How To Stop Snoring (13 Hand-Picked Home Remedies)

Will a humidifier help me stop snoring?

Searching the internet for how to stop snoring using home remedies? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I am going to share my top favorite home remedies for tackling snoring. All of these remedies are effective and you can start them right away!

So, let’s get started!

A recent study has revealed that about 45% of adults in the world suffer from regular snoring. Not only that, 75% among them suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. This just tells us that snoring is a serious issue and not to be taken lightly.

Not only can snoring be embarrassing, but it could also cause many health risks. So, if you are a regular snorer, it is about time you take bold steps against it.

There are different ways available to tackle snoring such as surgery, anti-snoring products, natural ways, home remedies etc. Surgery is the most extreme way to stop snoring and it costs a lot. On the other hand, natural home remedies generally don’t cost you a dime, but they need time to produce a result.

Though I am going to share some of the best home remedies to tackle snoring in this article, personally I believe there is a much smarter way to stop snoring. It doesn’t need you to do any exercise, bring a whole lot of change to your diet or use expensive machinery such as CPAP.

The devices I am talking about are the anti-snoring devices widely found in the marketplace. Another quick option is using wedge pillows.

Go ahead and check out those articles but in the meantime let’s try and use some home remedies to help you to stop snoring.


Home Remedies To Stop Snoring

It’s time to get to the good stuff. Here are my hand-picked home remedies that should work against snoring:

1. A Healing Diet

A healing diet is one of the best home remedies to prevent snoring. Not only for snoring, but it can also resolve hundreds other health issues. The diet needs to be anti-inflammatory which will heal you from inside.

The diet needs to be free from any food that you are sensitive to.

Remove these foods from the diet:

  • Foods that contain refined sugar
  • Refined grain
  • Foods that are enriched in glycemic
  • Meat as well as dairy products
  • Processed foods
  • Fish from farms
  • Highly processed oils e.g. soybean, canola, vegetable, safflower as well as cottonseed
  • Any food that you are allergic to and may create inflammation such as soy, corn, gluten, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts etc.

Include these foods in your diet:

  • Include foods that are non-GMO, organic and unprocessed
  • Meats from grass-fed and pasture-raised animals
  • Wil-caught Fish 
  • Foods that are low in carbohydrates
  • Colourful fruits and vegetables
  • Leafy green vegetables such as shallots, leeks, asparagus, cucumbers etc.
  • Foods that are low on the glycemic index such as lemons, limes, berries, and apples (granny smith)
  • Healthy fats such as avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, and grass-fed butter.
  • Foods that are enriched in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and Omega-3 fatty acids such as grass-fed beef and dairy, wild-caught salmon etc.

A healing diet helps to reduce inflammation, toxic load in the body, stabilize your blood sugar, provides the necessary nutrients, and maintain a healthy pH level in the blood.

2. Changing Sleeping Position

I have talked about the importance of the sleeping position to stop snoring details in this article.

Basically, people who sleep on their back are more prone to snoring. It is because, when you are lying on your back, it makes the soft palate and the tongue fall to the back of the throat. This causes a vibrating sound when you are sleeping.

Sleeping on your side (aka Side-Sleeping) prevents this situation. Many people find body pillows to be very helpful for side sleeping. If you want to get a body pillow, make sure it can support your entire weight.

One easy hack to prevent yourself from sleeping on the back is taping tennis balls on the back of your trouser. Also, sleeping elevated helps to prevent snoring.

3. Lose Weight

Obesity is one of the most common reasons for snoring. Though physically fit people also snore, it has been seen that people who are overweight snore more compared to the one who are fit.

If you have suddenly gained some extra weight and started snoring, then it is pretty obvious to find out the fact that the extra weight is causing you to snore. Take necessary steps to lose those extra pounds.

Especially, extra fat around the neck is more responsible for snoring. This extra fat reduces the diameter of the internal throat, which makes you more likely to snore while you sleep. It is because the air can’t pass way freely through the throat.

An easy way to lose weight is to consume the right amount of calories for your weight and body structure. Also consistent physical exercise every day, even if it is for a few minutes will help. You can also ask the help of a nutritionist to draw you a diet chart.

Here are some steps that will help you to lose weight:

  • Go to step 1 and follow a healing, anti-inflammatory diet. By following the diet mentioned in step 1, you’ll see quick loss of extra fat from your body.
  • Exercise daily no matter what. Make it a part of your daily routine. Only diet can never bring out the result you expect. Proper weight loss is a combination of diet and exercise.
  • High-intensity exercises with in-between intervals are the best way to deal with stubborn body fat. It also helps to increase the quality of your muscle tone. This is important because too relaxed muscles result in snoring.
  • Intermittent fasting can also be a great way to quicken the process of weight loss.

