How to Stop Snoring Naturally— 10 Helpful Tips

Written by Jill Zwarensteyn, Editor

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In This Article

Do you snore light a freight train? Or does your partner? You need a solution to stop snoring permanently. Here are our top tips…

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Many people snore in their sleep, however for some individuals, snoring in their sleep can be a significant issue with serious side effects, especially for an accompanying bed partner. Typically, the cause of snoring is not necessarily indicative of a life-threatening ailment, but it may be a sign that there’s a problem with the tongue, airways, nasal passages, or throat. Either way, chronic snoring can become disruptive over time.

Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can use as natural snoring remedies to mitigate these sleep issues. Read on for our best anti-snoring tips help to reduce snoring and get a good night’s sleep.

How to Stop Snoring: 10 Tips

1. Sleep on Your Side or Stomach

Rather than sleeping on your back, which can narrow your airways, try sleeping on your side or stomach instead. Experts say these two positions are better for snorers an those with sleep apnea because they’re better at keeping the airways open¹.

Read about our favorite mattresses for side sleepers and stomach sleepers.

2. Elevated Your Head

If you’re a die-hard back sleeper, though, another solution is to elevate your head to help alleviate your snoring. A 2022 study² on the effects of inclined sleeping found a 7 percent reduction in snoring when people elevated their head at a 12-degree angle.

3. Try Nasal Valves and Oral Snoring Devices

Another option for snorers is nasal valves. These contraptions are available without a prescription and work by simply expanding the nasal passages so you can breathe better.

Oral devices are great for stubborn snoring problems because they move the jaw slightly open the airway. However, some oral devices can be very expensive and aren’t always covered by insurance, but there are kits available to make one yourself.

4. Practice Facial Exercises

Different types of facial exercises could help strengthen your muscles and improve your breathing, which might lead to less snoring.

Tongue Exercises for Snoring

Tongue exercises can be helpful anti snoring remedies. Simple tongue exercises like sliding your tongue against the roof of your mouth to press the back of your top teeth can strengthen your throat and tongue muscles. Additionally, you can stretch your tongue out to your chin, or against the roof of your mouth as well.

Mouth Exercises for Snoring

Mouth exercises may feel silly, but easy facial movements can help strengthen your face muscle tone to help you close your mouth while you’re sleeping to breathe through your nose. Hook your finger to lightly pull your cheek, then use your muscles to pull it back again. These exercises could assist in mouth closure during sleep.

Practice Nasal Breathing

If you’re a snorer you likely have trouble breathing when you sleep, so practicing could help you improve. Lie down and relax your jaw and mouth, with your finger, gently block one nostril and breath in and out through your open airway a few times, then switch to the other. Practice more on whichever side you find most difficulty with.

Practice Pronouncing Vowel Sounds and Singing

More simple mouth exercises to strengthen the muscles in the back of the throat like singing and repeating sounds could help us with anti snoring techniques. Some believe that repeating vowel sounds, a-e-i-o-u, 10-20 times in a row, could strengthen your soft palate, help open your airway, and improve obstructive sleep apnea to reduce snoring. You could even combine two sounds like, ahhh-ooo, to improve throat muscle tone.

5. Use a Humidifier When You Sleep

If the air in your bedroom is dry, this could make it harder for your nasal passages to drain, possibly exacerbating your snoring. In this case, consider getting a humidifier you can use when you sleep. The humidifier will deliver moisture that helps break up the mucus in your nasal passages so they can drain more easily.

6. Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene

We mentioned above that sleep deprivation could cause someone to snore. Good sleeping habits, also known as sleep hygiene, can help you get more consistent sleep.

People with good sleep hygiene often have a regular bedtime and wake-up time, including on the weekends. Other examples of good sleep hygiene include regular exercise, avoiding electronic screen devices like cell phones and laptops 30 minutes to an hour before bed, and keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.

For more sleep hygiene tips, you can visit our full list of ways to improve sleep quality.

