The 6 Snoring Aids That Actually Work

So… you’re snoring again, huh? But today you’ve decided to take matters into your own hands? Great! You can’t simply decide to stop snoring (that’d be nice, though, huh?) but there are snoring aids or stop snoring devices out there you can use to help you (and your partner) get a good night of sleep. There are numerous snoring aids to improve your quality of sleep today, and some of them just might solve your snoring problem for good. What are the best anti snoring devices you can add to your bedtime ritual to stop snoring? We’ve broken down some of the best snoring aids that work (really!) into three categories — Your Sleep Experience, Spatial Experience, and Better Breathing.

Sleep Experience — Snoring Aids In Your Bed

Smart Nora Snoring Solution

Let’s start our list with Smart Nora, the only contact-free anti snoring solution available. While other snoring solutions require you to make changes to your sleep experience, Smart Nora is the only contact-free anti snore device that doesn't (is it too good to be true? No!) and the best snoring aids shouldn’t make you change your bedtime rituals. The best thing is that you can keep your favorite pillow and sleep on your side, back or stomach, Smart Nora is designed to be just as effective.

Smart Nora listens for early sounds of snoring through a sleek, Bluetooth microphone mounted on the headboard (the Pebble), then silently and gently raises your head using a lightweight, padded insert that sits under your pillow without waking you up. The slight movement of the head stimulates the throat muscles allowing for natural breathing to resume helping the partner and the snorer sleep through the night and wake up feeling refreshed. 

A study conducted in 2018 reported that 78% of snorers say Smart Nora is better than other anti snoring devices they used in the past. 90% of snorers and partners expressed that Smart Nora is easy to include in their nightly routine. The great thing about Smart Nora is that after setting it up, you rarely have to interact with it at all, other than switching on the Pebble before bed — unlike other “stop snoring devices” out there, which go on your head or in your mouth. It’s simple,  backed by science, and best of all — it works!

Anti Snore Pillows 

Specialized pillows are among the most popular anti snoring solutions out there. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes (just like we all do) to accommodate all of the different ways people like to sleep. The most common anti snore pillow is shaped like a triangular wedge — it’s designed to get your head elevated so that when gravity relaxes your neck and throat muscles, they don’t put pressure on your esophagus and cause you to snore. Alternately, you can get an anti snore pillow that has a ridge in the middle of it, keeping you sleeping on your side (and providing other benefits, too). These anti snoring devices, however, have a lower success rate as they are intended to change your head position. For many, changing their sleeping habits proves to be difficult. 

Smart Nora vs Anti Snore Pillows!

Similar to Smart Nora, what works so well is that there’s nothing to strap onto your head or put in your mouth when you climb into bed, but the obvious downside for anti snore pillows vs Smart Nora is that with anti snore pillows you have to give up the comfort of the pillow you’re used to — and you don’t get to choose your sleeping position anymore. Nonetheless, anti snore pillows is a snoring aid that works for some!

Spatial Experience — Snoring Aids That Improve Your Sleep Environment

Air purifiers

If you find yourself with a stuffy or dry nose or sinus headaches when you’re trying to sleep, you might simply be suffering from allergy effects. Both runny and dry nasal passages can contribute to snoring, but an air purifier can help alleviate that! Air purifiers detoxify the air from mold spores, bacteria, stray hair, pet dander, dust, dust mites, and more! Devices these days can trap up to 99.97% of allergens (wow!) and the fresh air will make your bedroom feel better and cleaner.

If you get a purifier you can run through the night, it can double as a white noise machine to help you improve your sleep quality, too! Studies show that white noise reduces sleep latency (how much you toss and turn before you fall asleep) and helps improve your ability to stay asleep. How’s that for a snoring aid?

Humidifiers

When the air is too dry (you know, like during all of winter), a humidifier can put moisture back into the air and improve your sleep quality. If you’re like most people, you also don’t drink enough water (that’s just a fact). A lack of natural lubricants on the inside of your body can leave your flaps and muscles sticky with dryness. Whether it causes long-term irritation in your throat or not, the immediate reaction to things touching or sticking together in your airways is usually an increase in snoring. In a similar way, chronic congestion and postnasal drip can cause your floppier tissues to stick together (it sounds gross but that’s just how it all works inside of you).

Humidifiers can be relatively inexpensive and easy to use — in addition to cutting down on your snoring, you also get the benefit of less flaky skin and hair (which are irritants when you breathe them in) and a less scratchy voice in the morning, as your vocal cords will not be so dried out. The snoring aid for the all-around health-conscious.

Better Breathing — Snoring Aids That Clear Your Nasal Passage, Clear Your Mind

Nasal Dilator

Nasal dilators, being one of the most common snoring aids, come in all shapes and sizes, from prongs, clips, and cones, to stick-on nasal strips/snoring strips and more. The concept is pretty simple — you’re more likely to snore when you breathe through your mouth, therefore you should breathe through your nose, therefore if your nose is closed in any way, you should open it up somehow. Simple, right?

