Snoring can be soft or loud. If you have a bed partner, they may notice that you sleep with your mouth open or that you're restless while sleeping. If snoring keeps you or your bed partner from getting a good night's sleep, either or both of you may feel tired during the day.

Call your doctor if you or your bed partner:

• Snores loudly and heavily.
• Snores and feels sleepy during the day.
• Snores and falls asleep at the wrong times, such as when talking or while eating.
• Stops breathing, gasps, or chokes during sleep.

Snoring is the main symptom of sleep apnea. This is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which you periodically stop breathing during sleep.

Watchful waiting

Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach. It may be okay to try it if your snoring doesn't disturb your bed partner or if you aren't overly sleepy during the day. If home treatment doesn't help your snoring, contact your doctor.

Watchful waiting may not be the right choice if you or your sleeping partner snores loudly and heavily, is restless during sleep, is sleepy during the day, or stops breathing when sleeping. These may point to sleep apnea. Contact your doctor.

If you have a bed partner, they may notice that you snore or stop breathing at times during sleep. Stopping breathing can be a sign of sleep apnea. If your doctor thinks that you might have sleep apnea, you will be referred for a sleep study to find out.

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You may be able to treat snoring by making changes in your lifestyle and in the way you prepare for sleep. For example:

• Lose weight if you're overweight.
• Quit smoking.
• Sleep on your side and not your back.
• Limit alcohol and medicines such as sedatives before you go to bed.
• If a stuffy nose makes your snoring worse, use decongestants or nasal corticosteroid sprays.
• Try nasal strips or nasal disks. They attach to the outside of your nose to help with breathing during sleep.
• During sleep, use a device in your mouth that helps you breathe. It pushes your tongue and jaw forward to improve airflow.

If you snore and have sleep apnea, you may be able to use a machine that helps you breathe while you sleep. This treatment is called continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP (say "SEE-pap"). In rare cases, surgery may be used to treat snoring.

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Snoring typically is first treated at home. Here are some things you can do.

• Lose weight.

  Many people who snore are overweight. Weight loss can help reduce the narrowing of the airway. And it might reduce or stop the snoring.

• Limit the use of alcohol and medicines.

  Drinking too much alcohol or taking certain medicines, especially sleeping pills or tranquilizers, before sleep may make snoring worse.

• Keep good sleep habits.

  Go to bed at the same time each night, and get plenty of sleep. Snoring may happen more often when you haven't had enough sleep.

• Sleep on your side.

  This may help stop the snoring. Try sewing a pocket in the middle of the back of your pyjama top. Then put a tennis ball into the pocket, and stitch it closed. This will help keep you from sleeping on your back.

• Sleep with your head raised.

  Raise the head of your bed 10 cm (4 in.) to 15 cm (6 in.) by putting bricks under the legs of the bed. (Using pillows to raise your head and upper body won't work.) Sleeping at a slight incline can prevent the tongue from falling toward the back of the throat. This helps keep the airway open.

• Treat breathing problems.

  Breathing problems caused by colds or allergies can disturb airflow and lead to snoring.

• Use a breathing device while you sleep.

  It helps keep your airway open. This could be a device that you put in your mouth. Other examples include strips or disks that you use on your nose.

• Quit smoking.

  This reduces inflammation and swelling in the airway, which may make the airway narrower.

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