This is how you stop snoring, says experts
Words by Alanya Smith
Photos: Getty
Most people will at some point will snore, even if you aren’t currently guilty of it. In fact, YouGov reports that one in five Britons are routine snorers during their sleep. It’s not something to worry about, but managing your sleep can be essential for building healthy sleeping patterns and making sure that you’re getting enough rest.
If you’re getting poor sleep or ignoring the risk factors of heavy snoring, it could lead to negative long-term impacts to your health. Recognising the signs of poor sleeping patterns and building positive sleeping routines can be the simple step for looking after your physical health in the long-term and leaving you with more energy each day.
‘Sleep is your body’s reset button’, says sleep clinician Joshua Piper from Resmed UK, ‘It’s when you recover, process memories and get ready to face the day.’
‘If you’re running on empty, you’ll feel it: grogginess, irritability and a general sense that you're not quite firing on all cylinders. Over time, poor sleep can affect your mood, memory, productivity and even your immune system, making it harder to keep up with life’s demands. People don’t realise how much sleep underpins everything from how sharp you feel to how well you cope with stress. Giving sleep the attention it deserves is one of the simplest ways to feel better, think clearer and get the most out of your day.’
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Why do we snore?
Snoring isn’t a sign of poor health or fitness, but it can be completely natural and genetic. Snoring is simply the body’s way of making an oscillating, vibrating noise as we breathe during our sleep.
‘Snoring is often dismissed as a harmless quirk, but it’s actually caused by the vibration of a floppy airway as air passes through during sleep,’ says Joshua.
‘This can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or weight. While sometimes it’s just a nuisance for your partner (who may suffer more than you!), snoring can also signal something more serious like obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA occurs when the airway repeatedly closes off, stopping your breathing and forcing your brain to hit the emergency button, lifting you out of restorative sleep.’
What are the dangers of snoring?
Sleeping can have a hidden impact on your hearing and ear health, with snoring adding unnecessary strains to you and your partner’s ears. Kimberley Bradshaw, head of online medical content at Hearing Aid UK, says: ‘The really concerning bit is that chronic snoring often signals sleep apnoea, where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts.’
‘These episodes create pressure fluctuations that can damage the tiny hair cells in your cochlea - once these are damaged, they don't regenerate. We're talking permanent hearing loss.’
‘Regular snoring also leads to chronic inflammation in your Eustachian tubes - those passages connecting your middle ear to your throat. When these become blocked, you're setting yourself up for ear infections and that horrible "blocked ear" feeling that won't shift. There's also emerging research showing that reduced oxygen levels from sleep apnoea can affect blood supply to your inner ear, compromising function night after night.’
Prioritising a good night’s sleep as party of a healthy, balanced lifestyle is essential, says sleep expert Charlie Morley: ‘Sleep is really, really good for us. We are better at literally everything we can measure when we get sufficient sleep. Sufficient sleep means sleeping for about 30 years, approximately a third of our life.’
What does healthy sleeping look like?
The average adult should be sleeping for roughly 8 hours each night, with a minimum of seven hours to give us the energy boost we need each day. If you’re struggling to stay awake in the day and often resort to napping to recharge and refresh you, it’s likely that your body is telling you it’s not getting enough rest.
Charlie says: ‘Insufficient sleep, now classed by the National Sleep Foundation as fewer than seven hours per night, leads to measurable cognitive impairment, and there is no biological function in the body that is not adversely affected by it. Poor sleep impacts every part of our life, from cognitive ability – a sleepless night leads to 40% less memory storage – to weight loss, because dieting while sleep-deprived loses muscle, not fat.’
‘Even immune function is affected, as we have a whopping 70% drop-in immune cell activity after a night of poor sleep,’ Charlie adds ‘Insufficient sleep affects wider society, too, with sleep deprivation being directly linked to tens of thousands of traffic accident deaths every year and to a 170% increase in major surgical error.’
Ideally you should be sleeping throughout the evening without any interruptions. If you’re waking up routinely in the night to go to the bathroom, this may be reducing your energy levels and making you feel exhausted the following day. Try going to the bathroom before you go to bed to create a positive routine that means your bladder won’t dictate your sleeping pattern for the evening.
Whilst sleeping your breathing should be clear and undisturbed, reducing the opportunity for snoring and making sure that your body is getting as much oxygen as it needs. Charlie says: ‘Evidence shows that coherent breathing significantly improves the symptoms of anxiety disorders, PTSD, trauma, stress-related disorders, inflammation, depression and, of course, troubled sleep. One of the most remarkable benefits is that it may have a similarly detoxifying effect on the brain as deep sleep. This is due to the increase in blood flow that it creates.’
How can we tackle snoring?
There are simple methods that can help you to build positive sleeping routines that can reduce your snoring and not compromise your ability to rest and relax. Doing light stretching before bed to remove tensions built up in your posture and lower back in the day can be an effective method for improving mobility.
If you regularly struggle to get to sleep, consider changing your evening routine to make yourself more relaxed and tricking your body into being prepared for recharging. Joshua says: ‘Building good sleep habits starts with consistency and small, achievable changes.’
‘I always say, sleep thrives on rhythm. Try to wake up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends) and getting some sunlight first thing to help set your body’s internal clock. Create a simple wind-down routine in the evening: dim the lights, put your phone away, do some light chores. Whatever you find relaxing that signals to your body that it's time for sleep. Your bedroom should be a haven for sleep (and, if you're lucky, a bit of romance). Keep it cool, dark and free from distractions like TVs or laptops.’
‘Don’t aim for perfection overnight. Even ten minutes of downtime before bed can make a difference. Small, steady steps can lead to big improvements in your sleep quality over time.’
