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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTo prevent or quiet snoring, try these tips:
- If you're overweight, lose weight. Being overweight is a common cause of snoring. Loose throat tissues are more likely to vibrate as you breathe, and 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. To prevent sleeping on your back, try sewing a tennis ball in the back of your pajama top.
- Nasal strips. Adhesive strips applied to your nose help many people increase the area of their nasal passage, enhancing their breathing.
- 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. 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 four hours before bedtime, and let your doctor know about your snoring before taking sedatives or hypnotics. 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, sedatives and hypnotics blunt the brain's ability to arouse from sleep.
