Snoring can feel like a small problem until it starts stealing sleep from you, your partner, or both. The good news is that in many cases it’s fixable. Snoring happens when air struggles to move smoothly through your upper airway during sleep, making relaxed tissues vibrate like a loose guitar string.

This guide walks you through what causes snoring, whether snoring is unhealthy, and how can I stop snoring using lifestyle changes, easy home aids, and medical treatments when needed.

What is snoring?

Snoring is the sound you make when air can’t flow freely through your upper airway during sleep.  

As your throat muscles relax, the airway narrows and the soft tissues at the back of your mouth and throat (like the soft palate and uvula) start to vibrate.  

Snoring often gets louder in deeper sleep or when you lie on your back, because gravity lets these tissues fall backward and block airflow more.

What causes snoring?

Snoring happens when the upper airway becomes narrow or floppy during sleep. Usually there are a few causes working together, and fixing more than one often works better than fixing just one.  

Key contributors include:

• Sleeping on your back (supine position): This position allows the tongue and soft palate to fall backward, which partially blocks airflow and triggers vibration.

• Nasal obstruction: A blocked nose due to a deviated septum, enlarged turbinates, nasal polyps, or enlarged adenoids increases resistance and makes snoring more likely.

• Low muscle tone (muscle hypotonia): Alcohol, sedatives, or certain medications relax the throat too much, so the pharyngeal dilator muscles don’t keep the airway open properly.  

• Extra body fat (excess adiposity): Higher BMI (often above ~27) or a larger neck adds fat around the throat (peripharyngeal fat pads), which compresses the airway during sleep. Thus, it causes snoring.  

• Smoking effects: Smoking irritates and inflames the airway lining, causing swelling (edema) or thickening that narrows the breathing space.

• Anatomy: Structural traits such as a long soft palate, large tongue (macroglossia), a lower jaw set back (retrognathia), or enlarged tonsils (tonsillar hypertrophy) can naturally reduce airway size.

Addressing a combination of these causes usually gives better results than focusing on only one.

Other factors that can worsen snoring include sleep deprivation, aging, hormonal changes (like menopause or pregnancy), reflux, and certain medical conditions that affect airway size or muscle tone.

Is snoring unhealthy?

Primary snoring on its own usually isn’t dangerous, but it can still cause problems like dry mouth, a sore throat, or feeling sleepy during the day.

However, loud, regular snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  

In OSA, the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing brief drops in oxygen (hypoxemia) and short awakenings (arousals). Over time, this increases the risk of health issues such as high blood pressure, stroke (about 46% higher odds), heart attack–related deaths, asthma, and COPD.

Even when snoring isn’t OSA, it can still break up sleep enough to cause fatigue, brain fog, poor focus, and relationship stress. Because long-term snoring can sometimes progress into OSA, persistent snoring is worth paying attention to.

How can I stop snoring?

The best way to reduce snoring is to follow a layered approach. Start with simple lifestyle changes, then add sleep-position fixes and home devices if needed and finally move to medical treatment if snoring is severe or linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  

This step-by-step method works because it tackles the main problem behind snoring: a relaxed airway that becomes too narrow during sleep.

Lifestyle fixes

Lifestyle changes can make a big difference because they target causes that increase airway narrowing.

• Lose weight if needed. Extra fat around the neck and throat (called peripharyngeal fat) can press on the airway and make it collapse more easily at night. Even modest weight loss can reduce snoring for many people.

• Avoid alcohol or sedatives before bedtime. Alcohol and some sleep or anxiety medicines relax the throat muscles too much, which lowers pharyngeal tone and makes snoring worse. Try to avoid these for at least 3 - 4 hours before sleep.

• Stop smoking. Smoking irritates the lining of the airway and causes swelling (edema) and inflammation, which narrows the breathing space and increases vibration. Quitting often improves snoring over time.

• Try myofunctional (throat and tongue) exercises. These are simple exercises that strengthen the muscles that hold the airway open (pharyngeal dilator muscles). Studies show they can reduce primary snoring when practiced regularly.