7. Keep Your Surroundings Clean

Make sure you wash and vacuum regularly as allergens can easily hide in fabrics. Allergies can inhibit sleep and cause congestion that can result in snoring. Another helpful tip for those with allergies is to invest in a hypoallergenic mattress and other allergy-proof bedding.

8. Try Losing Weight

Lifestyle changes aren’t easy, but if you’re struggling with snoring and sleep apnea, you may want to lose weight. According to Harvard Medical School³, if you lose weight and sleep on your side, it’s been shown to alleviate snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

9. Stay Hydrated

Just as dry air can prevent your mucus from loosening, so can dehydration. Thick mucus can clog your nose and obstruct your throat. If you’re struggling with snoring or sleep apnea, drink plenty of water so your nose and mouth can breathe more easily.

10. Get Rid of Bad Habits

Kicking the following habits may help your snoring and sleep apnea.

Smoking

Next to losing weight, if you’re a regular smoker, cutting back could be a tremendous help for snorers. Smoking irritates the throat, causing inflammation that can lead to snoring⁴ and worse obstructive sleep apnea.

Alcohol

Research has found a link between alcohol and worse snoring⁵. When you consume alcohol, your throat muscles relax. As a result, this can heighten snoring and exacerbate sleep apnea.

What Causes Snoring?

There are different reasons why someone might snore. Sleeping on your back could cause you to snore because there is an obstruction in the airway or collapse of the soft palate. Big or small, that could cause obstructive sleep apnea or create a vacuum in the airways that translates into a snorer.

Usually, people who snore with their mouths open have problems with throat tissue, however, those who snore through their nose with a closed mouth could have a blockage in their nasal passage. In other cases, snoring might be due to consuming alcohol or sleep deprivation.

Understanding how and why you snore will help you solve your snoring mystery and find a great natural remedy.

How to Know if You Snore

If you sleep with a partner, you’ve likely heard about their desire for you to stop snoring. However, if you sleep alone in bed, it’s more difficult to know. In this case, you might try recording yourself while you sleep to see if that produces any evidence.

Looking for more solutions? Explore our picks for the best beds for snoring.

When Should You See a Doctor About Snoring?

If all else fails, it’s likely time to consult your healthcare provider. They could provide proper counseling on how to lose weight, why you’re having trouble doing so, how to stop sleeping on your back, how to perform beneficial tongue and mouth exercises, and more. Additionally, if they believe you have a more severe form of sleep apnea that’s causing your snoring, they might suggest a more preventative measure like a CPAP machine. Either way, if you’ve done all you can, consulting a health professional never hurts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a higher pillow stop snoring?

Yes, getting a higher pillow can help keep your head elevated during sleep. Studies show that sleeping at more of an incline can help reduce snoring and so can sleeping on your side or stomach rather than back.^{7, 8} 

What’s the trick to no longer snoring?

Snoring can be caused by a variety of things, so the trick to stop snoring for good is to find out what is causing your snoring and then address this root issue. For example, if your snoring is caused by excess weight, all sorts of treatments can help temporarily, but the snoring will keep coming back until you get to a healthy weight. Likewise, if you are snoring because you are sick or have allergies, the snoring won’t go away until you’ve treated the allergies or sickness.

To find out what is causing your snoring, talk to your doctor. They may recommend you see a sleep specialist if they suspect you have sleep apnea.

Why do I snore so badly?

Most people snore occasionally for a variety of reasons. However, if you snore loudly and frequently, it may be because you have an underlying issue like sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous sleep disorder. If you snore loudly most nights of the week, you should speak to your doctor.

How can I stop snoring naturally?

Some natural ways to stop snoring include sleeping on your side or stomach rather than your back, losing weight, drinking plenty of water during the day, avoiding alcohol or sedative medications at night, avoiding any foods you might have a sensitivity to, sleeping at more of an incline with a higher pillow or adjustable base, quitting smoking, and clearing up any congestion you might have.⁶