The best anti-snoring devices: wedge pillows, nasal strips and more
While there are no guarantees, experts say certain over-the-counter products can help reduce how much you snore.
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I talked to experts about different types of over-the-counter anti-snoring devices you may want to consider trying and how each one works. All of the products below align with their guidance and fall into three main categories: devices that address sleep position, devices that address the nasal pathway and devices that address the upper airway.
Remember that there’s one caveat when it comes to all anti-snoring devices — they might work. There are no guarantees, and everyone’s body responds differently to each product. Experts recommend approaching snoring aids with an open mind and accepting that it will likely take a lot of trial-and-error to find something that works for you. Remember to always talk to your doctor before trying an anti-snoring device to make sure it fits your needs.
Adjusting your sleeping position is one of the fastest, easiest ways to potentially reduce snoring, experts told me. They unanimously agree that snorers should prioritize side sleeping and avoid back sleeping, which tends to make you snore more. That’s because when you’re supine, gravity pulls the soft tissues around your airway downward and toward the back of your throat, making the area narrower, says Dr. Paul Chung, a physician and an instructor of neurology and sleep medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Sleeping on your side helps keep the airway as open as possible.
To make side sleeping more comfortable, use pillows designed to help keep your spine straight and support your head, neck and shoulders while resting on your right or left. If you’re exclusively a back sleeper, a wedge pillow can help. It elevates your head so you’re not laying completely flat, thus reducing how much the soft tissues around your airway are being pulled downward, says Dr. Andrew Varga, a neuroscientist and physician at the Mount Sinai Integrative Sleep Center. Some brands also make devices that go inside your pillowcase and inflate to elevate your head when their sensors detect snoring sounds in real time, says Varga.
Finally, if you’re looking for a DIY solution to train yourself to sleep on your side, Varga recommends filling a long sock with tennis balls and sewing it to the back of an old shirt. If you start rolling over onto your back while sleeping, the balls will make it uncomfortable, likely causing you to wake up and readjust yourself on your side.
Here are a few pillows and pillow accessories for snorers that align with our experts’ guidance. I chose a few highly rated picks, plus products recommended by NBC Select staff.
The Pillow Cube is a rectangular pillow specifically designed for side sleepers, and it won a NBC Select Bed & Bath Award. You place the bottom of the pillow against your shoulder, and when you lay your head on it, the pillow fills the gap between your head and your mattress. This helps keep your spine straight and aligned throughout the night, according to the brand. The pillow is made from firm foam to support your head’s weight, has a breathable cover and comes with a removable, machine-washable pillowcase. It measures 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and five inches high.
Body pillows are a great option for snorers looking to make side sleeping more comfortable. You can drape your body over the long pillow and hug your arms around it, which can help you stay on your side overnight instead of rolling over onto your back, experts told us. This body pillow comes recommended by Harry Rabinowitz, NBC Select reporter, and it’s adjustable — you can remove its memory foam and microfiber filling to find a loft that matches your preferences. The body pillow’s outer cover is removable and machine-washable, and it measures 54 inches long and 20 inches wide.
Experts recommend looking for wedge pillows that are between 10 and 12 inches high, which elevate your head at about a 30 to 45 degree angle while you’re laying on your back. This one fits the bill at 24 inches long, 24 inches wide and 10 inches high. The pillow’s microfiber, machine-washable cover is zippered and pocketed on both sides so you can store your phone or remote control. And the core is high-density foam to provide pressure relief and comfortable support.
If you love your current pillow but want the benefit of elevating your head to reduce snoring, Smart Nora may be a solution for you. It comes with three parts: an inflatable pillow insert, an air pump base and a microphone sensor. You place the insert inside your pillowcase, which is connected to the air pump base. The microphone sensor that sits on your side table listens for snoring sounds, and when they’re detected, it tells the air pump to inflate the pillow insert to elevate your head. Then, when it no longer detects snoring sounds, the base deflates the insert to lower your head. You can adjust how sensitive the microphone is to snoring sounds, as well as how much the pillow insert moves throughout the night. The Smart Nora is FSA- and HSA-eligible.