Early intervention can make a real difference to your health and quality of life
Kimberley agrees that adapting your evening routine can help to create a snore-free space at home: ‘Keep your sleeping environment clean and allergen-free, as irritants cause inflammation affecting both sleep quality and Eustachian tube function. Temperature matters too - a slightly cool room (around 16-19°C) with moderate humidity prevents dry air that irritates your airways and ears.’
‘Here's something most people get wrong – they blast music or television right until bedtime. Your ears need time to wind down, so aim for quieter activities in the hour before sleep. If you need background noise, opt for consistent white noise rather than varying audio.’
Making small changes to your lifestyle can also help to prepare your body for a quiet night’s rest. Keeping hydrated can be a key step in looking after your health. Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep expert at Oak Tree Mobility, says: ‘Keep those airway muscles toned and hydrated by drinking around 2 litres of water each day, and minimising diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol can make snoring worse because it's a sedative, which can further relax your throat muscles.’
Switches in your diet can also help to improve your snoring. Dr Nerina says: ‘If you're overweight, your snoring may be exacerbated because the pressure on your windpipe when you're laying down is increased. As a guide, a collar size of over 15 is more likely to increase the chances of snoring. The key here is to minimise excess weight with regular exercise and following a healthy diet.’
Focusing on your breathing through meditative activities like yoga can also help to build breathing patterns that can positively impact your physical health. ‘One of the best ways to do that is a technique called coherent breathing which can be practised by simply counting the length of your breaths,’ Charlie advises ‘It can be practised with your eyes open or closed, as a formal meditation practice or informally wherever you are: sitting at your desk, on your morning commute or taking a walk in the park.’
When should I be worried about my snoring?
If your snoring is a concern, it might be worth consulting a doctor if changing your routine hasn’t impacted your snoring levels. Getting help from a medical professional may be a great step for recognising if your snoring is being caused by any underlying health concerns or if further intervention is needed.
‘Left untreated, OSA can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other health issues,’ says Joshua ‘If you or your partner notices loud snoring, gasping, or pauses in breathing at night, it’s wise to consult a healthcare professional for a sleep assessment. Early intervention can make a real difference to your health and quality of life.’
How can changing our sleeping patterns support people with trauma?
Sleeping impacts all parts of our lives, not just our physical energy levels. By focusing on creating positive habits in our sleeping, we’re taking positive steps in protecting our emotional wellbeing. For people who have experienced trauma or severe events, sleep can be a transformative tool in improving your quality of life.
‘Not in all cases, but in some, trauma can sometimes be the root cause to disturbed sleep,’ says Charlie.
‘Trauma is the result of any stressful experience that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope and to integrate their response to that stressful experience. In fact, many of the effects of trauma – anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, sleeplessness – are caused not so much by the trauma itself, but more by the dysregulation of the nervous system that the trauma creates.’
‘Crucially, it is an individual’s subjective experience that determines whether an event is traumatic or not. Some people are traumatised by a warzone experience, others by social media bullying. A broken heart can be worse than a death for some, and a pet dying can be worse than losing a human family member for others. Trauma is highly personal.’
What products will help you get better sleep?
There’s a host of products on the market that can help you get to sleep and make sure that your sleeping won’t keep those around you awake at the same time. Some of our top recommendations include:
Snoring Strips
A small bit of tape may be an easy step for opening up your nasal passage and letting you breathe unobstructed for a quiet night sleep. Nasal strips will lift and stretch the skin on the bridge of the nose to enable clear breathing and reducing the air resistance in your nose, with many adhesive strips available to buy on the high street.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender contains a sedative property that can help you drift off whilst smelling great at the same time. It’s why you may have seen lavender pillow sprays, body creams and fabric softeners celebrating the floral smell on their packaging. Why not try a lavender sleep mask to help you drift off and smell great in the process?
Mouth Tape
Although it may seem shocking at first, more products taping your mouth at night are beginning to appear as both a preventative of snoring and a fool-proof way to make your skin under your jaw firmer, tenser and rejuvenated to look younger. This new trend has been claimed to support people with mild sleep apnoea, so might not be the best thing to try if you’re a heavy snorer.
‘Mouth taping is something that could reduce snoring,’ says Charlie, ‘I’m a big advocate of sleeping with your mouth closed for other beneficial reasons too. Breathing through your mouth is bad for you.’
Herbal Teas
Caffeine free herbal teas like chamomile and valerian root have been found to improve sleep quality for people who suffer insomnia due to their naturally occurring sedatives. A herbal tea before bed could help you stay hydrated and signal to your body that it’s time to rest.
Plenty of companies offer gift bundles to help you create the perfect night’s sleep – why not try the box below to see if it helps you drift into a silent slumber:
The Sleep Box by The Nourish + Flourish Box, £78
Are you sleeping in the best position for your health?
Your body position as you sleep might be making a bigger impact to your physical health than you recognise. Sleeping on your side or stomach may be adding extra pressure onto your spine and torso that can cause muscle and bone stiffness that can leave you with lower back and chest pain. Sleeping with your head resting at a high elevation on lots of added pillows and cushions can also add pressure onto your neck that could be causing damage to your circulation and the base of your skull.
‘Back sleepers are more susceptible to snoring,’ says Dr Nerina, ‘Having good pillow support under your head and neck or, if you have an adjustable bed, sleeping with your head slightly elevated, should help.’
For the best night sleep that protects your spine and posture, aim to lie flat on your back with your head lightly elevated. This can enable a clear circulation of oxygen to enter your body and prevent any further obstructions to your breathing. Lying flat can also evenly distribute your weight and prevent any added pressure to your lower spine that could be worsening your posture.
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