How To Finally Stop Snoring

It’s a common occurrence at night: You settle down for a peaceful sleep, only to be awakened by what sounds like someone turning a chainsaw on and off.

You hear the noise again, and this time, you realize that your partner is snoring—loudly. After waking up your partner and expressing your annoyance, your partner turns over, falls back asleep, and the snorts, gasps, and chainsaw noise start all over again.

Snoring frustrates both bed partners. If you snore, you may get tired of your partner nudging you awake, telling you to turn over and stop snoring. If you are the nudger, not only are you annoyed, but you’re having to decide whether you’re going to sleep on the couch.

If you’re facing this issue, you are not alone. Snoring affects billions of people worldwide, according to Patrick McKeown, an advisor to the International Academy of Breathing and Health and the author of The Breathing Cure: Develop New Habits for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life. 

Snoring is one of the top reasons that one-third of American couples choose to sleep in separate beds, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The good news is that snoring does not have to affect relationships because it’s preventable, and more serious issues involving snoring are treatable.

According to McKeown, there are two distinct types of snoring: mouth snoring and nose snoring. Mouth snoring involves breathing through the mouth instead of the nose during sleep. Nasal snoring happens when your nasal passages are partially blocked and produce rumbling or whistling sounds. McKeown explained that nasal congestion, a deviated septum, or narrow nasal passages can contribute to nose snoring.

For some people, snoring is just a minor annoyance. But for others, it could be a sign of a serious health problem, McKeown said.

“Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from obstructive sleep apnea—a condition that is often associated with heavy snoring,” McKeown told USA Today.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the windpipe gets blocked as you sleep and causes you to stop breathing, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This can wake you up frequently at night and leave you feeling exhausted the next day. If not treated, obstructive sleep apnea can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and cognitive impairments.

Snoring, whether mild or severe, becomes more prevalent with age and is more common among men than women, “though post-menopausal women show a higher incidence,” Dr. Ann Kearney, a speech-language pathologist at Stanford University Medical Center, told USA Today.

The Most Common Causes of Snoring

According to sleep specialists, some people snore due to:

• Allergies
• Drinking alcohol
• Certain foods
• Sinus problems
• Anatomy of one’s mouth

One of the most notable causes of snoring is obesity, according to Dr. Nina Shapiro, a professor emerita at UCLA and a pediatric otolaryngologist at Westside Head and Neck in Los Angeles. Dr. Shapiro explained that redundant tissues in the neck and throat can cause a blockage that leads to snoring. 

Another cause of snoring is swollen esophageal tissue from Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also known as GERD or acid reflux), which can partially block the airways.

There are different causes of snoring for children, teens, and the elderly, according to Shapiro. When it comes to children, snoring is most commonly due to enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids, she said.
“Elderly adults may also develop weakness of the muscles of the palate and neck, leading to blocked breathing and subsequent snoring,” Shapiro told USA Today.

How To Finally Stop Snoring

If your snoring has become a nuisance, there are ways to prevent it or get it under control. Kearney said the first step is to figure out what is causing your air passageways to narrow. Kearney suggests doing this by looking into:

• Structural/anatomical factors
• Obesity
• Nasal congestion
• Poor muscle tone
• Whether you’re a mouth breather or a nose breather
• Your sleep position at night
• The medications you take that could affect how you sleep or the muscles in your mouth

So, how would you obtain such information? You can do this by:

• Having your partner monitor or record you while you sleep
• Review your diet
• Find out what a healthy weight is for your age, height, and gender
• Using an app that monitors breathing patterns and sleep quality

You may also want to visit a sleep specialist for a formal evaluation.

Some Snoring Solutions

There are several solutions to snoring problems that the sleep specialists offered to USA Today:

• If no serious problems have been detected and you are a mouth snorer, McKeown said many people opt for mouth taping to keep their mouths closed at night. He cited a 2022 study in which “participants who used mouth tape to promote nasal breathing during sleep experienced a 47% reduction in snoring.”
• If you have nasal congestion, a simple nose unblocking exercise can help. McKeown suggests using breathing techniques to reduce turbulence in the airway by slowing and normalizing breathing volume, “leading to quieter nights.”

• Losing weight, if needed, can help reduce snoring by a good deal, according to Shapiro. She also recommends sleeping slightly elevated with an extra pillow or switching to sleep on your side instead of your back.

• Rule out sickness or potential allergies as other contributing factors.

• To determine the severity of your snoring, Shapiro recommends visiting a sleep specialist who can offer treatment options, which “may include using a CPAP machine, oral appliances, or any number of proven surgeries.”

“Combining measures to address the causes of snoring can lead to quieter, healthier nights and better overall well-being,” McKeown said. “With the right tools and knowledge, you can transform snoring from a nightly frustration into a manageable condition to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.”

Source Links:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/11/28/how-to-stop-snoring/87468295007/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24443-obstructive-sleep-apnea-osa