Solutions for Snoring: Treatment Options, from Home Remedies to Surgery

Snoring generally is first treated at home. Treatment includes:

• Losing weight. Many people who snore are overweight. Weight loss can help reduce the narrowing of the airway and possibly reduce or eliminate snoring.
• Limiting the use of alcohol and medicines. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or taking certain medicines, especially sleeping pills or tranquilizers, before sleep may make snoring worse.
• Going to bed at the same time each night and getting plenty of sleep. Snoring may be more frequent when you have not had enough sleep.
• Sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your side may eliminate snoring. Try sewing a pocket in the middle of the back of your pajama top, putting a tennis ball into the pocket, and stitching it closed. This will help keep you from sleeping on your back.
• Promptly treating breathing problems. Breathing problems caused by colds or allergies can disturb airflow, leading to snoring.
• Using nasal strips. Nasal strips, such as Breathe Right, widen the nostrils and improve airflow.

Medicine can help prevent or reduce snoring when it is caused by nasal congestion. Nasal congestion is usually caused by colds or allergies. Medicine may open the nasal passageway, permitting a smoother airflow and reducing snoring. Decongestants and inhaled corticosteroids both reduce nasal congestion. Inhaled decongestants are short-term treatment only and cannot be used long term.

Surgery for snoring is rarely used and only considered in cases of very severe snoring when other treatments have failed.

Surgery is used to:

• Remove excess soft tissue from the throat to widen the upper airway. This may involve removing the tonsils and adenoids and other tissues in the back of the throat (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty).
• Correct an abnormally shaped wall (septum) between the nostrils or remove nasal polyps that block airflow through the nose.
• Change the position of the bony structures in the upper airway, allowing air to flow more freely, especially during sleep. More than one surgery may be needed to make these changes.

Surgery Choices

• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty removes excess tissue in the throat, widening the airway and leading to a smoother airflow. This may reduce snoring.
• Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty uses a laser to remove excess tissue in the throat.
• Radiofrequency palatoplasty is a new procedure that uses an electrical current to shrink and stiffen the back part of the roof of the mouth (soft palate and uvula). When the soft palate and uvula are stiffer, they are less likely to vibrate, and you are less likely to snore.
• Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may be used if you have enlarged tonsils and adenoids that are blocking your airway during sleep.
• Nasal septoplasty repairs and straightens the bone and tissues (septum) separating the two passages in the nose. This procedure is done if a nasal deformity interferes with breathing.
• Nasal polypectomy removes soft, round tissues (polyps) that can project into the nasal passages.

What To Think About

Surgery is rarely used to treat snoring. It may not completely cure snoring, and the risks of surgery may not be worth the small benefit you gain.

Snoring is not always considered a medical problem, so insurance may not cover treatment.

Other treatment for snoring includes continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral breathing devices, and nasal strips.

Nutritional counseling can help people who snore and are overweight.

Other Treatment Choices

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the preferred treatment for sleep apnea. In rare cases, CPAP is considered for snoring. For information on CPAP, see the topic Sleep Apnea.

Oral breathing devices sometimes can treat snoring, especially if it is caused by jaw position during sleep.

Nasal strips to reduce snoring are available in most pharmacies. Nasal strips widen the nostrils and improve airflow.

What To Think About

Many products claim to cure snoring. While some of them may provide some help, others may be of no value or may be harmful. Even if a product helps reduce your snoring, it is important to see a doctor, because snoring is the main symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially serious condition. For more information, see the topic Sleep Apnea.