Snoring may not seem like a very big deal. “It is considered a social condition that’s often disturbing the sleep of the bed partner,” says Thomas Kilkenny, DO, director of the Institute for Sleep Medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York.
And it may not be more than an annoying habit. But it could also indicate a current health issue or lead to one in the future depending on what’s causing it.
Snoring happens when your airway becomes blocked, and the tissue of your nose, mouth, and throat vibrate against each other as you breathe.
A big cause of this airway blockage is your anatomy. “Many people normally have narrow airways, a large tongue, tonsils, or a long hanging soft palate,” Dr. Kilkenny says. “When the muscles in the back of the throat relax at sleep onset, the muscles become floppy and flop about in the airway as you breathe, much the same as a flag flapping in the wind. These muscle movements cause snoring.”
Beyond the way you’re built, there are several other factors that increase the likelihood of snoring. These include:
- Advanced age, because muscle tone decreases as you get older
- Medications and alcohol, which can further relax mouth and throat muscles
- Being male
- Having a family history of snoring
- Allergies or illnesses that block airflow through your nose and mouth
- Higher body weight
Snoring in and of itself isn’t bad, but it could interfere with sleep quality.
“When sleep patterns are disturbed or when one feels that their sleep is not restorative or the day is complicated by excessive sleepiness, snoring could be a concern,” says Peter G. Polos, MD, PhD, a sleep medicine specialist and pulmonologist who is based in Edison, New Jersey.
The most common issue associated with snoring and daytime sleepiness is
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which happens when the airway is blocked or narrowed during sleep.
“Before pursuing treatment for snoring alone, you should be sure to rule out sleep apnea,” Dr. Polos says.
But there are other ways snoring negatively impacts your health. Unaddressed snoring that interrupts your sleep can over time lead to low blood oxygen levels, difficulty concentrating, fatigue and an increased risk of
heart attack,
type 2 diabetes,
stroke, and
high blood pressure.
It’s time to see a sleep specialist when the snoring interrupts your sleep or becomes so loud that your partner complains, Kilkenny says. “This is especially true if the bed partner notices snorting or gasping noises, pausing, or stoppages in breathing that are associated with the snoring,” he says. “Also, if there are any other associated events such as restlessness at night, bathroom trips, tiredness during the day — this should trigger a trip to the doctor.”
The doctor will likely order a sleep study if they suspect you have a sleep disorder, such as OSA.
There are many potential
sleep apnea treatments, including lifestyle changes, using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine or oral device while sleeping, or surgery. There’s also a
prescription medication, Zepbound (tirzepatide), that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for those with both moderate-to-severe sleep apnea and obesity.
It’s important to address sleep apnea because, if left untreated, it can worsen medical conditions such as heart disease or hypertension, Kilkenny says. The right treatment for you will depend on what medical experts are in your area, your insurance coverage, and the severity of your sleep apnea.
However, it’s entirely possible to be a snorer without sleep apnea. “Thirty percent of the population make snoring noises alone (known as primary snoring), but only 5 to 8 percent of the population has OSA,” Kilkenny says.
If that sounds like you, there are some simple changes you can make to help you snore less. Keep in mind the solution to your snoring will depend on what’s causing it.
“Snoring is not a health risk in and of itself and is more of a symptom, so it depends on the cause of the snoring to address the treatment,” says Kendra Becker, MD, a sleep medicine director and internist at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California.
For example, you may be forced to breathe through your mouth because allergies have you chronically congested, or a deviated septum (displacement of the cartilage inside your nose) obstructs your nasal airflow. Treating those can help you breathe easier, and may reduce or eliminate your snoring.
Kilkenny also recommends:
- Losing weight if you’re overweight
- Avoiding alcohol and sedatives such as narcotics and benzodiazepines
- Taking medications to free up congestion when you’re feeling sick
- Sleeping with your head elevated
- Sleeping on your side instead of your back
- Quitting smoking
- Prioritizing sleep quantity and quality
Beyond those lifestyle changes, you can try:
Nasal Strips Designed to Keep Your Nasal Passages Open A study found study participants who wore a nasal strip to bed reported an improvement in sleep quality nearly twice as high as those who used a placebo.
A Snore-Reducing Pillow “These help keep your airway open by repositioning your neck and head,” Kilkenny says, though he admits they aren’t the most powerful way to end snoring. A small study found using a pillow with an expansion angle of 20 degrees resulted in no snoring during the first 30 minutes of sleep, compared with five snoring episodes for those using a standard pillow.
Oral Appliances That Reposition Your Jaw to Maximize Air Flow Oral appliances can greatly reduce or eliminate snoring.
Surgical Procedure “Surgery is usually not recommended for simple snoring,” Dr. Becker says. And insurance companies typically don’t pay for surgical treatments for snoring, Kilkenny says. However, if you have another condition such as OSA, you may benefit from surgery to remove tissue from your mouth or throat. A small study found that the use of a device called a pillar implant to stiffen the soft palate reduced the frequency and loudness of snoring among participants.
What are the chances you can implement the above and stop the snoring for good? “Everything is relative, but if one improves these conditions, the snoring should improve,” Kilkenny says. However, he adds that anatomy is still the major reason snoring develops, and that is more difficult to fix.
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