The Best Solution to Snoring

airways anti-snoring pillows chin straps cpap elimination diet estrogen nasal clips sex steroid hormones side sleepers sleep sleep devices smooth muscle tissue smooth muscle tone snoring surgery weight loss Mar 25, 2023

Various problems come with snoring. Many snorers complain that they cannot feel well rested even after sleep. Often though, snoring is more stressful for the bed partners than for the snorers. The noise prevents the partners from sleeping and may push them to a different room, thus impairing intimacy.^1,2 What's more, snoring is linked to a greater risk of health issues like heart and blood vessel problems.³ For these reasons, people want to stop snoring permanently. Some of the remedies people try are:

weight loss
over-the-counter sleep devices
continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines
surgery
elimination diet

Let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each of these solutions.

Weight loss

Being overweight or obese — defined as having a BMI of 25 or greater — is widely reported as a risk factor for snoring. Specifically, a high BMI together with a large neck circumference is typically observed in snorers. This means there is a lot of fat in the tissues surrounding the neck. In turn, the fat deposits are believed to collapse the upper airways, thus causing snoring.⁴ This explains why snorers often try to lose weight.

However, a study has shown that people with a normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 25) and a neck circumference greater than 32 centimeters (around 12.5 inches) can still snore. At all weights, people with a neck circumference over 35 cm (about 13.8 inches) were found to snore. These findings suggest that compared to BMI, neck circumference is a greater risk factor for snoring. They also mean that not all snorers can get rid of their condition through weight loss and BMI reduction.⁴

Over-the-counter sleep devices

Side sleepers are among the many types of anti-snoring pillows. These pillows keep the upper part of the body raised during sleep. In effect, they aim to keep the airways open, which is supposed to hinder snoring. Based on a study, anti-snoring pillows made people snore less than they used to. These devices, however, tend to work only for people with mild to moderate snoring, and they do not make snoring go away for good.^5,6

Other "quick" snoring solutions are nasal and oral devices. Nasal clips and strips are supposed to reduce snoring by increasing the flow of air through the nose. On the other hand, oral devices include chin straps and mandibular advancement devices (MADs). Chin straps keep the mouth closed during sleep, so they encourage breathing through the nose. Meanwhile, MADs increase space in the airways by moving the jaw and tongue forward. But different studies have shown that nasal and oral devices can only mildly improve snoring at best. In one of these studies involving over 3,000 patients, at least 32 to 44 percent of the group stopped using the oral devices after 30 months. The patients reported frequent side effects including a dry mouth, jaw and tooth discomfort, and excessive saliva production. Long-term use of MADs is linked to major dental changes as well.^7,8,9

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines

CPAP machines are one of the most commonly recommended treatments for snoring. These devices take in, filter, and pressurize room air. The air is then forced through a tube and into a mask that is worn over the face during sleep. The continuous flow of air through the nose and mouth aims to keep the airways open and thus prevent snoring.

Although CPAP is more effective than the other anti-snoring treatments discussed so far⁸ , there are several problems with it. First, the machines, especially those with advanced features, can be expensive. Second, they can be difficult to use because they have so many different parts. They are prone to air leaks too. Third, wearing a mask throughout the night can get uncomfortable. Fourth, CPAP machines make a light-motor noise. This can be an issue for bed partners who are already annoyed by snoring and just want a quiet bedroom. Fifth, side effects of CPAP include nasal congestion, a dry mouth, nosebleeds, and even skin irritation and sores where the mask touches the face. For these reasons, snorers who use the devices may quit them later on. People may also use them for shorter periods than recommended. In fact, 82 studies of CPAP patients over a 20-year-period have shown that people use the machine 2 to 3 hours less than they should. One of these studies revealed that 33 percent of patients used the machine just once every three nights or less.¹⁰

Surgery

Doctors may recommend surgery when snoring is severe, or when other remedies do not work. Surgical operations involve removing or moving specific parts of the mouth, throat, or nose. There are also procedures in which artificial parts are added to the mouth. Generally, surgery aims to stop snoring by opening the airways further or keeping tissues rigid and less likely to vibrate. ¹¹

However, there are multiple issues with snoring surgeries. Procedures not only cost up to thousands of dollars, but also have several side effects. Some of them are pain, soreness, and infection. Longer-lasting side effects include trouble breathing and change in voice. Furthermore, in a study of 261 patients who underwent snoring surgery, 43 percent reported improvements only for a period of two years. In addition, 24 percent of the patients said their snoring did not improve at all.¹² So for two-thirds of people, this most painful and expensive option was ineffective.

Elimination diet

A weight-loss diet makes people shed pounds by limiting calorie intake in the short term. On the other hand, an elimination diet involves avoiding specific food items as a way of life. The purpose of elimination diets is to improve or even reverse a variety of health conditions, including snoring. To see how this works, think for a moment about the structure of the airway. It is made of a type of muscle called smooth muscle.

The smooth muscle tissue that makes up the airway has receptors for the sex hormone estrogen. When these receptors are activated, there is reduced entry of calcium ions (Ca²⁺) across the membrane of smooth muscle cells. Lower levels of Ca²⁺within the cells are then linked to more relaxed smooth muscle and to a decrease in smooth muscle tone. (Tone refers to the ability of a muscle to remain partially contracted and thus hold its shape.) This means that too much estrogen in the body can make the airway collapse, especially during sleep. When air flows through the partially collapsed airway, snoring happens. So ultimately, to solve snoring, the body must not have too much estrogen.^1,13 The main way to do this is to eliminate sources of estrogen from one's diet.

One of the biggest sources of estrogen is phytoestrogens. These are hormones that come from plants. They imitate estrogen naturally found in the human body. Phytoestrogens, especially those from soy, are the main dietary source of estrogen. Soy is present as an oil, as an emulsifier, or as a protein ingredient in many food products today.^14,15 Therefore, to stop snoring naturally and permanently, eliminating soy from one's diet is an effective solution.

Conclusion

Weight loss, over-the-counter sleep devices, CPAP machines, and surgery do NOT work as snoring remedies. This is because none of them address the real cause of snoring — the collapse of the airway due to excess estrogen. Because soy is the main dietary source of estrogen, eliminating soy from one's diet is the most effective way to avoid excessive amounts of estrogen in the body. In effect, a soy-free diet is the best solution to snoring.

If you want to stop snoring for good in as little as two weeks, check out The Snoring Diet Solution — a six-week, three-step program for making a soy-free diet part of your life.

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