How to Stop Someone from Snoring?

For a peaceful night’s sleep, calm and soothing surroundings are a must. How to stop someone from snoring? That’s the question that springs to mind if your partner snores at night. Most adults (almost 45%) snore, be it occasionally or frequently. 

According to a survey, 24 % of Australian men and 17% of the women snore loudly. In most cases, severe snoring is due to obstructive sleep apnea. 

Snoring not only disrupts your sleep but causes various health problems. Snoring due to obstructive sleep apnea can lead to heart problems. Snoring leads to disruption in sleep, be it yours or your partner’s. Disruptive sleep can cause physical and psychological issues like chronic fatigue, anger issues, body pain, headache, and many more.   

Surveys show that snoring can take a toll on a relationship. Sleep deprivation can lead to irritability and even resentment. So before your or your partner’s snoring burdens your relationship, learn ways to stop snoring. 

Every day hundreds of people search the internet for ways to stop the annoying snoring sound. There are many ways to get rid of snoring from lifestyle changes to medical intervention. 

For some people, snoring is due to a blocked nose. In such cases, nasal drops, yoga, and a little bit of steam can do wonders for them. Some people snore due to certain predisposing medical conditions like deviated nasal septum or obstructive sleep apnea. If your snoring is the result of a health condition, you need medical intervention. 

In this article, we will discuss home remedies, lifestyle changes, medical interventions, and anti-snoring devices that will help you or your partner kick snoring to the curb.

But before we jump into the various managements for snoring let’s have a brief look at the reasons why we snore?

• Blocked nose or sinuses:  Blocked nose or sinuses due to allergies or flu can lead to snoring. 

• Obesity: Being overweight leads to deposition of fat around your windpipe, which puts on it while you are in a laying position. It causes the narrowing of the air passageway leading to snoring. 

• Age: As you age, the muscle tone in your throat decreases. It can lead to narrowing of the air passageway while you are in a laying position.

• Certain medications: Tranquilizers like lorazepam (Ativan) and diazepam (Valium) can cause snoring.

• Smoking and alcohol consumption: Smoking and drinking alcohol has been linked to snoring. 

• Sleep posture: People that lay flat on their back are more likely to snore than people who sleep on their side. 

• Obstructive sleep apnea: This is the end of the snoring spectrum. In this condition, the soft tissue and muscles of the upper airway relax and collapse repeatedly causing breathing difficulty and snoring.  

Now that you had a look at some of the causes of snoring; let’s explore various ways you can fight snoring.  

How to Stop Someone from Snoring Using Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes?

How to stop someone from snoring? In most cases of snoring, simple lifestyle changes help. Following are a few home remedies and lifestyle changes that may help you to stop snoring:                                                                  

• Weight loss: As mentioned, the solution to your snoring problem lies in finding the cause of snoring. If you have recently gained weight and started to snore then the most likely cause of your snoring is weight gain. When you gain weight around your neck region can put pressure on your throat and narrow your airway. This effect is more prominent when you lay down and it causes snoring. Proper diet and exercise can help you lose weight and regain your sleep.  

• Change in Sleep Position: A thing as simple as changing your sleeping position can help you to stop snoring. Studies show that people who sleep flat on their backs are more likely to snore. People who sleep in an elevated head position and on their side are less likely to snore. Proper sleep posture can be the solution to your snoring problem. 

• Humidifier: Snoring in winters is more common than in the summertime. It is due to dry air inhalation. Dry air can lead to throat irritation and worsen nasal congestion. You can place a humidifier in your room while sleeping. It helps to reduce nasal congestion and reduces snoring. 

• Clear Nasal Passage: Nasal congestion is one of the most common causes of snoring. Clearing your nose before you go to sleep can help you to stop snoring. Using nasal drops, neti pot, and nasal sucker can help clear your nose. 

• Yoga: Yoga helps to center your body and rejuvenate your mind. Deep breathing yoga can help strengthen the muscles in your throat. It helps to reduce snoring and gives you better sleep. 

• Avoid Smoking and Alcohol: Smoking irritates the membranes of the nose and throat. Irritation can cause inflammation of the soft tissues of the air passageway, which causes the narrowing of the airway and is the main reason for snoring in smokers. Quitting smoking is hard but if you are determined to improve the quality of your sleep then taking this step is a must.

Alcohol can reduce the resting tone of the muscles in your throat. When the muscle tone decreases, it causes more vibration of the muscles and soft tissue during breathing. It produces the annoying snoring sound. Try to avoid drinking alcohol near your bedtime. It can help you to stop snoring.   

• Exercise: Exercise, in general, helps to reduce snoring. You do not need to do hardcore weight loss exercise to help you stop snoring. There are specific exercises to help tone up the muscles of your throat. The toned muscles have less give and vibrate less. Below are throat exercise specifically aimed at reducing snoring:

ü Repeat each vowel (a, e, i, o, u) out loud for 3 minutes a few times a day.

ü Place the tip of your tongue at the back of your upper front teeth. Now gently slide your tongue backward. Repeat this exercise for 3 minutes a few times a day. 

ü Close your mouth and purse your lips for 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise a few times a day. 

ü Open your mouth and move your jaw to the left side. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Now open your mouth and move your jaw to the right side. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat this 3 to 4 times a day. 

ü Open your mouth and repeatedly contract and relax the muscles at the back of your throat for 30 seconds. 

ü The most fun exercise of all to strengthen your throat muscles is singing.     

