How Do I Stop Snoring?

Breathe Right Nasal Strips

To see if you are a nose snorer, stand in front of a mirror and hold one nostril closed. Close your mouth as well and try breathing through the open nostril. If the nostril tends to collapse as you inhale, hold it open with a bobby pin or matchstick. If this makes your breathing significantly easier then you are a nose snorer and stopping snoring is as easy as propping your nasal cavity open.

Head to your local pharmacy and look for Breathe Right Nasal Strips, which have been clinically proven (in a 1997 clinical trial conducted by the Swedish Sleep Laboratory) to eliminate snoring in habitual heavy snorers.

Not a nose snorer? Try Breathe Right strips anyway. They may open your breathing passage enough to eliminate your snoring.

Another common type of snorer is the "tongue base snorer." In this case, snoring is caused by the tongue sliding backward during sleep and blocking the air passage. To find out if you are a tongue base snorer, stick your tongue out as far as you can and hold it in place by gripping it between your teeth. Then try to make the snoring noise. If the noise is quieter than usual or you cannot make it at all, then you are a "tongue base snorer."

Tongue base snoring is often easily fixed by changing your sleeping position. Try placing a few pillows underneath your back and head so that your upper body is at least six inches higher than the rest of your body. When your head is elevated, your tongue cannot slide backward.

If you find the pillows uncomfortable or ineffective, try sleeping on your side or stomach, which also keeps the tongue from obstructing the throat. If you have a tendency to flip over onto your back while you are sleeping, try attaching a tennis ball to the back of your shirt. If you roll on your back while you are sleeping, the discomfort will cause you to roll back onto your side or stomach.

If none of the above methods work to quell your snoring, it may be time to look at your dietary habits.

For instance, a late-night bowl of ice cream or glass of warm milk could be your trouble. Dairy causes over-production of mucus, which can clog your breathing passages and cause you to snore.

A heavy late-night meal also could be the culprit. Eating a large dinner three or fewer hours before you go to sleep can cause acid reflux. This acid not only damages your esophagus, but can cause you to snore. Try either eating your heaviest meal earlier in the day, or delaying bedtime by a few hours.

If you are significantly overweight, the added weight may be constricting your air passages as you sleep. Dropping the pounds will not only give you a better quality of life, but it will ease your breathing and eliminate your snoring.