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The Best Treatments for Snoring

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, affects many people with varying degrees of severity from mild to quite serious. OSA can be a serious condition and needs treatment, as it can be life-threatening. Many loud snorers seek treatment to relieve sleep deprivation and because it disturbs other family members. A number of devices and medications are available to treat snoring; however, the best treatments are those that have been clinically tested and are medically approved.

  1. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

    • CPAP is a specially designed breathing device to be worn while sleeping by people who suffer from OSA, but it's not for the normal, loud snorer. The device works by keeping the airways open, regulating the airflow and preventing the narrowing that occurs when you snore. This is the accepted medical treatment for sleep apnea and is widely used in hospital and home environments.

    Surgical Treatment

    • Various types of nose, throat and jaw surgery can help bad snoring conditions, but they are generally for loud snorers rather than OSA sufferers. Throat and nose surgeries increase the surface area and straighten the upper airways in the hope of increasing the airflow, thereby reducing noisy snoring. Surgical jaw reshaping can also be very successful in preventing the jaw from falling open during sleep. Surgery cures snoring when the anatomy of the airways or the jaw is the direct cause of the airway obstruction.

    Oral Appliances

    • Specially designed mouth guards can alleviate snoring problems and are worn only at night while you are sleeping. Pharmacies sell snoring mouth guards that can be heated in hot water and fitted to your mouth, but a custom-made mouth guard is usually more effective, as well as more expensive. Properly fitting mouth guards that are not too bulky are successful in treating snoring conditions and are not too uncomfortable to wear.

    Biomagnetic Therapy

    • Mattress magnets create a magnetic field that is said to reduce sleep apnea and muscular and skeletal pain, as well as other sleep disorders. Biomagnetic therapy is not a traditional treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, and according to an article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there is no clinical evidence that this is a viable treatment. Medical devices, surgery and oral mouth guards are the only approved treatments available.

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