Anti-snoring Devices

Snoring does not have to be a part of your life. There are many ways to stop snoring. You can start with lifestyle modification. But those take time and patience. If you want a quick fix then you should try anti-snoring devices. There are many portable and easy-to-use devices available in the market nowadays. Following are a few of these devices:  

• Smart Nora: SmartNora is a contact-free solution to your snoring problem. It is a pillow insert that you can place inside your pillowcase. The basic concept is that the insert will inflate and deflate to alter your sleeping position to prevent snoring. This device consists of the following part. 

• A plastic pillow insert
• A mouse-like listening device (microphone) that detects snoring
• A tube that connects the pillow to the control case 
• A control case that has a pump that helps inflate and deflate the pillow insert. The control case also contains setting buttons.  

You can use the pump with a direct current or you can charge it. The pillow insert is placed in your pillowcase and connected to the control case. You should place the microphone near your face, preferably stuck to your headboard. When you start to snore, the microphone detects the sound and sends a signal to the control panel to inflate and deflate the pillow insert. This gentle motion helps prevent snoring. 

For this device to work best, you should try to sleep in a room that does not have many loud sounds that might trigger the device unnecessarily. SmartNora costs about $359.00 if you order from the official website. You can easily find this device in Australia from an online retailer.  

• VitalSleep: VitalSleep in an anti-snoring mouthpiece. It is a mandibular advancement device that helps reposition your jaw to prevent snoring. It is easy to use. VitalSleep is an auto-adjusting mouthpiece that adjusts to your mouth’s arch shape. 

It is an FDA-approved device with the Accu-Adjust system. It is completely free from latex and BPA.

 It is simple to use. All you have to do is clean the device with mild toothpaste and rinse. Now place this device in your mouth like a denture and sleep. 

Having something in your mouth while sleeping will feel uncomfortable at the start but you will get used to it in 2 to 3 days. VitalSleep also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee. It costs about $ 65 to 99 USD.    

• SomniFix Mouth Strips: SomniFix mouth Strips consist of a gentle mesh. These strips are for people who snore due to mouth breathing during sleep. These strips are placed over your mouth to prevent mouth breathing and to promote healthy and quite nasal breathing. These strips are easy to use. Peel the protective tape and place the strip over your mouth. These strips have variable reviews. They work great for some people and not so great for others. To find the best anti-snoring device for yourself, you first need to identify the cause of your snoring. 

One pack of SomniFix Mouth Strips contains 28 strips and costs about $20. For people living in Australia, $10 delivery charges apply if you order from the official website.  

• AirSnore: AirSnore is a combination of a mouthpiece and nasal drops. AirSnore mouthpiece mouths itself according to the shape of your mouth. It helps to move the jaw a little downward and forward, which creates more space in the airway. It helps alleviate snoring due to the narrowing of the airway. The nasal drops help provide additional support by clearing the nasal passage. 

The Air Snore mouthpiece and nasal drop combo cost about $100 to $150. The official website offers free delivery to Australia.  

• SnoreMicro: SnoreMicro is a nasal device. It has durable silicone nasal buds that are comfortable to use. The nasal buds help keep the nasal passageway patent and reduce snoring. SnoreMicro has two vents inhalation and exhalation. These vents help create positive air pressure in the air passageway, which helps to prevent the collapse of soft tissues during sleep that is responsible for snoring. It is a small, portable device that is easy to use and clean.

SnoreMicro is a cost-effective device that has a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you buy from the official SnoreMicro website, you will get free shipping to Australia and other parts of the world. One SnoreMicro device can cause from $40 to $70. The price depends on whether the official website has any promotional offers at the time or not. 

SnoreMicro may seem uncomfortable to use at the start because let’s face it who is ever used to sleeping with something inserted in their nose. The soft silicone nasal buds of SnoreMicro are comfortable. You get used to it with time.   

Learn more about other anti-snoring mouthpieces here.  

Medical/Surgical Management

In severe cases, snoring results from certain underlying medical conditions. To stop snoring, you need to diagnose and treat those conditions. For this purpose, you will need to visit your primary physician or an otolaryngologist. In this section, we will have a look at medical and surgical management strategies that can help you to stop snoring:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): CPAP is an anti-snoring device. It is under the heading of medical management instead of anti-snoring devices. It is because this is a large and technical machine. This machine is beneficial for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea and related snoring. It blows pressurized air via a mask that you wear over your nose and mouth. It helps to keep your airway patent. 

• Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP):  Excess soft tissue causes vibration while breathing and that vibration, in turn, leads to snoring. In LAUP, the uvula is shortened with the help of a laser and small cuts are made in the soft palate. It is done so that when the tissue stiffens when healed and prevents vibration. 

• Palatal implants or the Pillar procedure: In this procedure, a small plastic implant is placed over the soft palate to prevent it from collapsing that can cause snoring. 

• Custom-fitted dental devices and lower jaw-positioners: The main cause of snoring is the narrowing of the air passage. The narrowing can be corrected by either stiffening of the soft tissue to lowering of the lower jaw. These custom-fitted dental devices help reposition your lower jaw to relieve the narrowing of the jaw.    

• Other surgical interventions: Numerous other surgical interventions can be done to stop you from snoring like a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and somnoplasty. These interventions can help in severe cases of snoring. 

Snoring is a problem faced by almost 40% of the adult population. Most of the cases of snoring are mild and their cause can easily be tackled. But to stop snoring, you need to figure out why you are snoring in the first place. Once you find the root of your snoring reaching the solution becomes easy.  

If you haven’t found the needed answers to ‘how to stop someone from snoring’ then browse our website, or reach out to us and we’ll be happy to elaborate on any questions you may have.