring is greater. Heredity is a potential risk factor for OSA. Habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance. Aside from disrupting a bed partner’s sleep, if snoring is associated with OSA, you may be at risk for other complications.

To diagnose your condition, your doctor will review your signs and symptoms, and your medical history. Your doctor will also perform a physical examination. Oral appliances are form-fitting dental mouthpieces that help advance the position of your jaw, tongue, and soft palate to keep your air passage open. Excessive salivation, dry mouth, jaw pain, and facial discomfort are possible side effects from wearing these devices.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) approach involves wearing a mask over your nose or mouth while you sleep. The mask directs pressurized air from a small bedside pump to your airway to keep it open during sleep.

CPAP eliminates snoring and is most often used to treating snoring when associated with OSA.

Although CPAP is the most reliable and effective method of treating OSA, some people find it uncomfortable or have trouble adjusting to the noise or feel of the machine. There are a number of procedures that seek to open the upper airway and prevent significant narrowing during sleep through a variety of techniques. In a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), your excess tissues are trimmed from your throat.

Another procedure called maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) involves moving the upper and lower jaws forward, which helps open the airway. Radiofrequency tissue ablation employs a low-intensity radiofrequency signal to shrink tissue in the soft palate, tongue, or nose. A newer surgical technique called hypoglossal nerve stimulation employs a stimulus applied to the nerve that controls forward movement of the tongue so the tongue does not block the airway when you take a breath.

The effectiveness of these surgeries varies and the response can be challenging to predict.