To stop snoring, HealthLink BC starts with the cheap fixes, and I'd try those before buying anything. Sleep on your side, skip alcohol and sedatives before bed, clear a stuffy nose, and lose weight if you carry extra. Raising the head of the bed 10 to 15 cm is on its list too.
Snoring is the rattle made when air moving through the mouth or nose shakes the soft tissue at the back of the throat during sleep. Snoring with gasping, choking or pauses in breathing, or with heavy sleepiness in the day, may be obstructive sleep apnea. HealthLink BC sends that to a doctor, and its list of signs is further down, with 8-1-1 for questions in between.
I co-own Merit Home Furniture, which has four stores on Vancouver Island, and I work the floor in Duncan. I sell beds, pillows and adjustable bases, and none of them treats snoring. What I can do is set out what the province's health service says, where the bed comes into it, and what those pieces cost on our listings.
What causes snoring? The airway, the nose and the evening before
Snoring starts when the muscles of the soft palate, tongue and throat relax in sleep. HealthLink BC explains that when they relax too far, the airway narrows. The soft palate and uvula (the small flap at the back of the mouth) then vibrate against the throat. The narrower the airway, the louder the snoring.
The causes HealthLink BC lists fall into three rough groups.
- The airway itself: enlarged tonsils, a deviated septum (the wall between the nostrils sitting off centre), or throat muscles that have lost tone with age or low fitness.
- A blocked nose from a cold, an allergy or nasal polyps. Breathing in against it takes extra effort, which can draw the throat tissue inward.
- Things that relax or crowd the throat: alcohol, fat around the throat, and drowsy-making medicines such as some taken for allergies, depression or anxiety.
Its risk list adds being male, middle age, family history and smoking. It also names a small chin with an overbite, which it says may be an especially important factor in women.
How to stop snoring: HealthLink BC's home steps
HealthLink BC says snoring is usually treated first at home. Its snoring topic, current as of March 1, 2023, gives these steps.
| Step | What HealthLink BC says |
|---|---|
| Sleep on your side | Back sleeping can increase snoring. Its trick is a tennis ball stitched into a pocket on the back of a pyjama top. |
| Limit alcohol and sedatives | Avoid both before going to bed. |
| Lose weight, if overweight | Weight loss may ease the narrowing of the airway. |
| Quit smoking | Quitting cuts the inflammation and swelling that can narrow the airway. |
| Keep regular sleep | Bed at the same time each night, with plenty of sleep. |
| Treat a stuffy nose | Deal promptly with a cold or an allergy. Decongestants or nasal corticosteroid sprays may help, used as the label says. |
| Raise the head of the bed | Lift it 10 cm (4 in.) to 15 cm (6 in.) with bricks under the legs. Stacking pillows won't give the same lift, it says. |
| Try a nasal dilator | Strips or disks worn on the outside of the nose help hold the airway open. |
None of these is a promise. HealthLink BC writes "may" throughout, and if home treatment doesn't help, its next step is a doctor.
Does alcohol make snoring worse?
Alcohol can make snoring worse, by HealthLink BC's account. It says drinking depresses the part of the brain that regulates breathing, which can relax the tongue and throat enough to partly block the air. Sleeping pills and tranquillizers sit on the same avoid-before-bed list.
Does weight affect snoring?
Weight does affect snoring, HealthLink BC says, since fat in the throat may narrow the airway. Its sleep apnea page calls obesity the factor most likely to lead to sleep apnea. It gives neck sizes that raise that risk: more than 43 cm (17 in.) around for a man and more than 41 cm (16 in.) for a woman.
Sleeping position to stop snoring, and the pillow that goes with it
Side sleeping is the position HealthLink BC recommends, and its self-care list says sleeping on your side may stop the snoring. Its sleep apnea page adds that back sleeping may make apnea worse. The tennis ball is there to make rolling onto the back uncomfortable. For necks and reflux, which sleeping position suits you is less clear cut: the side has trade-offs against the back and stomach.
Turning onto the side changes the pillow's job, because now it fills the space between the ear and the mattress that the shoulder creates. HealthLink BC's neck page asks for a pillow that keeps the neck straight, "neither too high nor too flat". An old flat pillow from back-sleeping days may leave the head tipped down.