4. Say No To Alcohol

Alcohol makes your muscle relaxed, especially the muscle around your throat. When your muscles are relaxed, they are more likely to vibrate and cause snoring. Especially having alcohol before hitting the bed makes you more vulnerable to snoring.

Don’t drink alcohol for at least 3 to 4 hours before hitting the bed.

5. Using Essential Oils

Using essential oils can help a great extent to stop snoring. Essential oils have healing properties that help to get rid of mucus and lessen the level of inflammatory response in your body. This makes breathing much easier which in turn helps to stop snoring.

Some common essential oils that are great for snoring are tea tree, eucalyptus, clove, peppermint etc. Peppermint is particularly great for snoring as it contains Rosmarinic acid.

Rosmarinic acid helps to reduce the production of inflammatory chemicals, contains anti oxidative properties and promotes cells to yield molecules that contribute in keeping the nasal airways open and free.

Here are some ways you can use essential oil:

  1. In order to stop snoring, a great way to use essential oil is diffusing it. Get an essential oil diffuser and place it in your bedroom. Turn the diffuser ON before you get to sleep. A good measurement is to add 3-4 drops of oil in about half glass of water. We love this one from Amazon and it’s got some great reviews
  2. Inhaling or applying essential oil is also a great way to get the benefits from it. To inhale the essential oil, there is no need for any other tools. Just put 3-4 drops of oil between your hands, rub your hand, place them over your nose and take a few deep breaths.
  3. Essential oils can also be applied topically with a carrier oil such as coconut oil.

No matter how you use essential oils, they are a great natural remedy to stop snoring.

6. Good Sleep Routine

You need to create a good sleep routine and maintain it. A bad sleep routine is equally responsible for snoring as alcohol. Not sleeping enough, working long hours the next day will definitely make you overtired when you finally hit the bed.

As a result, your muscles will start to get droopier, which will definitely cause you to snore.

That’s why creating and maintaining a good sleep routine is imperative to prevent snoring. It also enriches the quality of your sleep.

7. Mouth Taping

Changing the way you breathe can help you significantly to stop snoring. Most of us breathe through the mouth. Mouth breathing is one of the most common reasons for snoring.

There is a direct correlation between mouth breathing and the sympathetic nervous system. Mouth breathing can trigger the sympathetic nervous system. When this nervous system is triggered, it produces a large number of stress hormones which result in higher sugar levels in the blood. Higher blood sugar levels interfere with sleeping and cause snoring.

On the other hand, when we breathe through the nose, it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. This nervous system signals healing, digestion, rest and regeneration. That’s why nose breathing helps to lower the stress hormone, aids in healing digestion and also encourages relaxation. These result in free airflow and prevent snoring.

So, if you are a mouth breather, it is high time you change that and practice to breathe through the nose. However, if you are mouth breathing for a long time, it can be really difficult to change that. But there is something you can start with. All you need to do is tape your mouth before you go to sleep. It will force you to breathe through the nose. The best tape of this purpose is the Micropore paper tape.

Yoga could also help you change the way you breathe. Check out the article here

8. Elevated Sleeping

It has been seen that elevated sleep helps a long way to prevent snoring. This is because when your head is elevated a few inches above, it helps to keep the airways open.

About 4-inch elevation is quite perfect. There are special elevated pillows in the market just for this purpose.

9. Clearing Nasal Passages

If your snoring is happening in the nose, then a blockage in the nasal passages might be the culprit. When blockage occurs in nasal passages, it creates a hindrance to the fast-moving air, which results in snoring. Think of it like this, if you reduce the diameter of a water pipe, then the water will flow through it more rapidly, right? The same thing happens here.

Blockages can be created in the nose for many reasons such as cold, polyps etc.

There are many ways you can clear your nasal passages. Some of them are:

  • According to most, taking a hot shower before you go to the bed will make your nasal passages clear. Also while you are showering, don’t forget to rinse out your nose thoroughly with water. A Neti pot such as this one can also be used for this.
  • There are some products such as nasal strips, nasal dilators, and others that are specifically designed to prevent snoring that is caused by nasal blockages. You can definitely give them a try! Check out our article on them here
    • Here is the way to use nasal strips: place the nasal strip on the bridge of your nose. It’ll expand the space inside the nasal passage. This will help a lot to make your breathing easier and more effective.
    • Nasal dilators are also effective. They are just simple hardened adhesive strip which is applied across the nostrils. Nasal dilators help to reduce the airflow resistance, thus helps to prevent snoring.

