Mouth taping is a popular tactic to prevent snoring, but does it work? Photo / 123rf
If you snore at night and it’s ruining your sleep – or that of your partner – you’ve probably tried all kinds of remedies, from mouth tape to side sleeping.
But do simple snoring treatments like these really work, and when is it time to talk to a professional?
Dr Angela Campbell is a clinical physiologist specialising in sleep, an associate professor in the University of Otago’s department of medicine and manager of the university’s WellSleep clinic.
She says sleep issues like snoring and sleep apnoea are “hugely common”, though snoring alone doesn’t necessarily mean you have sleep apnoea.
The condition, which causes people to stop breathing while asleep, ranges from mild to moderate and severe.
“Patients’ families often say they hear these pauses where the patient’s not breathing. In fact, they’re trying to breathe, they just can’t get any air in because the airway down the back of their throat’s closed,” Campbell says.
“So they struggle for breath and wake themselves up and take some breath and then go back to sleep, and it happens again and again across the night.”
Campbell says whether or not you snore can be due tbecause of the shape of your face or airway, which is often genetic.
If you have a “short jaw”, where the lower jaw sits further back than the upper jaw, that can put you at high risk of snoring and sleep apnoea.
“When you lie down, all the muscles, when they relax, mean that the jaw can drop backwards and put pressure on the airway and make it close.”
That makes it harder for air to get in and out, causing snoring. Big tonsils and weight gain are also risk factors.
“People who put on a bit of weight, particularly around the neck, [can] end up with little fatty deposits around the airway. When you go to sleep and your muscles relax, they push in on the airway and make it harder for the air to get in and out, causing the air to vibrate, or snoring.”
Snoring alone doesn’t necessarily damage your health, though disrupted sleep for any reason will affect your concentration and energy levels.
“Most people with obstructive sleep apnoea are snorers, so it’s a helpful symptom,” says Dr Michael Hlavac, respiratory and sleep physician and clinical director of Christchurch Hospital’s Integrated Respiratory Service, “but there are lots of people who snore who don’t have sleep apnoea.
“Sleep apnoea is on the severe end of the spectrum. As you get older and if you put weight on, then snoring tends to [cause] more narrowing of the throat and then you get these collapses or obstructive episodes.”
Sleep apnoea affects your brain health because of sleep deprivation and low oxygen from constant waking.
“Every time you have a sleep apnoea event, there’s a drop in oxygen,” says Hlavac.
“Low oxygen is bad for your brain, so people with sleep apnoea become fatigued, they have problems with short-term memory, problems with recall, problems concentrating.”
There is also increasing evidence severe sleep apnoea is a risk factor for developing dementia and has been linked to ADHD in younger people.
Snoring can be connected with high blood pressure, but severe sleep apnoea poses a greater risk – as well as that of a heart attack or stroke.
“If you’ve got sleep apnoea symptoms, then you need a sleep study and then treatment is usually strongly recommended.”
Side sleeping
It’s worth trying to sleep on your side to prevent snoring, Campbell says.
“Quite often, people will snore when they’re on their back and not on their side. You can have sleep apnoea just when you’re on your back and not on your side.”
That’s because sleeping on your back can cause your airway to close because of gravity.
“Sleeping on your side is a really good conservative treatment option. There’s good evidence that, for lots of people, particularly with just snoring or mild sleep apnoea, that will actually help a lot.”
If you’re not used to side sleeping, there are many different devices that can help, or Campbell suggests a DIY tactic.
“Sew a pocket on the back of your PJ shirt and stick something hard like a tennis ball or golf ball in it. Then it’s really uncomfortable to sleep in, so you’ll roll over if you end up on your back.”
Raising head of your bed, adding pillows
If you’re not able to sleep on your side, or find it doesn’t help your snoring, you can try elevating your upper body by adding pillows under your head and shoulders and letting gravity do its thing.
“There’s good research showing that upper body elevation helps with snoring,” Campbell says.
“The airway just becomes more open, basically.”
Nose strips
Plaster nose strips are designed to be worn on the bridge of your nose to physically lift and widen your nostrils, enabling better breathing through the nose.
“But the evidence around stopping snoring is a little bit more wishy-washy,” Campbell says.
“Certainly, breathing through your nose is preferable compared to breathing through your mouth. So, if they help you breathe through your nose, that’s a good thing. But they likely only have a very small – or no – effect on snoring.”
Mouth taping
Mouth taping – placing medical tape over your mouth to force yourself to breathe through your nose instead – is a popular tactic you’ll see on social media, but Campbell isn’t a “massive fan”.
If you struggle to breathe through your nose, then taping your mouth is going to make it hard to breathe at all, which could continue to disrupt your sleep.
“If you’re a mouth breather and you tape your mouth, then it doesn’t leave much option to breathe,” she says.
“You just have to be really careful about taping your mouth. I know that there are lots of products that have come out specifically, special tape that the air can get through and they have a hole in them. But people like to DIY and that’s where things become tricky.”
Humidifier
Some people swear by humidifiers, which add moisture into dry air, to reduce snoring as they can help soothe an irritated nose or throat.
Campbell says, “that’s your nose’s normal job – to humidify the air”.
“If you have a particularly dry room, I can’t imagine that it would do anything around snoring. [A humidifier] might, if you are a mouth breather, make your mouth less dry... but I’ve not seen anything about using that to help with sleep.”
Mouth guard or snoring guard
An anti-snoring mouth guard or mouthpiece works by gently pulling your lower jaw forward to help keep your airway open.
This could be helpful for people with a short jaw, which is a risk factor for snoring and sleep apnoea.
“Anything that pulls your jaw forward is going to open your airway and make the space bigger and hold it in place, which means it’s difficult to vibrate or snore, and difficult to close off, reducing sleep apnoea.”
However, before you try any type of dental device, you should check with your dentist.
“[Mouth guards] have got the ability to move your teeth, and you can end up with bigger problems. There is some evidence around dental devices, but it’s really key that you involve your dentist in any decision before you use one.”
Chin straps
You can also buy chin straps, designed to keep your mouth closed as you sleep.
“Unlike the tape, it’s not completely closed, so you can still move and talk with them. They’re forcing you to breathe through your nose, which overall is a good thing,” Campbell says.
“They’re probably unlikely to help with snoring, but might improve nasal breathing.”
Throat or nasal sprays
There’s no good evidence that throat or nasal sprays work to prevent snoring in the long-term, according to Campbell.
“[They’re] designed to lubricate the back of the throat to make it harder for the tissue to vibrate or snore. You might get a mild and temporary reduction in snoring,” she says.
“Nasal sprays that help decongest your nose can be helpful, but often they can only be used for short periods of time. It’s important to check with your pharmacist or your GP about using them for longer-term snoring treatment.”
“If you’re finding that your sleep quality is quite poor, you don’t feel refreshed in the morning, you might be a bit tired and sleepy during the day, that’s definitely time to talk to your doctor because it might have progressed to sleep apnoea,” Campbell says.
“Snoring is something that’s often really damaging to [your] partner’s sleep... so that’s a good reason why people go looking for treatment, because there’s nothing worse than upsetting your partner all night as well.”
Your GP will be able to check your airway or nose to see if those are causing the issue.
“Your doctor can help work out why you might be snoring and therefore which treatment options might suit you best, rather than trying a whole lot of different ones, some of which may not be appropriate.”