Sleep-position & bedroom tweaks

Many people snore more because of gravity, especially when lying on their back. Positional therapy helps by keeping the airway more open.

• Sleep on your side. Side-sleeping prevents the tongue and soft palate from falling backward and blocking airflow. A body pillow or side-sleeping support device can help you stay in this position.

• Raise your head slightly. Elevating the head of the bed by about 10 - 30 degrees, or using a wedge pillow, can widen the throat space (pharyngeal lumen) and reduce snoring.

• Keep your nose clear. If congestion or allergies are part of the problem, nasal hygiene helps. A saline rinse or irrigation before bed can reduce blockage and improve airflow, especially in allergic or chronic rhinitis cases.

Devices & home aids

If snoring continues after the steps above, certain devices can help depending on the cause.

• Use nasal strips or nasal dilators. These devices widen the front part of the nose (nasal vestibule) and reduce resistance when nasal blockage is a major trigger. They work best for people whose snoring improves when their nose feels clear.

• Consider a mandibular advancement splint (oral appliance). This dentist-fitted mouthguard gently moves the lower jaw and tongue forward, which enlarges the airway behind the tongue (hypopharynx). These devices are supported for primary snoring and mild OSA.

Medical treatments to stop snoring

If snoring is loud, persistent, or comes with warning signs of OSA (breathing pauses, gasping, strong daytime sleepiness), medical treatment may be needed.

• CPAP therapy for OSA. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) keeps the airway open by blowing air through a mask, acting like a gentle air “stent.” It usually stops OSA-related snoring and prevents oxygen drops (hypoxemia).

• Surgery for structural problems. If anatomy is clearly narrowing the airway and conservative treatments haven’t worked, surgery may be considered. Examples include septoplasty to fix a deviated septum, tonsillectomy for enlarged tonsils, or uvulopalatoplasty to reduce excess soft-palate tissue. Surgery is typically a later option after other methods fail.

When to see a doctor? Red flags for sleep apnea

You should see a doctor or get a sleep test (polysomnography) if you notice any of these signs:

• Breathing pauses during sleep. If someone has seen you stop breathing, or you wake up gasping, choking, or snorting, that’s a strong warning sign.

• You feel tired or foggy in the day. This includes heavy daytime sleepiness, poor focus, concentration problems, or waking up with morning headaches. (An Epworth Sleepiness Scale score above 10 also points to excessive sleepiness.)

• You have related health conditions. People with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or a history of heart problems are at higher risk for sleep apnea and should get checked if they snore.

If any of these apply, it’s best not to guess, screening and testing can confirm whether it’s sleep apnea and guide the right treatment.

Soliish: Screen for OSA

If your snoring is loud, interrupted by pauses, or leaves you tired and foggy, the smart next step is screening for OSA, not guesswork. Soliish makes that easy: camera-based screening (FaceX) plus a short intake that blends facial markers and symptom questions to generate an evidence-backed risk signal.  

Based on screening results, Soliish helps guide individuals to next steps, including a telehealth visit with a board-certified sleep physician, a home sleep test, and, when indicated, referral into dental or DME therapy pathways; all without the friction of traditional sleep care.

Choose Soliish and we’ll help you move from suspicion to care - fast and simple.

Resources

1. Stuck BA et al. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019; Diagnosis and Treatment of Snoring in Adults

2. De Meyer MMD et al. Sleep Med Rev. 2019; Systematic review of primary snoring  

3. Dzieciolowska-Baran E et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2010; Snoring - role of laryngologist

4. Kaur S et al. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015; Snoring: Annoyance or Serious Problem?

5. Bai J et al. Front Neurol. 2021; Snoring and Stroke Risk Meta-Analysis  

6. Hägg SA et al. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022; Snoring-Insomnia and Health Effects  

7. Janszky I et al. Sleep. 2008; Heavy Snoring and Myocardial Infarction Outcomes  

8. Hofauer B et al. HNO. 2020; Diagnosis/Treatment of Isolated Snoring  

9. Moffa A et al. J Clin Med. 2024; Positional Effects on Snoring