Solutions

Stop Snoring with these Remedies to Help Nose Breathing

Nasal blockage and mouth-breathing are very common causes of snoring.

If you have a blocked nose or persistently breathe through your mouth when you sleep, you might find you are snoring more as a result.

There are two types of mouth-breathing snorers:

Snorers with a blocked nose
Snorers with a clear nose who cannot sleep with their mouth closed

Thankfully, whether you have a blocked nose or simply keep opening your mouth in your sleep, there are multiple remedies that can help you.

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Solutions for snorers with a blocked nose

There are lots of causes of a blocked nose. Allergies, colds, pollution, hormones and even the weather can give you a stuffy nose and make you snore as a result.

Thankfully, there are several ways to treat your blocked nose.

Nasal spray

Medicated nasal sprays work by reducing inflammation or constricting the blood vessels in your nose to create more space. There are several different types, some recommend for regular use, whereas others should only be used occasionally. In all cases remember to read the instructions.

Saline nasal sprays are non-medicated. Instead, they are a mixture of water and salt which moisturise your nasal passages to soothe inflammation and break down excess mucus.

To learn more about the different types of nasal spray and what is best for you, check out SnoreLab’s guide to nasal sprays for snoring.

Nasal dilator

Nasal dilators mechanically open your nasal passages. Internal dilators prop open your nostrils whereas external strips use a springboard action to pull open your nasal valves.

These have the advantage of being non-medicated and demonstrating benefits instantly. Each type has its relative merits so for more information about whether they are suitable for you, read our summary of nasal strips and dilators for snoring.

Neti pot

Neti pots are devices used to flush out your nasal passages. Often resembling a small teapot, you use these to pour salt water through your nasal cavity.

This undervalued snoring remedy reduces nasal congestion by:

Soothing inflamed tissue. Reducing inflammation widens the nasal passages.
Flushing out allergens and other potential irritants.
Breaking down and clears excess mucus.

Neti pots are made of different materials and need to be used and cleaned properly. Be sure to read our guide to buying and using neti pots.

Air purifier

Air purifiers can help snoring triggered by allergies and pollution.

These use internal fans to pull in the air and the harmful particles it contains. Once drawn inside the device, the particles are either trapped in a filter or are treated to stick to surfaces as opposed to floating around in the air.

There are many shapes, sizes and features, so check out our full article on air purifiers for snoring to get the best one for you.

Side note: Which of these remedies is most effective depends on the cause, so be sure to read our guide: “Snoring due to a blocked nose” to understand your snoring and the most appropriate solutions.

Solutions for mouth-breathing snorers

If you can breathe clearly through your nose, but frequently wake up with a dry mouth and a sore throat (and usually, some drool on the pillow!), it is likely that you sleep with an open mouth.

There are a number of different remedies to help you make the healthier, quieter switch to nasal breathing.

Mouth tape

Mouth taping holds your mouth closed to promote nasal breathing.

We recommend using specialist, medical-grade mouth tapes specifically designed for use on skin. This means they are safe to use and easy to remove.

A market leader in mouth taping is SomniFix mouth strips, as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank! SomniFix strips are hypoallergenic, can be painlessly removed without leaving a sticky residue, and have a small mesh vent to allow limited mouth breathing if necessary.

Mouth shield

Shields fit behind your lips but in front of your teeth to prevent mouth breathing. Products such as the SnoreLab recommended Somnipax Shield can also be custom moulded and have small holes to allow a little mouth breathing if necessary.

Chin strap

Chin straps are another effective, if a little cumbersome, way to keep your mouth closed at night. You usually wear these under your chin and around the top of your head.

Mouthpiece

Mouthpieces can be particularly effective if your snoring is has multiple causes. If mouth breathing plays a role but isn’t the sole cause, mouthpieces not only promote healthier nasal breathing but also bring jaw forward to tighten the slack airway tissue responsible for snoring.

There are many anti-snoring mouthpieces available. To understand how they work, the different types and what might be most suitable for you read SnoreLab’s overview of anti-snoring mouthpieces.

