Why your snoring remedy isn't working

1. It doesn't match your type of snoring

A nasal strip can't stop a tongue from falling back, and side sleeping won't fix a blocked nose. Work out what type of snorer you are and pick the remedy that targets it.

2. Too few nights

Snoring changes with position, sleep stage and much more ¹. A single loud night with a new remedy doesn't mean it failed, and a single quiet night doesn't mean it worked. Give most remedies a week, a mouthguard two, and exercises several weeks.

3. Something else is louder

A remedy can be working while alcohol, a cold or a very late night pushes your snoring up. Record those nights too, and compare like with like. See testing a remedy.

4. It isn't used every night

Positional devices and mouthpieces only work when they're in use, and many people drift away from them. Only 6% of people were still using the tennis ball technique after 2.5 years ², and about half were still using a tongue-retaining device after five ³. Choosing something comfortable is half the battle.

5. A poor fit

Boil-and-bite mouthguards can slip or be too uncomfortable to keep in. Guidelines prefer custom, adjustable devices made by a dentist for sleep apnea ⁵. If an off-the-shelf device seemed to help a little, a custom one may help more.

6. Your nose is blocked

Many remedies, from mouth tape to tongue devices, need a nose you can breathe through. In long-term follow-up, a blocked nose was the strongest reason people gave up a tongue-retaining device ³. Treat the nose first: see a blocked nose and allergies.

7. The goal is too strict

Most remedies reduce snoring rather than abolish it: throat exercises roughly halved snoring in a trial ⁶, for example. A clear, lasting drop in your average is a success, even if you still snore a little.

8. It might be sleep apnea

If your snoring is loud, persistent and nothing touches it, or comes with pauses, gasping or daytime sleepiness, a sleep study can find out whether sleep apnea is involved ⁴. See snoring or sleep apnea?.

Sources

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2. Bignold JJ, Deans-Costi G, Goldsworthy MR, et al. Poor long-term patient compliance with the tennis ball technique for treating positional obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2009;5(5):428-430. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.27597
3. Lazard DS, Blumen M, Lévy P, et al. The tongue-retaining device: efficacy and side effects in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. J Clin Sleep Med. 2009;5(5):431-438. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.27598
4. Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(3):479-504. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6506
5. Ramar K, Dort LC, Katz SG, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring with oral appliance therapy: an update for 2015. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015;11(7):773-827. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.4858
6. Ieto V, Kayamori F, Montes MI, et al. Effects of oropharyngeal exercises on snoring: a randomized trial. Chest. 2015;148(3):683-691. doi.org/10.1378/chest.14-2953
7. Nakano H, Ikeda T, Hayashi M, Ohshima E, Onizuka A. Effects of body position on snoring in apneic and nonapneic snorers. Sleep. 2003;26(2):169-172. doi.org/10.1093/sleep/26.2.169