Finding Your Type

Most people who try to fix their snoring make the same mistake. They buy whatever has the best reviews, it doesn't work, and they decide nothing will.

But snoring isn't one problem. It's a sound, and that sound can start in several different places. A device that fixes one kind does almost nothing for another. Nasal strips won't help a jaw that falls back. A mouthpiece won't help a blocked nose. So before you spend a cent, it's worth finding out where your noise begins.

There are five common starting points.

The nose. If your nasal passages are narrow, collapse easily or are often congested, you have to pull air in harder. That extra suction makes the soft tissue further back vibrate. Nose snorers often notice it's worse during allergy season or with a cold.

The mouth. When you breathe through an open mouth while you sleep, your jaw and the soft palate at the back of your mouth relax into the airway. Waking up with a dry mouth is a common sign.

The jaw. As you fall asleep, your lower jaw can slide backwards, taking the base of the tongue with it and narrowing your throat. This is one of the most common kinds, and it's what most anti-snoring mouthpieces are built for.

The tongue. Sometimes the tongue itself relaxes and falls back towards the throat, even when the jaw stays put.

Your sleeping position. Lying on your back lets gravity pull your jaw and tongue backwards. If your partner says it's much worse when you roll onto your back, position is a big part of your story.

Many people are a mix of two or three. That's normal. It just means starting with the simplest, cheapest fix and changing one thing at a time, so you can tell what actually helped.

A few everyday things make every kind of snoring worse: alcohol in the evening, sleeping pills, a stuffy nose, being very tired, and extra weight around the neck. They're worth knowing about, because sometimes the cheapest fix of all is skipping that nightcap.

You can test most of this yourself in a couple of minutes, with simple checks you can do right now: try to snore with your mouth closed, then with your jaw pushed forward, then with your tongue held gently between your teeth. Which ones make the sound quieter tells you a lot.

The quiz below walks you through each test and points you to your type.