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How to Stop Snoring — and When Snoring Is a Sign of Something Serious

Most snoring improves with positional and lifestyle changes: sleeping on your side, avoiding alcohol before bed, and treating nasal congestion are the highest-yield first steps. But loud, frequent snoring with gasping, choking, or excessive daytime sleepiness can signal obstructive sleep apnea — a condition that needs diagnosis, often via a home sleep test.

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Nina Osei, NP — Nurse Practitioner

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What causes snoring?

Snoring is the sound of turbulent airflow through a partially narrowed upper airway — the throat, soft palate, or nasal passages — during sleep. When muscles relax during sleep, soft tissue can vibrate as you breathe.

How much the airway narrows depends on anatomy (the structure of your nose, throat, and palate), body weight, muscle tone, and what's in your system. Some degree of snoring is common. Loud, chronic, or positionally independent snoring is a sign the airway is more significantly obstructed.

What actually helps — starting with no-cost changes

Sleep on your side. Tongue and soft tissue fall backward when you're on your back, narrowing the airway. Many people snore significantly less on their side. Sewing a tennis ball into the back of a sleep shirt, or using a body pillow, can help you stay in that position.

Avoid alcohol within 3–4 hours of bedtime. Alcohol relaxes airway muscles more than normal sleep does and is one of the most reliable ways to worsen snoring in people who are susceptible 1.

Maintain a healthy weight. If overweight, even modest weight loss often reduces snoring meaningfully — neck fat pressing on the airway is the mechanism.

Address nasal congestion. A blocked nose forces mouth breathing, which worsens snoring. Nasal strips, saline rinses, or treating allergies or sinusitis may help.

Avoid sedating medications in the evening where medically possible — discuss any changes with your prescriber.

Maintain consistent sleep. Severe sleep deprivation causes heavier sleep with more muscle relaxation and worse snoring 2.

What devices and procedures are available?

When behavioral changes help but don't fully resolve the snoring — or when sleep apnea is ruled out and snoring is still a problem — a clinician can discuss several options:

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs): Custom or over-the-counter mouthguards that shift the lower jaw slightly forward to open the airway. These have decent evidence for reducing snoring and mild sleep apnea. A dentist or sleep specialist can fit a custom device, which is more effective and comfortable than over-the-counter versions.

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure): If sleep apnea is diagnosed, CPAP is the gold-standard treatment — and it eliminates snoring as a side effect 3. A mask delivers gentle air pressure to keep the airway open. It requires adjustment but is highly effective when used consistently.

Surgical options: ENT surgeons can address anatomical contributors such as a deviated septum, nasal polyps, enlarged tonsils, or soft palate changes. Surgery is considered when anatomy is clearly contributing and less invasive options haven't worked. Results vary by individual and procedure.

Over-the-counter nasal strips: May help if nasal obstruction is a primary contributor. Chin straps and anti-snoring sprays have limited evidence.

When is snoring a sign of sleep apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing brief breathing pauses. Each pause triggers a micro-arousal — often too brief to remember — that fragments sleep profoundly. Over time, untreated OSA is associated with elevated blood pressure, increased cardiovascular risk, and impaired daytime function 3.

Key warning signs that snoring may be sleep apnea: - Witnessed pauses in breathing, or choking and gasping sounds - Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate sleep time - Waking with headaches - High blood pressure that is difficult to control

Important: loud snoring is not the same as sleep apnea. Many loud snorers don't have apnea, and some people with sleep apnea don't snore noticeably. A sleep study is what separates these.

Home sleep apnea tests — a small device worn overnight — have made evaluation much more accessible. Your primary care clinician can order one 3.

Special note for pregnancy: new-onset snoring in the third trimester can be a sign of gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia and should be evaluated promptly.

Common questions

Can losing weight stop snoring?

Often yes, and it is one of the most effective modifiable interventions. Excess weight around the neck increases upper airway resistance during sleep. Even modest weight loss in people who are overweight or obese frequently reduces snoring and can improve sleep apnea severity.

Do nasal strips or anti-snoring devices from the pharmacy work?

Nasal strips may help if nasal obstruction is a primary contributor to your snoring — they physically widen the nasal passage. Over-the-counter mandibular advancement devices are less precise than custom-fitted versions from a dentist or sleep specialist but can provide some benefit. Most other over-the-counter anti-snoring products have very limited evidence.

How do I know if I should get tested for sleep apnea?

If you snore loudly and have any of the following, a sleep study is worth discussing with your clinician: a partner has witnessed you stop breathing, you feel excessively sleepy during the day despite enough time in bed, you wake with headaches, or you have blood pressure that is difficult to control. A home sleep apnea test is the typical first step and can be ordered by your primary care clinician.

Is snoring worse with alcohol?

Yes — alcohol relaxes the muscles of the upper airway more than normal sleep does, narrowing the passage and amplifying vibration. People who only snore occasionally often find that cutting out alcohol in the evening 3–4 hours before bed eliminates or substantially reduces snoring.

Talk to a clinician

Nina Osei, NP — Nurse Practitioner

checkups, refills & skin. Gale can match you with a licensed clinician for a visit.

Find care →

When snoring needs prompt evaluation

  • —Witnessed breathing pauses during sleep — someone stops breathing and then gasps or chokes awake
  • —Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate time in bed, especially if it affects driving or work safety
  • —Waking with headaches, especially in the morning
  • —Waking with a choking or gasping sensation
  • —New-onset loud snoring in pregnancy, especially in the third trimester
  • —Child who snores loudly most nights — pediatric sleep apnea needs evaluation

This article is general health information and is not a substitute for a medical evaluation. Loud or disruptive snoring, especially with daytime sleepiness or witnessed breathing pauses, should be discussed with a licensed clinician.

References

  1. 1.Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB (2013). Alcohol and Sleep I: Effects on Normal Sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. doi:10.1111/acer.12006 ✓Alcohol reliably worsens snoring by relaxing upper airway muscles more than normal sleep does
  2. 2.Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. (2015). Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. doi:10.5664/jcsm.4758 ✓Sleep deprivation increases sleep depth and muscle relaxation, which worsens snoring — consistent sleep reduces this contributor
  3. 3.Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, et al. (2017). Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnostic Testing for Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6506 ✓Home sleep apnea testing and polysomnography are the standard diagnostic pathways for OSA; CPAP is the gold-standard treatment when apnea is confirmed

3 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice — synthetic demonstration content.