Merit lists both of these pillows through the Duncan store. Natura's Talalay latex core pillow springs back to its shape, at $169.00 for a queen and $199.00 for a king. Health Guard's Cool Ice gel memory foam pillow is $109.00. Both prices were read from our listings on November 1, 2026, before applicable taxes. Loft for each position is measured out in our pillow height walkthrough, and the shoulder half of side sleeping in mattress notes for side sleepers.
A pillow can't raise the upper body enough to count, according to HealthLink BC. Its snoring page says outright that propping the head and upper body on pillows will not work. I'd ask a pillow to keep the neck level on the side, and nothing more.
Raising the head of the bed for snoring: blocks or an adjustable base
Raising the head of the bed is on HealthLink BC's list because a slight incline can stop the tongue falling back toward the throat. It suggests bricks under the legs at the head end, and its sleep apnea page says simply to prop up the head of your bed.
Blocks tilt the whole mattress in one straight slope. An adjustable base lifts the top section on a hinge instead, so the body bends at the hips. HealthLink BC doesn't mention adjustable bases for snoring, and I can't tell you whether a bend does the same job as a tilt. That's a question for your doctor before it's one for us.
For anyone who wants a raised head end for reading anyway, these are the powered bases Merit lists for Duncan, priced before applicable taxes on November 1, 2026.
| Base | What the listing says, and the price |
|---|---|
| Ashley Adjustable Head Queen | Head only, wired remote with a USB port. Queen $764.00 |
| Restwell Peak | Head and foot. Twin XL $999.00; twin, double or queen $1,099.00 |
| Ashley Head-Foot Model Better | Head and foot, with zoned massage. Queen $1,561.00 |
| Restwell Pinnacle | Massage and preset positions. Twin XL $1,499.00, queen $1,849.00 |
The mattress on top has to bend where the base does. Our longer write-up on powered bases covers compatibility and frames, and the full set sits under adjustable bases that lift the head end. From Duncan, Island delivery is $150 with setup and assembly, and pickup at the store costs nothing, as our delivery and pickup terms set out.
Blocks are the cheaper route, and the one HealthLink BC actually names. If you go that way, I'd use solid risers made for lifting a bed, and check the frame sits steady on all four legs before anyone climbs in.
How to stop snoring in females and males: what Statistics Canada found
Snoring is more common in men than in women, HealthLink BC says, and Statistics Canada's figures show the gap. In its Canadian Health Measures Survey for 2016 and 2017, 20% of males reported snoring loud enough to be heard through closed doors, against 10% of females. Males were three times as likely to say someone had seen them stop breathing in their sleep, 9% against 3%. HealthLink BC's home steps are the same for both sexes, though Statistics Canada notes the symptoms tend to show up differently.
How to stop snoring male: the neck, the drink and the back
For men, HealthLink BC's risks line up with the steps above: alcohol before bed, back sleeping, smoking, and a neck over 43 cm (17 in.). Statistics Canada found males three times as likely as females to have a large neck. It also rated one in four males at high risk for sleep apnea, five times the share of females. That rating came from STOP-Bang, a short screen scoring snoring, tiredness, observed pauses, blood pressure, body mass, age, neck size and sex.
How to stop snoring in females: the jaw, menopause and tiredness
For women, HealthLink BC points to the jaw. It also says sleep apnea turns up more often after menopause, when women get it at a rate similar to men. Statistics Canada found women more likely than men to report daytime tiredness and trouble sleeping. It says that pattern points to possible under-diagnosis of sleep apnea in women. On that reading, a woman who snores softly but wakes tired still has good reason to tell her doctor.
How to stop someone snoring right now, from the other side of the bed
Nothing on HealthLink BC's list works instantly for the snorer, but it has ideas for the person lying awake. The bed partner can try earplugs, or a machine playing ambient music or natural sounds to cover the noise. A gentle nudge onto the side follows its side-sleeping advice, though it won't hold if the snorer rolls back.
A bigger bed is a furniture answer to a sleep problem, and I'd be careful with it. Two twin XL mattresses side by side make a split king, so each sleeper can raise their own head end on a separate base. It does nothing for the noise itself.
Can a humidifier help with snoring?
HealthLink BC doesn't list a humidifier among its snoring steps, so I can't point to a Canadian health source that says one helps. Health Canada's cool-mist humidifier page says to empty the tank after each use and clean it regularly, since bacteria can grow in standing water. It suggests keeping the unit out of the bedroom, especially at night, and indoor humidity around 30% in winter and 50% in summer to prevent mould.
