The most effective ways to stop someone from snoring depend on what’s causing it, but a few changes work for the majority of snorers: switching to side sleeping, avoiding alcohol before bed, and losing even a small amount of weight. For persistent snoring, oral appliances and mouth exercises can make a real difference. Here’s what actually works and why.
Why Snoring Happens
As someone falls into deep sleep, the muscles in their throat, tongue, and soft palate relax. These sagging tissues narrow the airway, and as air pushes past them, they vibrate like a loose sail in the wind. Anything that makes the airway even slightly narrower, from extra weight around the neck to a stuffy nose, turns up the volume.
Some people have anatomy that makes snoring more likely: a thick or low-hanging soft palate, enlarged tonsils, or an elongated uvula (the small piece of tissue dangling at the back of the throat). A deviated septum or chronic nasal congestion also contributes. But for many snorers, the biggest factors are ones you can change.
Get Them Off Their Back
Sleeping on the back is the single most common trigger for loud snoring. Gravity pulls the tongue and soft tissues backward, narrowing the airway further. In one study, positional therapy reduced overall snoring time from about 37% of the night to just 16%, a roughly 64% improvement.
The simplest trick is sewing a tennis ball into the back of a sleep shirt or placing a firm pillow behind the snorer to prevent them from rolling over. Wedge-shaped body pillows also work well. Some people use wearable vibrating devices that gently buzz when they roll onto their back, training them to stay on their side without waking up. These don’t require any adjustment period and often produce noticeable results the first night.
Cut Alcohol at Least 4 Hours Before Bed
Alcohol is a muscle relaxant, and the throat is no exception. Even a couple of drinks cause the tissues in the mouth and throat to go slack, making them more likely to flutter and block airflow. The effect is dose-dependent: more alcohol means louder snoring, even in people who don’t normally snore. The general guideline is to finish the last drink at least four hours before bedtime, giving the body enough time to metabolize the alcohol before sleep.
Sedating medications, including some antihistamines and sleep aids, can have a similar effect on airway muscle tone. If the snorer takes any of these regularly, it’s worth discussing alternatives with their doctor.
Lose Weight Around the Neck
Excess fat deposits around the neck physically compress the airway. Men with a neck circumference over 17 inches and women over 16 inches are at significantly higher risk for loud snoring and sleep apnea. The good news is that you don’t need dramatic weight loss to see improvement. Losing just 5 to 10% of body weight can decrease both how often and how loudly someone snores, because it reduces fat around the neck, decreases airway narrowing, and lowers inflammation in the throat tissues.
For a 200-pound person, that’s 10 to 20 pounds. It’s not a quick fix, but it’s one of the most effective long-term solutions.
Try Mouth and Throat Exercises
Myofunctional therapy sounds clinical, but it’s essentially a workout routine for the tongue and throat muscles. Stronger muscles are less likely to collapse during sleep. The routine takes about 10 minutes and should be done twice a day for best results. A few of the core exercises:
- Tongue slide: Press the tip of your tongue against the top front teeth, then slowly slide it backward along the roof of the mouth. Repeat 5 times.
- Tongue stretch: Stick the tongue out as far as possible, trying to touch the chin while looking at the ceiling. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
- Cheek press: Hook a finger inside the cheek and push outward while contracting the cheek muscle inward against it. Repeat 10 times on each side.
- Palate press: Press the entire tongue flat against the roof of the mouth and hold for 10 seconds.
These exercises take several weeks of consistent practice to produce noticeable changes, so they require patience. But they’re free, have no side effects, and can complement any other approach.
Nasal Strips and Internal Dilators
When nasal congestion or structural narrowing is part of the problem, opening the nasal passages can reduce mouth breathing and quiet snoring. External nasal strips are adhesive bands that pull the nostrils open from the outside. They work best for mild congestion or weakness in the external nasal valve.
Internal nasal dilators are small silicone or plastic inserts placed inside the nostrils. They target the internal nasal valve, which is often the narrowest part of the airway at just 10 to 15 millimeters wide. Research suggests internal dilators may be more effective than strips, particularly for people with a deviated septum or other structural issues deeper in the nose. Neither option addresses snoring that originates in the throat, so they work best in combination with other strategies.
Mandibular Advancement Devices
These are custom or semi-custom mouthpieces worn during sleep that push the lower jaw slightly forward, pulling the tongue and surrounding tissues away from the back of the throat. Across multiple clinical studies, mandibular advancement devices consistently reduced snoring along with daytime sleepiness scores. In one study of 41 patients, the severity of airway obstruction dropped by more than half.
Over-the-counter “boil and bite” versions cost $30 to $100 and give a rough sense of whether the approach helps. Custom devices fitted by a dentist cost more but offer better comfort and jaw alignment, which matters for long-term use. Common complaints include jaw soreness and excess saliva for the first week or two, though most people adjust.
When Snoring Signals Something Serious
Not all snoring is harmless. If the person you’re trying to help also gasps, chokes, or stops breathing during sleep, they may have obstructive sleep apnea. A simple screening tool called the STOP-BANG questionnaire flags risk based on eight factors: loud snoring, daytime tiredness, observed pauses in breathing, high blood pressure, BMI over 35, age over 50, neck circumference of 16 inches or more, and male sex. Three or more “yes” answers suggest a meaningful risk.
Sleep apnea is treated with a CPAP machine, which delivers a steady stream of air pressure through a mask to keep the airway open. It remains the gold standard treatment and is highly effective at eliminating both snoring and dangerous breathing pauses. Many people resist the idea initially but find that modern CPAP machines are quieter and more comfortable than older models.
Surgery is an option when structural problems are clearly identified and other treatments haven’t worked. The most common procedure, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, removes excess tissue from the throat. Success rates vary widely depending on the patient’s anatomy, ranging from about 8% to 70% depending on how the airway obstruction is staged. It’s typically a last resort rather than a first step.
What the Bed Partner Can Do Tonight
While waiting for the snorer to address the problem, the person losing sleep has options too. Earplugs with a high noise reduction rating are the most direct solution. One study found that bed partners who wore earplugs reported better sleep quality and higher daytime energy. White noise machines or smartphone apps won’t fully block out snoring, but they can mask enough of the sound to help you fall asleep and stay asleep through lighter snoring episodes. Combining earplugs with white noise provides the most relief.
If the snoring only happens when the other person rolls onto their back, a gentle nudge to get them onto their side often solves it immediately, at least until they roll back again. That’s why the positional training tools mentioned earlier are worth investing in: they automate the nudge so both of you can sleep through the night.