How to Stop Snoring: What Works and What Doesn’t

Why do people snore?

When you sleep, the muscles of your throat, tongue and soft palate relax. If the airway narrows enough, the air you breathe makes those tissues vibrate, and that is the sound of snoring.

It is very common. About 40 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women snore at least mildly on some nights.¹

What causes snoring?

• Sleeping on your back, which lets the tongue and soft palate fall backwards
• Alcohol, which relaxes the throat muscles further
• Extra weight, particularly around the neck
• A blocked nose from a cold, allergies or sinus trouble
• Smoking. In a study of more than 15,000 adults, current and former smokers were more likely to snore habitually, and so were people regularly exposed to other people’s smoke²
• The shape of your airway, including large tonsils or a small jaw
• Pregnancy, ageing and some medicines that cause drowsiness^1,10

How to stop snoring

Start with the causes you can change.

• Sleep on your side. For people who snore or stop breathing mainly on their back, devices that keep them off it reduce breathing disturbances⁴
• Skip alcohol in the evening. Higher alcohol intake is linked with a 25 per cent higher risk of sleep apnoea, the severe end of snoring³
• Lose weight if you carry extra. Weight loss reduces the severity of sleep-disordered breathing⁸
• Treat a blocked nose. Managing allergies or congestion makes nose breathing easier
• Quit smoking²
• Keep regular sleep hours. Being overtired deepens sleep and relaxes the throat more

Devices and treatments

• Mouth splints. A custom splint made by a dentist holds the lower jaw slightly forward to keep the airway open. Sleep specialists recommend these for adults who want treatment for snoring without sleep apnoea⁷
• Mouth and throat exercises. A review of nine studies found that a program of tongue and throat exercises reduced how loud and how often adults snored. It takes daily practice over weeks⁶
• Nasal strips and dilators. They open the nostrils and can make nose breathing feel easier, but a review found they did not improve sleep apnoea. They are worth trying only if a blocked nose is your main problem⁵
• CPAP if a sleep study shows sleep apnoea. See sleep apnoea
• Surgery for a small number of people with a clear blockage, such as very large tonsils¹⁰

Sprays, special pillows and chin straps are widely sold. None has good evidence behind it.

Does mouth taping stop snoring?

Taping the lips shut at night has spread through social media. A 2025 review of ten studies found little evidence of benefit and warned of a potentially serious risk of harm, particularly for people who can’t breathe well through their nose or who have undiagnosed sleep apnoea.⁹ It isn’t recommended.

Is snoring dangerous?

Snoring without breathing pauses or daytime symptoms is mostly a nuisance, though it can wreck a partner’s sleep. The concern is that loud, regular snoring is the main sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, where the airway repeatedly closes. That condition affects health and safety, and it is treatable.^10,11

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if you snore and any of these apply:

• Someone has noticed you stop breathing, gasp or choke in your sleep
• You wake unrefreshed or with headaches
• You are sleepy during the day, or have dozed off while driving
• You have high blood pressure
• Your snoring started suddenly or has become much louder

Doctors often use a short checklist called STOP-Bang to decide who needs a sleep study.¹²

References

1. healthdirect. How to stop snoring.
2. Franklin KA, Gíslason T, Omenaas E, et al. The influence of active and passive smoking on habitual snoring. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(7):799-803.
3. Simou E, Britton J, Leonardi-Bee J. Alcohol and the risk of sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med. 2018;42:38-46.
4. Srijithesh PR, Aghoram R, Goel A, et al. Positional therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;5(5):CD010990.
5. Camacho M, Malu OO, Kram YA, et al. Nasal Dilators (Breathe Right Strips and NoZovent) for Snoring and OSA: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pulm Med. 2016;2016:4841310.
6. Camacho M, Guilleminault C, Wei JM, et al. Oropharyngeal and tongue exercises (myofunctional therapy) for snoring: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;275(4):849-855.
7. Ramar K, Dort LC, Katz SG, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Snoring with Oral Appliance Therapy: An Update for 2015. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015;11(7):773-827.
8. Hudgel DW, Patel SR, Ahasic AM, et al. The Role of Weight Management in the Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;198(6):e70-e87.
9. Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, et al. Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2025;20(5):e0323643.
10. Sleep Health Foundation. Snoring.
11. Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). Snoring.
12. Chung F, Abdullah HR, Liao P. STOP-Bang Questionnaire: A Practical Approach to Screen for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Chest. 2016;149(3):631-8.