The two main categories here are external and internal. An external dilator like a nasal strip sticks on the outside of your nostrils. The gentle adhesive and rigid plastic “springboard” pull open the nasal passages (just a little bit) to allow for better airflow. Internal nasal dilators work from the inside, propping open your nostrils with a cone-shaped plastic or soft silicone prong. The obvious downsides to nasal dilators are that you either have something affixed to your face or something crammed inside your nose — neither is super comfortable, but they’ll get the job done in a pinch… or the opposite of a pinch!

Neti Pot

Conversely, you can unblock your nose the old fashioned way with this snoring home remedy — flush all the gunk out of your nasal passages with a Neti pot! Nasal irrigation (sounds scary but isn’t) is the process of flushing your stuffy nose with warm water and (usually) a salt solution. If you have inflamed sinuses or irritants trapped in there that can cause you to switch from nose to mouth breathing, these little teapot-shaped mucus-clearing pots can help tremendously! The Hindu practice of jala-neti (a daily cleansing ritual) has worked for thousands of years — it’ll likely work for you, too.

There’s lots of information on how Neti Pots work as a snoring aid, but it’s important to follow the instructions for the specific ones you find. When shopping, find one that’s easier to clean and keep free of bacterial growth — ceramic and steel are easier to keep clean than plastic.

Wondering why other snoring aids such as mouthguards, chin straps, or tongue retainers didn’t make our list? 

Snoring is a complex issue, the research path to solving snoring should start from the most non-invasive solutions. This guarantees higher retention and better results for the snorer and their partners. 

Here is why other snoring solutions didn’t make our list. 

Anti Snore Mouth-guards

Mouthguards are one of the most popular snoring solutions or stop snoring devices available in the market. Although there is a mouth guard for teeth grinding available, there are also many types of mouthguards on the market that address issues from snoring to mild sleep apnea. Having said that there are side effects associated with mouthguards if used for a prolonged period of time. Some of the side effects that you should be wary of are damaged gumlines, tooth decay, and jaw pain. Keeping your snoring mouthpiece clean is essential, it is recommended that you wash your anti snore mouthguard on a daily basis to prevent germs and bacteria buildup. One other thing worth mentioning is how expensive they can get overtime. It is highly recommended that you replace your mouthguard every 6 months. With mouth guards ranging from $100 (OTC boil and bite) to $1000+ (customer fitted by your dentist), it can add up to quite a bit over time. 

But if you don’t mind wearing an oral device to bed there is research that shows snoring mouthpieces are effective if used properly. If you are interested in learning more about snoring mouthpiece pros and cons or read up on most popular mouth guard brands such as Zyppah, Zquiet, SnoreRx, and Puresleep anti snore mouthguard, we have extensively covered them for you. 

Chin Strap Anti Snore Solution

Turn for the infamous Chin Strap for snoring. Sure we’ve seen them here and there over the past decade, but do they actually stop snoring? To answer this question you should learn about the origin of the chin strap for snoring and how the idea was conceived. Chin straps were initially invented to aid those with CPAP machines. The continued positive air pressure would open the mouth and the chin strap was used to help keep the mouth closed throughout the night. So chin straps were never intended to be used on their own or to stop snoring. With over 100 different types of brands selling anti snore chin traps, there is no wonder why some still try them in hopes of alleviating snoring. If you like to read on anti snoring chin straps more extensively we have a more in-depth article for you.    

Tongue retainers

A tongue retaining device is pretty much what it sounds like. It is essentially a suction cup designed to prevent your tongue from falling back into your throat when you are asleep. 

You would push your tongue into the oral device and create negative pressure by displacing the air with your tongue. Similar to mouth guards, keeping a part of your body in an unnatural position can be bothersome. Some of the downsides of using an anti snore tongue retaining device are soreness, and excess salivation. 

The last but not least is the cost and lifespan, again similar to mouth guards, it is advised to replace your tongue retainer every 6 months, for the lifetime snorer this can add up. Interested to read more on this? We have an article dedicated to tongue retainers. 

Find The Right Snoring Aids That Work For You

The bottom line is that snoring puts a strain on your body and relationship. It is highly recommended that you look into ways to alleviate your snoring as it can cause health complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes to name a few. The snoring solution of your choice should be something that you feel comfortable with and can easily add to your bedtime routine. However, if what you use is reducing your snoring by fragmenting your sleep you should seek a different solution. Our top 6 solutions are what can help you reduce or stop snoring without compromising your comfort or experiencing side effects.  

From devices like Smart Nora to humidifiers and specialized lumpy pillows (lumpy in all the right places, of course), there are plenty of snoring aids to try out. Find what’s best for you! Whether you’re looking to improve your bedroom sleep environment or are comfortable with a plastic bridge stuck to your nose, you can fight against the dreaded snore with just a few positive changes to your sleep routine. Don’t let snoring get in the way of good sleep (or a good relationship) — take control of your night with snoring aids!

For the ultimate comfort and effectiveness try Smart Nora. With the money-back guarantee, free shipping and returns, you can rest assured that you don’t spend a dime unless you absolutely love it. Sleep tight.