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• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Adjust the sleeping environment
• Method 2 of 3: Adjust the snoring person's sleeping habits
• Method 3 of 3: Change his or her way of life

A good night's sleep is important for your mental and physical health. Sharing a bed, room, or in serious cases, a house with someone who snores can deprive you of sleep and take a toll on your relationship. Snoring occurs when air cannot flow freely through the nasal cavities, causing the surrounding tissue to vibrate and create the all-too-familiar snoring sound. To prevent someone from snoring, you can adjust their sleeping environment, help change sleeping habits, and suggest if a different lifestyle might be needed so that everyone can get a good night's sleep.

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Method 1 of 3: Adjust the sleeping environment

1. Use pillows to elevate the snorer's head. Raising the head 10 centimeters with one or two pillows will make it easier to breathe and the tongue and jaw will fall forward a little. You can get specially designed pillows to keep the neck muscles relaxed and open, leading to a reduction or elimination of snoring.
   • Keep in mind that it can be difficult for someone who snores not to move or shift around during the night, causing pillows to move or fall back into a position that can lead to snoring. You can counteract this by stuffing tennis balls into the back of the snorer's pajama jacket. This will cause mild discomfort when turning or moving at night, and may prevent the snorer from shifting in his or her sleep.
2. Keep the bedroom moist with a humidifier. Dry air can irritate the nose and throat and lead to congestion and snoring at night. If the person who is snoring has swollen nasal tissues, sleeping with an active humidifier may help. By keeping the air moist at night, the person can suffer less from snoring.
3. Consider separate bedrooms if the snoring is too loud. Some couples, partners, roommates, etc., decide it is better to have separate bedrooms, especially if snoring is chronic. It can be difficult, especially for couples, to sleep separately, especially if either feels guilty or resentful for interrupted sleep, so take the time to talk about this possibility.
   • Explain that you are losing sleep as a result of the snoring and that you feel that it is best for you to sleep in separate rooms because of your sleep schedule and your relationship. Snoring is a physical issue and the result of other ailments or physical problems. It is up to the snoring adult to find a solution, medical or otherwise, to the snoring. However, if none of the solutions seem to work, separate sleeping may be your only option if the problem is caused by an adult. If you are a parent with a child who snores, you will need to help the child to stop snoring.

Method 2 of 3: Adjust the snoring person's sleeping habits

1. Suggest a rinse of the airways at bedtime. If the person who is snoring is struggling with blocked nasal passages, a saline rinse before going to bed can help breathe easier while sleeping. To clean and rinse nasal passages, a Neti jar or nasal spray can help.
   • Nasal strips can help reduce snoring because they can adjust the nasal passages. They do not always help to reduce snoring and some say they are not as effective as a nasal rinse.
2. Tell the snorer not to sleep on the back but on the side. Sleeping on your side rather than your back or stomach will reduce pressure on your throat and prevent snoring. If the person finds it difficult to lie on one side, you can sew a sock or tennis ball into the back of their nightgown. This will lead to mild discomfort while lying on the back unnoticed at night, and help the snorer stay on one side.
   • After a few weeks of sleeping on one side, it should have become a habit and you can remove the tennis balls or socks from the pajamas.
3. Suggest making an appointment with the dentist about anti-snoring devices. People with a snoring problem can sometimes get a custom mouthguard from their dentist to keep the airways open and bring the lower jaw and tongue forward during sleep.
   • However, dentist-made appliances can be expensive, especially if insurance does not cover it. Suggest consulting with their dentist and discussing cheaper options, if necessary.
4. Suggest to the snorer to talk to their doctor about surgery. If the snorer continues to snore despite the changes made to sleeping habits and the sleeping environment, they may want to consider a consultation with a doctor about a medical device or surgery to get rid of snoring. A doctor may recommend the following options, including:
   • Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): This is a machine that blows compressed air in a mask over the nose, or over the nose and mouth, or the entire face. A CPAP machine can help keep the airways open while sleeping.
   • Standard surgery to get rid of snoring: Such surgery will help enlarge a person's airways by removing tissues or correcting any abnormalities in the nose.
   • Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP): This procedure uses a laser to trim the uvula, the soft, hanging tissue at the back of the throat, and make small cuts in the soft palate. As the cuts heal, the surrounding tissue will stiffen and prevent the vibrations in the throat that cause snoring.

Method 3 of 3: Change his or her way of life

1. Suggest weight loss through diet and exercise, if necessary. If the person who is snoring is overweight or has a weight problem, they may want to consider losing weight with a healthy, balanced diet and daily exercise. Being overweight can add more tissue around the neck area and lead to compressed airways, causing louder and more persistent snoring.
2. Suggest not eating or drinking alcohol several hours before going to bed. Drinking alcohol a few hours before bed can relax the airways so that they vibrate during sleep, leading to snoring. Likewise, a heavy meal before bed can cause restless sleep, and with it a lot of snoring and shifting or moving in bed.
3. Recommend daily throat exercises to reduce snoring. Throat exercises can strengthen upper airway muscles and help reduce or prevent snoring. Suggest that the other person does throat exercises daily, starting with one or two sets, and increasing the number of sets over time. Recommend combining exercises with other activities, such as driving to work, housework, or walking the dog. Try the following throat exercises:
   • Repeat each vowel (a-e-i-o-u) out loud, three minutes and several times a day.
   • Push the tip of your tongue behind the top front teeth. Then slide the tongue back (do this three minutes a day).
   • Close your mouth and press your lips together. Hold this for 30 seconds.
   • Open your mouth and shift your jaw to the right. Hold this for 30 seconds. Do the same on the left.
   • Open your mouth and tense the muscles at the back of the throat several times for 30 seconds. Look in the mirror to make sure your uvula (the hanging tissue at the back of the throat) is moving up and down.