Can Snoring and Sleep Apnea Be Prevented?

Some factors related to snoring and sleep apnea can be addressed, but neither condition can be guaranteed preventable. Anatomy, medical history and other individual factors also matter.

Focus on changes relevant to you

Smoking, alcohol and excess weight may be useful topics for advice. Choose sustainable changes with appropriate support. Avoid treating a lack of improvement as a personal failure or assuming that everyone needs the same programme.

Separate prevention from treatment

Healthy habits can support a treatment plan, but an established breathing disorder may need specific therapy. Feeling better after a lifestyle change is not enough to decide that prescribed sleep-apnea care can be stopped.

Review symptoms rather than waiting

Breathing pauses, gasping and significant daytime sleepiness warrant assessment. You do not need to achieve a weight target or complete a long home-care trial before asking for help.

Be careful with prevention claims

A snoring spray or device should not be promoted as preventing sleep apnea unless there is appropriate evidence for that specific use. Check intended purpose and instructions, and discuss ongoing disruption with a clinician. A useful plan combines relevant self-care with review, rather than a promise that symptoms can never return.

Keep reading

• Lifestyle Changes for Snoring: A Sustainable Approach

Sources and further reading

• NHS: Snoring
• NHLBI: Sleep apnea causes and risk factors
• NHLBI: Sleep apnea treatment

Published by TannerMedico A/S, the manufacturer of Asonor. This article provides general information for adults and does not replace individual medical advice.