Snoring products and remedies to treat with care
HealthLink BC is blunt about anti-snoring products: some may help, and others may be of no value or even harmful. Even when one quiets the snoring, it says to see a doctor, because snoring is the main symptom of sleep apnea.
- Nasal decongestant sprays used too long. Overuse can cause rebound congestion, with the nose swelling more than before.
- Mouth devices bought without a fitting. A dentist or orthodontist needs to fit an oral breathing device, HealthLink BC says, to prevent damage to the teeth, gums and jaw joints.
- Surgery as an early step. HealthLink BC calls it rare, says the risks may outweigh the small benefit, and notes that the provincial health plan may not cover snoring treatment.
- A mattress or base sold as a snoring fix. Two Restwell base listings on our site name an "anti-snore" preset among their positions. That's the maker's button label, not a health claim, and I won't claim any bed, pillow or base fixes snoring.
That covers Tempur-Pedic too, the brand some of our older snoring articles were built around. The Tempur-Pedic beds and Reflexion bases on Merit's site are carried at our Campbell River store, which gives our best price by phone at (250) 286-0868. Tempur-Pedic beds and their drawbacks have their own guide. A Tempur-Pedic owner who snores has the same steps as anyone else.
When does snoring mean sleep apnea and a call to the doctor?
Snoring can be the main sign of obstructive sleep apnea, where the airway closes off and breathing stops for short spells in sleep. HealthLink BC says almost all people with sleep apnea snore, but not all snorers have it. In adults, breathing may stop as few as 5 times an hour in mild apnea, and 30 or more times an hour in severe apnea. Simple snoring is steady; with apnea the loudness and timing change, and there are pauses or gasps.
| HealthLink BC says | When |
|---|---|
| Call your doctor | You or your bed partner snores loudly and heavily. |
| Call your doctor | The snoring comes with sleepiness during the day. |
| Call your doctor | You fall asleep at the wrong times, such as while talking or eating. Do not drive when you are drowsy. |
| Call your doctor | Someone sees you stop breathing, gasp or choke during sleep. |
| Call your doctor | A child snores, has trouble breathing in sleep, sleeps restlessly, wakes often or is very sleepy in the day. |
| Contact your doctor | Home treatment hasn't helped, or the snoring is getting worse. |
Other signs on HealthLink BC's sleep apnea page include waking unrefreshed, morning headaches, a dry mouth in the morning, and getting up often at night to urinate. It says sleep apnea may lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. A doctor may suggest a sleep study, at home or overnight at a sleep centre. CPAP, a mask machine that holds the airway open with air pressure, is the standard treatment for apnea but rarely used for plain snoring. Mouth devices that hold the jaw forward are shaped by a dentist.
Statistics Canada found that 6.4% of Canadians reported a sleep apnea diagnosis in 2016 and 2017, and about 30% of adults scored at intermediate or high risk on its screening. HealthLink BC's snoring pages list no emergency signs of their own, and its site says to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Short of that, 8-1-1 reaches HealthLink BC, where a registered nurse is available around the clock, and 7-1-1 serves the deaf and hard of hearing.
Where the snoring facts come from
- HealthLink BC, Snoring (current as of March 1, 2023), checked November 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Sleep Apnea (current as of November 7, 2022), checked November 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea, checked November 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Oral Breathing Devices for Sleep Apnea and Snoring, checked November 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Sleep Positions for Your Neck, checked November 2026.
- HealthLink BC, 8-1-1 Services, checked November 2026.
- Statistics Canada, Health Fact Sheets: Sleep Apnea in Canada, 2016 and 2017 (released October 24, 2018, now archived), checked November 2026.
- Health Canada, Cool-mist humidifiers, checked November 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture's live pillow and adjustable base listings, prices and store lists, read November 1, 2026, and the owners' Duncan delivery and pickup terms.
Asking about pillows and bases at our Duncan store
You'll find Merit Home Furniture in Duncan at 107 Ingram St, Monday to Saturday from 9 to 5. Ringing first tells you which base or pillow is set up to try; the Ashley head-only base's listing says it's on display there. Pillows aren't shipped. They're picked up free at Duncan or added to a furniture or mattress delivery.
Merit keeps more bedroom reading in our hub of mattress and sleep reading, beside the full range of pillows on our site. Nobody at Merit can tell you why you snore, and I won't try. Your doctor, or a nurse at 8-1-1, can.