“The main way that snoring impacts health is not really due to the snoring at all—it’s that snoring is sometimes a marker of difficulty breathing at night, which can lead to a wide range of health problems,” says Michael Grandner, PhD, the director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Arizona.
Sleep apnea is the most serious of those health impacts. The condition occurs when there are repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, according to Dr. Grandner. While not everyone with sleep apnea snores, many do. All three doctors say that sleep apnea is a disorder that shouldn’t be ignored.
“If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, degeneration of brain cells, decreased mood and energy, and many other health problems,” Dr. Grandner says.
Simply put, it’s hard to get good-quality sleep if you have sleep apnea. Dr. Zee explains that the disruptions in breathing often cause someone to wake up. Often, these disruptions are so short, they go unnoticed, but they still get in the way of good-quality sleep, which is why sleep apnea can impact energy and mood.
Dr. Lee says that it can be tricky to figure out if you have sleep apnea or if you’re just a loud snorer. If the person you share a bed with notices you waking up trying to catch your breath or choking throughout the night, he says that’s a pretty good indicator you have sleep apnea. If you sleep alone, he says you’ll likely need to go in for a sleep study to find out.
Even if you don’t have sleep apnea, snoring may have other negative health impacts, including on your dental hygiene.
“When you’re snoring, your mouth is open and that dries up the dental area,” Dr. Zee says. A dry mouth increases the risk of cavities, since saliva helps protect against tooth decay, washing away food particles and other harmful bacteria.
The noise of snoring itself is also a health hazard, primarily to anyone else in the room. “A loud snore is the equivalent of sleeping a couple of feet away from a bus or truck that’s starting up,” Dr. Zee says. Sometimes snoring is so severe, it can lead to hearing loss, both for the snorer and their bedmate. A 2023 study conducted by doctors in Adelaide, Australia, found that snoring can reach a peak of 80 decibels, which is roughly the same as a vacuum cleaner.
If you snore only occasionally, Dr. Lee says the reasons could be because of alcohol use, allergies, or an illness—nothing as serious as having sleep apnea. Dr. Zee adds to this, saying that if you’re loud snoring three times a week and experience daytime fatigue or memory issues, it’s a good idea to see a doctor.
With all this in mind, knowing effectively how to stop snoring can improve both your health and your bedmate’s.
Snoring Remedies, Rated by Sleep Doctors
When it comes to how to stop snoring, there’s a range of options to consider. It could be as simple as changing your sleep position. Or it could take a more serious intervention, like wearing a CPAP machine at night. Below are the most common snoring remedies ranked by sleep doctors and guidance on who can benefit from each type of treatment.
Rating: 0/10
