Snoring - Treatment Overview

Treatment Overview

Snoring is treated through lifestyle modifications such as losing weight (if necessary), quitting smoking, changing sleep habits (such as sleeping on your side instead of your back), and avoiding the use of alcohol and sedatives before bed. If nasal congestion is the cause of your snoring, nasal dilators (such as nasal strips), decongestants, and nasal corticosteroid sprays may be used. Oral breathing devices, which push the tongue and jaw forward to improve airflow, may also be an option.

If snoring continues despite these treatments, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or surgery may be tried. However, snoring is not always considered a medical problem, so insurance may not cover treatment.

Initial and ongoing treatment

Snoring is often treated successfully by making lifestyle changes. These include:

• Losing weight (if necessary).
• Going to bed at the same time every night and getting plenty of sleep.
• Sleeping on your side, not on your back. 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.
• Avoiding the use of alcohol and sedatives before bed.
• Quitting smoking.
• Raising the head of your bed 4 in. (10 cm) to 6 in. (15 cm) by putting bricks under the legs of the bed (using pillows to raise your head and upper body will not work).
• Promptly treating breathing problems, such as a stuffy nose caused by a cold or allergies.
• Using nasal strips, which widen the nostrils and improve airflow.

If nasal congestion is present, you can try clearing your nasal passages or using medications such as decongestants and nasal corticosteroid sprays. These open the airway, permitting a smoother airflow, and may reduce snoring. However, inhaled decongestants should not be used for a long period of time.

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

If your bed partner is bothered by your snoring, he or she may try using earplugs or machines that play ambient music or natural sounds. These can block or cover up the noise.

If snoring continues, your health professional may want to examine you again to see whether you have developed upper airway resistance syndrome or sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which you periodically stop breathing during sleep. For more information, see the topic Sleep Apnea.

Treatment if the condition gets worse

If your snoring gets worse, talk to your health professional. You may need to be tested to see whether you have developed upper airway resistance syndrome or sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which you periodically stop breathing during sleep.

Your health professional may suggest continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). CPAP is the standard treatment for sleep apnea but is rarely used for snoring. For more information on CPAP, see the topic Sleep Apnea.

In extreme cases, the following surgeries may be performed.

• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty removes excess tissue in the throat, widening the airway and leading to a smoother airflow.
• Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty removes excess tissue in the throat using a laser.
• 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.