Tongue retainer

Similar to other anti-snoring mouthpieces, tongue retainers effectively block the mouth breathing route. In addition to this, they also work by holding your tongue forward to prevent it blocking your airway. We recommend the Good Morning Snore Solution for open mouth snorers whose tongues block their airway.

The science bit – mouth breathing vs. nasal breathing

Mouth breathing can cause snoring

You may notice that when you have a cold, you snore more. This is because with a nose full of nasties, you need to switch to mouth breathing.

Sleeping with an open mouth makes snoring more likely. This is due to several reasons:

Your airway is narrowed. An open mouth causes your throat to compress as your tongue falls further back into your airway and the open space behind your tongue and soft palate is reduced.

Inhaled air is turbulent. Directly inhaled air vibrates the soft tissues at the back of your mouth

Your airway dries out. This is because mouth breathing doesn’t humidify incoming air like nasal breathing does.

You are more susceptible to breathing in harmful things. Unlike nasal breathing, mouth breathing doesn’t trap allergens and bugs which can in turn worsen your snoring.

Why should you breathe through your nose?

Nasal breathing not only lowers your snoring risk but has other health benefits too:

Snoring reduction. Nasal breathing warms and humidifies incoming air, helping to prevent your airways drying out. It also channels air over your snoring noise-makers in a less turbulent way than mouth breathing does.

More comfortable sleep. By treating the air, your nose prevents the frequent awakenings you may experience from having a dry mouth.

Better filtration. The mucus and many folds within your nasal cavities do a great job of trapping potentially harmful invaders such as allergens and viruses/bacteria. These, in addition to making you feel terrible, can worsen your snoring.

Proper ventilation. Nasal breathing reduces the chance of hyperventilation – over-breathing with frequent, shallow breaths. Proper ventilation leads to optimum oxygen/carbon dioxide balance, allowing for improved blood oxygen saturation [1].

Enhanced nitric oxide inhalation. Nitric oxide (NO) has often been termed “the mighty molecule” [2]. Produced in the nose and sinuses, nasal breathing helps push this molecule into the lungs where it can exert its benefits. Here, it expands your blood vessels to reduce blood pressure and the associated risks [3].

Product Reviews, Solutions

SomniFix Mouth Strips Review

SomniFix Mouth Strips are an innovative new product for promoting healthy and quiet nasal breathing to stop your snoring.

Breathing through your mouth is one of the most common causes of snoring. If you’re snoring and find yourself waking up with a dry mouth and sore throat, it’s likely that mouth breathing was the cause. Breathing correctly sounds simple, but many of us are getting it wrong and snoring as a result.

This simple sleep therapy discourages noisy mouth breathing, giving you a quieter and more peaceful night’s sleep.

What are SomniFix Mouth Strips?

SomniFix Mouth Strips are single-use adhesive strips worn on your lips during sleep. By holding your lips together and gently supporting your jaw, air is channeled through the nose, reducing the likelihood of airway blockage and snoring.

These strips have some useful features that we believe can make them a key-player in the anti-snoring market:

Gentle adhesive that is easily pulled apart if necessary
Small mesh vent allowing some mouth breathing
Hypoallergenic material
Health benefits beyond snoring reduction

Mouth taping is a known snoring prevention technique, but SomniFix have engineered a superior, next-generation product that is far more comfortable, effective and less frightening than basic taping alternatives.

SomniFix’s specifically developed adhesive is gentle enough to be painless when removed from the lips, yet strong enough to hold the mouth shut properly. The hypoallergenic, sterile material is kind to delicate skin on your lips, as well as having a small mesh vent that allows limited mouth breathing if necessary.

Why you need to shut your mouth!

Many of us have weak jaw muscles or excess weight on our chins that pulls our mouths open whilst we sleep, causing a troublesome switch to mouth breathing. Sleeping with your mouth dangling open is known to aggravate snoring for numerous reasons [1]:

An open mouth causes your throat to compress
Your tongue falls further back into your airway
The open space behind your tongue and soft palate is reduced
Directly inhaled air vibrates the soft tissues at the back of your mouth
Your throat dries out from breathing in non-humidified air
Mouth breathing doesn’t filter allergens and bugs

As well as snoring, oral breathing brings other problems that impact upon sleep quality, bad breath, oral health, respiratory health and even face shape [2].