10. Trying Out New Pillows

Allergens and dust are the most difficult criminals to put up with. In maximum cases, allergens and dust contribute to snoring. With time, dust and allergens often start to pile up on your bed and pillows. If you haven’t done yet, replace your pillows regularly.

A common cause of allergy is dust mites. Dust mites are responsible for creating allergic reactions which in turns cause snoring.

If you have pets and allow them to sleep on the bed, that might also cause you to snore. It is because many people are allergic to pet hair and dander. When your pet sleeps with you on the bed, there will obviously be pet hair lying around on the bed. It can cause you to snore.

The easy solution to this problem is to replace your pillows regularly, keep them as clean as possible. Also, it is recommended to change your bed sheet on a regular basis. The more you can keep these dust-free, the lesser chance there is for you to snore.

11. Drink Lots of Water

Drinking water is a common solution to almost every health issues these days. No exception in this case too. Drinking enough water and staying hydrated help to prevent snoring at a large scale.

When you are dehydrated, the soft palate, as well as the secretions from the nose, gets stickier, which cause you to snore. Dehydration is the underlying reason for a thousand other diseases too. You should drink at least 2-4 liters of water a day which is approximately 8 to 16 glasses of water.

Staying hydrated is a free yet a highly effective solution to snoring.

12. No Sedatives Before Bed

Taking sedatives just before hitting the bed can encourage snoring. If you need to take sedatives, talk with your consultant and ask him if there is any way he can change the time of taking the sedative.

13. Use a Humidifier

Dry air is responsible for snoring in many cases. It is possible that the dry air in your room is causing you to snore.

The best way to tackle this situation is to get a humidifier. The humidifier works really great for this purpose. They can quickly increase the moisture content in the air. You just need to turn ON the humidifier before you go to sleep.

The humidifier will help to clear the nasal passages while you sleep. As a result, you’ll not suffer from snoring. Also, humidifiers help a lot if you are suffering from cold or allergens. One of the ones I use is this one.

Causes and Factors That Contribute To Snoring

Generally, snoring occurs when you have narrower airways and air passes through it fast. Airways can get narrower due to many reasons such as- deviated septum, elongated tonsil, elongated uvula, polyp etc. Other events such as inflammation or nasal congestion or allergies can contribute to snoring.

These are the most common reasons for snoring:

  • Obesity
  • Smoking
  • Consuming alcohol
  • Having sedatives
  • Elongated tonsil, uvula, septum or nasal polyps
  • Allergy
  • Nasal congestion or inflammation
  • Side effects from certain medicines
  • Severe mouth breathing

Sleep Apnea: The Secret Enemy

If you are suffering from severe snoring for quite some time now, then sleep apnea can be the secret reason. Sleep apnea is a serious health issue. It occurs when breathing is interrupted while sleeping. It is often seen that people choke or gasp during sleeping when suffering from sleep apnea.

These are the symptoms of sleep apnea:

  1. Fatigue
  2. Being too tired throughout the day
  3. Headaches in the morning
  4. Poor sleep quality
  5. Being unable to concentrate on anything
  6. Poor attention period

Snoring & Health: How It Affects?

Snoring affects health mainly in two ways: being too tired throughout the day due to poor quality sleep and sleep deprivation.

Not only the one who snores, the partner also suffers from these health issues. These issues can lead to-

  • Imbalance in blood sugar
  • Inflammation
  • Increased secretion of cholesterol
  • Increased risk of different heart-related diseases as well as kidney diseases
  • Higher risk of diabetes and stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Obesity etc.

When You Should See A Doctor?

You should immediately see a doctor if you are suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious health issue which creates difficulty in breathing.

Here are the symptoms of sleep apnea. Consult with a doctor immediately if you see one or more of these symptoms in conjunction:

  • Gasping/choking when you are sleeping
  • Loud snoring or snoring very often
  • Morning headaches
  • Discontinuities in breathing
  • Poor sleep quality
  • Being sleepy throughout the whole day
  • Waking up from sleep with a sore throat or dry mouth
  • Problems in memory
  • Often urinating throughout the night
  • Suffering from mood swings, depression etc.

Sleep apnea is far more dangerous than snoring. It can lead to very serious health issues. Sleep apnea puts a strain on the heart which can result in different types of heart diseases. Also, other organs are affected by it too.

So, a proper treatment is highly recommended!

Final Words

So this is my guide on how to stop snoring home remedies. I hope the remedies shared in this article will help you to stop snoring.

If none of these works, I’ll highly urge you to give these devices a chance as well as they have helped millions of people. One thing doesn’t work for all and you might have to try a few things before you find what works for you. 

Let me know if you have any question in the comment box below. I’ll try to get to you as soon as possible.

 

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