Stop Snoring, Start Sleeping: Discover the Best Anti-Snoring Devices, According to Experts (2024)

Snoring is among one of the most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, but people without sleep apnea can snore, too, and suffer the resultant daytime sleepiness or sleep fragmentation, says Cyrus Haghighian, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at Los Angeles Center for Ear, Nose, Throat, and Allergy. It can be caused by several factors including nasal congestion, sleeping in the supine position, or drinking alcohol, Dr. Haghighian, MD adds.

If you're looking to improve your sleep and avoid disturbances caused by snoring, a product may help you avoid surgical intervention. There are multiple factors to consider when shopping for an anti-snoring device, including reusability, comfort, safety, and ease of use. Thanks to recommendations from multiple sleep experts, we’ve narrowed down the best anti-snoring devices on the market.

Types of Anti-Snoring Devices

There is a wide variety of anti-snoring devices that promise to reduce your snoring throughout the night. These include:

• Nasal dilators: Nasal dilators are noninvasive devices used to minimize snoring by improving the airflow through the nasal passages. Nasal dilators are either soft plastic or silicone devices that are inserted into the nostrils and widen the nasal passages to allow for improved airflow and breathing.
• Nasal strips: Nasal strips are adhesive strips placed on the external part of the nose, to help expand nasal passages and allow for improved airflow.
• Mandibular advancement devices (MADs): MADs, or oral appliances, resemble mouthguards, but unlike dental devices that patients can buy at a drugstore or online, they are custom-made by a qualified healthcare professional, according to Kevin Postol, DDS, a board-certified dentist and the President-Elect of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM).
• Pillows (or Positional Pillows): There are four types of pillows that help relieve snoring: contour, wedge, memory foam, and anti-snoring with cutouts. They work by elevating the head and reducing pressure points to reduce snoring.
• CPAP machines: A CPAP machine is the gold standard that is often initially prescribed for treating OSA. The positive airway pressure from the CPAP keeps the airway open and prevents the vibrations that cause snoring.

Which Anti-Snoring Device Is Right For You?

Snoring results from turbulent airflow and vibrations in the soft tissues of the upper airway, says Kevin Motz, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology and director of sleep surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. The devices are aimed at increasing airflow, stiffening the upper airway, or reducing turbulent airflow, which occurs if the tissue has become narrow and collapsed. Many types are available, and each device targets different causes of snoring. These include:

• Deviated septum or narrow nasal passage: Sometimes, snoring can occur if you have a deviated septum, or your nasal passages are very narrow. Nasal dilators, nasal cones, and nasal strips work well for this issue.
• Cold or allergies: Sometimes your health can cause snoring, including a cold or allergies. Nasal strips, nasal cones, nasal dilators, and a mouthpiece could alleviate this.
• Back sleeper: Your sleep position can affect your snoring as well. Consider trying an anti-snoring pillow or a smart device to minimize snoring throughout the night.

Dr. Motz suggests that if your snoring is bad enough that you believe you need multiple snoring devices, you should consider a sleep study or an evaluation by a specialist to ensure you don't have sleep apnea. Still, if this is not an issue, there is nothing to preclude you from trying several noninvasive devices.

What Healthcare Providers Want You to Know

• Efficacy: Dr. Motz says that OTC anti-snoring devices are moderately effective. While some are simple (such as a device that encourages someone to sleep on their side), others may be more complex (such as a chin strap that keeps the jaw shut as you sleep). But snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea. If the snoring is severe, the person should be evaluated to ensure there is no evidence of this, Dr. Motz says.
• Child-safe options: Dr. Motz advises against treating snoring in a child with over-the-counter devices without some guidance from a medical professional.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

People should visit a healthcare provider when snoring and sleep disturbances affect their quality of life, such as experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, memory concerns, and mood issues. Frequent snoring and the resulting symptoms can often be a sign of a larger health concern, like obstructive sleep apnea, explains Dr. Postol. He adds that, when left untreated, OSA can lead to larger health issues like depression, heart attacks, strokes, and even increased cancer risk.

It’s important to note that the AADSM does not recommend over-the-counter anti-snoring devices for patients diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Our Top Picks

How We Selected the Best Anti-Snoring Devices

When selecting the best anti-snoring devices, we spoke with multiple sleep experts for their recommendations. With their insights, we researched the best products on the web that had substantial evidence to back up their claims of reducing snoring. Importantly, we aimed to incorporate multiple types of anti-snoring devices to ensure we offered products to meed individual needs. We then narrowed down our list based on the following criteria:

• Reusability: We considered whether the item can be cleaned and reused or whether it has to be replaced on a nightly basis.
• Ease of Use: According to Dr. Peters, it may be important to determine whether the use of the anti-snoring device is difficult or time-consuming. If it takes too much effort, you may not use it consistently. For this reason, we opted to include products that are easy to use.
• Comfort: Some anti-snoring devices may cause physical discomfort. We aimed to recommend products that would cause the least amount of discomfort as you sleep.
• Safety and Potential Warnings: We took into account any specific precautions recommended by the manufacturer and avoided risky options.

Our Experts

• Brandon R. Peters, MD, FAASM, a sleep physician at the Virginia Mason Medical Center
• Kevin Postol, DDS, a board-certified dentist based in St. Louis, MO, and the President-Elect of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
• Cyrus Haghighian, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at Los Angeles Center for Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy
• Kevin Motz, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology and director of sleep surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine
  

Why Trust Verywell Health

Daley Quinn is a freelance journalist, specializing in beauty and health, who has contributed to numerous publications, such as Elle, Real Simple, Allure, The Cut, WWD, and more. She also writes for her blog, The Daley Dose. She used recommendations from sleep experts to determine the best anti-snoring devices on the market.