If you have allergies, sinus issues or congestion, try to treat that first, says Chung. Your doctor may be able to prescribe nasal spray or recommend an over-the-counter medication. There are also a few products that can help open the nasal pathway.
Nasal strips are flexible stickers that you apply right above the flare of your nostrils. They work to lift the sides of the nose up, which gently pulls your nostrils open and expands the size of the nasal pathway, experts told us. This gives air more space to flow through as you breathe.
I always keep a pack of these nasal strips at home because I have seasonal allergies. I wear them when I’m congested to reduce the chances that I start snoring and immediately feel how much they open my nose when I apply them. The nasal strips come in a pack of 26 and their adhesive has never irritated my sensitive skin. I find that they usually stay in place overnight, but Chung says the one downfall of any nasal strips is that they can unstick while you’re sleeping, especially if you don’t let skin care products dry before applying them. These nasal strips are tan, but you can also purchase clear ones.
Nasal dilators work similarly to nasal strips, but they hold the nostrils open from the inside of the nose instead of the outside. Whether you use nasal strips or nasal dilators is ultimately a personal preference — if you’ve never used either product before, experts say it may be a good idea to try both and see what works for you.
Nasal dilators come in different sizes, so if you’re new to using them, it’s beneficial to buy a pack with small, medium and large options. You can try on each size, find which one is most comfortable and buy just that size the next time you place an order. These nasal dilators are made from a transparent, flexible, medical-grade material. They have a hook whose sides sit inside the nose, while the base rests outside the nose and on top of the nostrils. There are loops on either size of the hook, and you can adjust the size of the loops (narrower or wider) to further customize their fit. You can reuse each nasal dilator up to 10 times, according to the brand.
There are two types of dental devices that can help reduce snoring, both of which work to widen and expand the upper airway.
Mandibular advancement devices (MADs), also commonly called snoring mouthguards, gently pull your lower jaw forward, giving you somewhat of an underbite, says Varga. Since your tongue is attached to your lower jaw, the device helps move the tongue muscle forward toward the front of your face. “This creates more room in the back of the upper airway and puts a little bit of tension on some of the soft tissue, making it less prone to vibrating and therefore less able to make that snoring sound,” says Varga.
Over-the-counter snoring mouthguards have a customizable boil-and-bite design, meaning you put them in boiling water to make them malleable and bite down on them to make an impression of your teeth. The reusable device is then custom-fit to your mouth, so long as you follow the directions properly. Over-the-counter snoring mouthguards don’t tend to work as well as snoring mouthguards dentists can make for you, says Varga. But they’re a more affordable option you can try at home before committing to a pricier model. Over-the-counter snoring mouthguards typically max out around $100, while those that dentists make tend to cost over $1,000 if your insurance doesn’t cover it, says Chung.
Chung says some of his patients have success with this snoring mouthguard. It has a boil-and-bite design and is adjustable — you can choose how much the mouthguard pulls your lower jaw forward by moving the built-in hinge. It’s reusable and typically lasts for about six to 11 months before you’ll need a new one, according to the brand, which recommends cleaning the mouthguard after every use with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Tongue-retaining devices (TRDs) gently pull the tongue forward and prevent it from falling into the back of the mouth while you’re sleeping. You insert your tongue into the device and it holds onto the front part of the tongue throughout the night. Tongue-retaining devices have a similar effect to snoring mouthguards, experts told me, so you can try both to see which one is most effective and comfortable for you.
Good Morning Snore’s tongue-retaining device is one of the most readily available options across retailers. It’s designed to fit most users, according to the brand, which recommends cleaning the reusable device by soaking it in cold water with a denture-cleaning tablet for about 10 minutes and air drying. It may take a few nights before you’re able to keep it in your mouth all night and adjust to wearing it while sleeping, according to the brand.
If your partner’s snoring is preventing you from getting a restful sleep, these products can help you block out the nose.
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers sleep, including stories on slippers, sleep masks and sunrise alarm clocks. For this article, I interviewed three experts about anti-snoring devices and rounded up products that align with their guidance.
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