Many people snore in their sleep, however for some individuals, snoring in their sleep can be a significant issue with serious side effects, especially for an accompanying bed partner. Typically, the cause of snoring is not necessarily indicative of a life-threatening ailment, but it may be a sign that there’s a problem with the tongue, airways, nasal passages, or throat. Either way, chronic snoring can become disruptive over time.
Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can make and natural snoring fixes to mitigate these sleep issues. Read on for our best tips on anti snoring help to reduce snoring and get a good night’s sleep.
Read More: Our Favorite Beds For People That Snore
Understanding What Causes Snoring
To combat the issue, we must understand what might cause snoring. Sleeping on your back could cause you to snore because there is an obstruction in the airway or collapse of the soft palate. Big or small, that could cause obstructive sleep apnea or create a vacuum in the airways which translates into a snorer.
Usually, people who snore with their mouths open have problems with throat tissue, however, those who snore through their nose with a closed mouth could have a blockage in their nasal passage. Understanding how and why you snore will help you solve your snoring mystery and find a great natural remedy.
How to Know if You Snore
If you sleep with a bed partner, you’ve likely heard about their desire for you to stop snoring. However, if you sleep alone in bed, it’s more difficult to know. There are convenient sleep apps you can download to your smartphone that will not only let you know if you snore, but your quality of zzz’s as well.
The Top 9 Permanent Natural Remedies for Snoring
There are numerous over-the-counter medications designed to help sleepers stop snoring, but not everybody wants to fill their body with chemicals to snooze more peacefully.
That's where inexpensive natural remedies come into play.
Snooze with Good Posture
Experts agree that most people don’t stay still while sleeping, but most also concur that a person’s sleep posture is important to their ability to stop snoring. Research shows that laying on the right pillow might be a great way to stop sawing logs, especially when side sleeping.
Just keep in mind that sleeping on your back causes the throat tissues to relax, which slightly blocks the airway. If you know that snoring is caused by blockages in the airways, it would make sense to sleep with a good pillow while laying on your side.
Try Nasal Valves and Oral Snoring Devices
If all else fails, try what the FDA has approved as a treatment for snoring and sleep apnea – nasal valves. These contraptions are available without a prescription and work by simply expanding the nasal passages so you can breathe better.
Oral devices are great for stubborn snoring problems because they move the jaw slightly open the airway. However, some oral devices can be very expensive and aren’t always covered by insurance, but there are kits available to make one yourself.

Tongue Exercises for Snoring
Tongue exercises can be helpful anti snoring remedies. Simple tongue exercises like sliding your tongue against the roof of your mouth to press the back of your top teeth can strengthen your throat and tongue muscles. Additionally, you can stretch your tongue out to your chin, or against the roof of your mouth as well.
Mouth Exercises for Snoring
Mouth exercises may feel silly, but easy facial movements can help strengthen your face muscle tone to help you close your mouth while you’re sleeping to breathe through your nose. Hook your finger to lightly pull your cheek, then use your muscles to pull it back again. These exercises could assist in mouth closure during sleep.
Practice Nasal Breathing
If you’re a snorer you likely have trouble breathing when you sleep, so practicing could help you improve. Lay down and relax your jaw and mouth, with your finger, gently block one nostril and breath in and out through your open airway a few times, then switch to the other. Practice more on whichever side you find most difficulty with.
Practice Pronouncing Vowel Sounds and Singing
More simple mouth exercises to strengthen the muscles in the back of the throat like singing and repeating sounds could help us with anti snoring techniques. Some believe that repeating vowel sounds, a-e-i-o-u, 10-20 times in a row, could strengthen your soft palate, help open your airway, and improve obstructive sleep apnea to reduce snoring. You could even combine two sounds like, ahhh-ooo, to improve throat muscle tone.
Use a Humidifier When You Sleep
Clinical research shows that when the air you breathe in at night is dry you will most likely start snoring even if you don’t already do so. Extremely dry air can exacerbate the membranes in your airway passages, restricting your natural breathing rhythms and making the loose tissues vibrate when you inhale or exhale. To prevent this, simply use a humidifier with a HEPA filtration system in the room where you sleep. Be sure to check the filter as often as possible to prevent allergen buildup and expulsion.
TIP: Add peppermint or eucalyptus oil to the water to clear out the sinuses.