SomniFix shuts your mouth and addresses these problems.

Benefits of using SomniFix

Inhaling through the nose is our body’s preferred way to breathe. Keeping your mouth closed with SomniFix not only helps to reduce snoring but also yields other health benefits and tops it all off with a good night’s sleep.

1. Reduced snoring

At SnoreLab, reducing your snoring is our primary concern. Open-mouth breathing’s association with snoring is stark; it is one of the main causes of noisy nocturnal breathing.

By holding your lips together, SomniFix Mouth Strips keep your airway less obstructed by stopping your jaw dropping that causes parts of your throat to narrow and become blocked.

Just look at the difference in Snore Score when using SomniFix from this Amazon review …

“SomniFix reduced my snoring significantly. My wife is very happy. On the first night I used them, she was worried that I was so quiet during the night!”

2. Less discomfort and better sleep

SomniFix Mouth Strips help you to embrace the filtration and humidifying qualities of your nose. Proper breathing can eliminate that uncomfortable dry mouth, bad breath, sore throat, stuffy nose and headache.

Having a comfortable night gives you more restful and continuous sleep. Better sleep equals better health.

3. Improved use of CPAP

A CPAP mask that fits over your nose ceases to work if your mouth falls open. That air is simply jettisoned out of your mouth instead of holding your airway open as it should.

SomniFix mouth strips keep your mouth closed and allow the nasal CPAP devices to work better, making you more likely to stick to your CPAP treatment. They are a great alternative to the cumbersome chin straps that sometimes come with CPAP devices, because with CPAP you already have enough straps to worry about.

4. Reduced chance of infection and allergies

The mucus and folds in your nose trap harmful invaders. When breathing through your mouth, you increase the chance of inhaling bugs and allergens which can trigger the vicious circle of a blocked nose and oral breathing [2].

5. Proper ventilation and gas exchange

Nasal breathing reduces the chance of hyperventilation (over-breathing with frequent, shallow breaths). Proper ventilation leads to optimum oxygen/carbon dioxide balance, allowing for improved blood oxygen saturation [2].

6. Enhanced nitric oxide inhalation

Nitric oxide (NO) has been championed as the “mighty molecule” [3]. The discovery of its benefits in the body even won the Nobel Prize!

Produced in the nose and sinuses, it helps to expand the lower airways and blood vessels. Nasal breathing helps push this mighty molecule into the lungs where it can work its magic. By acting to expand your blood vessels, high blood pressure and the associated risks are reduced [4].

Why don’t I just use normal tape?

Using standard tape can hold your mouth closed too strongly and cause panic if you awake forgetting that you’ve applied it. Whilst it may serve a purpose overnight, taking it off in the morning can be painful and leave nasty marks.

SomniFix’s hypoallergenic material has undergone extensive testing to make sure it doesn’t cause skin irritation, whilst the adhesive is gentle and leaves no residue.

SomniFix Mouth Strips also painlessly dislodge through forcibly opening your mouth and have a small breathing vent if you need to revert slightly to mouth breathing.

This small hole not only gives you peace of mind, but also mimics the benefits of nasal breathing if you do happen to start breathing through your mouth.

Are SomniFix Mouth Strips suitable for everyone?

If you find yourself persistently waking with a dry mouth or sore throat, chances are, you’re a mouth breather and snoring as a result. SomniFix Mouth Strips are likely to be beneficial in addressing this bad breathing habit.

However, they aren’t suitable for everybody; you shouldn’t use them if you have any of the following:

Trouble with nasal breathing
Obesity (BMI more than 35)
Badly chapped lips
Consumed alcohol or sedatives before bed
Infections or sinus problems
Chronic breathing issues
Low blood pressure

Conclusion

SomniFix Mouth Strips are a sophisticated and comfortable solution to a common cause of snoring: mouth breathing. We at SnoreLab think these strips have the potential to become one of the first-choice solutions in the anti-snoring market. Transcending the homemade hack solution of mouth taping, SomniFix Mouth Strips are an advanced snoring remedy available at an affordable price.

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