Maintain a Good Sleep Hygiene
People with good sleep hygiene often have a regular bedtime. During the week try going to bed at the same time daily to develop a regular circadian rhythm. Additionally, you might want to avoid alcohol. Sleeping on your side instead of your back can help, as well as keeping up with your throat, nose, tongue, and mouth exercises. These could all be considered various and indirect types of sleep medicine, which may not seem like they help with sleep, but they certainly won’t hurt.
Keep Your Surroundings Clean
Make sure you wash and vacuum regularly as allergens can easily hide in fabrics, causing your mouth to become dry. Allergies can inhibit sleep and be one of the main causes of snoring and can even lead to obstructive sleep apnea. When allergens are present, your throat loses some of its natural lubrication, that can contribute to snoring. This can not only hinder our own sleep but cause sleep disorders for bed partners as well.
Consider Losing Some Weight
Lifestyle changes aren’t easy, but if you’re struggling with snoring and sleep apnea, you may want to lose weight. We’re all about body positivity, but breathing and sleep are critical for our health, and a great way to help is through weight loss. According to Harvard Medical School, if you lose weight and sleep on your side, it’s been shown to alleviate snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Those who lose weight may find it easier to do side sleeping as well.

Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can exacerbate snoring through the mouth and throat. When your body is lacking water, your throat’s lubrication is compromised, creating excess mucus. Mucus in the throat and nose can block your nose, obstruct airways, cause snoring, and exacerbate obstructive sleep apnea. Dehydration also thickens whatever mucus is existing. Thick mucus can clog your nose and obstruct your throat, especially if you sleep with an open mouth. If you’re struggling with snoring or sleep apnea, drink plenty of water so your nose and mouth can breathe easily.
Get Rid of Some Bad Habits
A cranky spouse or beau in bed who's been disturbed in the middle of the night from a comfortable sleeping position is no fun. Kicking the following habits may help your snoring and sleep apnea.

Smoking
Next to losing weight, if you’re a regular smoker, cutting back could be a tremendous help for snorers. Smoking irritates the throat, causing inflammation which leads to snoring. Additionally, smoking relaxes you, possibly loosening up muscles and weakening those in the back of the throat, essentially undoing progression made from throat or tongue exercises.
Alcohol
Similar to cigarettes, alcohol relaxes your muscles as well. While this can be a wonderful stress reliever at times, when you drink more your throat muscles relax. As a result, this can heighten snoring and exacerbate sleep apnea. If you’re looking for quality sleep, avoid alcohol especially if you have work the next day.
Caffeine
While some studies have shown no harmful effects associated with caffeine, it’s still a debated topic. Some researchers provide medical advice suggesting a potential connection between the two. While there isn’t any concrete evidence yet, it doesn’t hurt to cut out caffeine from your diet to see if it has any positive anti snoring effects.
When Should You See a Doctor About Snoring?

If all else fails, it’s likely time to consult a medical doctor. While they may suggest something as simple as sleeping supine on a tennis ball, regardless, their guidance should be well researched and medically reviewed.
They could provide proper counseling on how to lose weight, why you’re having trouble doing so, how to stop sleeping on your back, how to perform beneficial tongue and mouth exercises and reduce any risk factor. Additionally, they may find that your specific body type needs a more preventative measure like a CPAP machine. Either way, if you’ve done all you can, consulting your doctor never hurts.
Conclusion
Learning how to prevent snoring can feel like an endless endeavor, particularly when you can’t watch yourself, or even be mindful while you’re doing it— because you’re asleep. You may be suffering as a result, and your bedfellow might be as well, fortunately, there are home remedies without necessarily resorting to medical intervention.
We hope that with a few of the simple tips we’ve discussed, like face exercises, weight loss, and hydration, your snoring can improve. With side sleeping, some regular exercises, a steady routine, and good sleep habits, you could be well on your way to being an A+ sleeper.
NOTE: If you still snore after utilizing these natural remedies, consult a specialist right away as it may be a sign of something that requires more comprehensive medical attention.
Sources and References:
Jill Zwarensteyn is the editor for Sleep Advisor and a certified sleep science coach. She is enthusiastic about providing helpful and engaging information on all things sleep and wellness.
Based in Los Angeles, she is an experienced writer and journalist who enjoys spending her free time at the beach, hiking, reading, or exploring new places around town.
She’s also an avid traveler who has a personal goal of being able to successfully sleep on an airplane someday.