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Revolutionary War soldiers had cannonballs sewn into the backs of their uniforms to keep them from snoring at night and giving away their position to the enemy.

Sleep on your side. On your back, gravity forces your tongue and other parts of the soft palate to collapse, leading to snoring. According to Simon, whose book chronicles his five-year battle against his own snoring to save his relationship with his wife, one clever way to do this is to place a tennis ball in the breast pocket of a T-shirt and wear the shirt to bed—backward. You’ll likely be forced to sleep on your side. Believe it or not, there may be historical precedence for this unusual bedroom attire, says Simon: Revolutionary War soldiers had cannonballs sewn into the backs of their uniforms to keep them from snoring at night and giving away their position to the enemy.

Steer clear of relaxers. Avoid sedatives and sleeping pills and keep away from alcohol for three or four hours before you hit the sack. This will keep your throat muscles from relaxing.

Rethink your pillow. Replace your super-fluffy pillow with a stiffer one, which will help support your neck muscles.

Lose a few pounds. If you’re overweight, get on a diet and exercise program; people above their ideal body mass index have more tendency to snore, says Suzan Jaffe, PhD, of the American Board of Sleep Medicine.

Turn in early. Get to bed at a decent hour because going to bed exhausted may cause the soft palate to relax too quickly, says Simon.

Investigate allergies. Invest in a humidifier and avoid things you’re allergic to, such as cat dander or dairy products. Nasal congestion, asthma, and allergies can all lead to snoring.

Consider supplements. Try natural antihistamines, says Keith F. Zeitlin, ND, a Wallingford, Connecticut-based naturopathic physician. Try sipping nettle-leaf tea three times a day or taking dietary flavonoids such as quercetin and hesperidin orally or as a nasal spray. These flavonoids help prevent the allergic reactions mediated by histamines.

Suss out a sinus infection. If a medical expert believes your snoring is linked to sinus infections—blocked airways could exacerbate snoring—Zeitlin recommends having your physician swab essential oils such as thyme, peppermint, or lavender in your nostrils to help dilate your nasal openings, promote sinus drainage, and soothe infections.

Do a cleanse. Try cleaning out your nasal passageways with warm salt water, a procedure that’s easy to do using a ceramic neti pot.

Try to open up. Because snoring often isn’t a serious medical concern, you can try noninvasive devices designed to stop snoring. These include dental mouthpieces and nasal strips that help keep your airways open. Another option is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system, a machine that pushes air through your throat via a mask attached to your nose that will keep your airway from collapsing. Although CPAP has a high success rate, some people find the device uncomfortable or the machine’s noise more annoying than the sound of snoring. Usually you can solve these problems by having the mask fitted correctly, says Jaffe; at least a dozen different CPAP nasal and facial masks are available. _p–Joel Warner

What causes snoring?

The culprit behind snoring is your throat—the muscles of which can relax while you’re sleeping and potentially vibrate loudly, like oboe reeds, when you breathe in and out. Snoring may be the result of genetics, such as having a wide, soft palate; a crooked partition between your nostrils; or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Or you might snore if you’re overweight, congested, or drink alcohol before bedtime. “Any condition in which the mucous membranes tend to become inflamed can cause snoring, even something as simple as having a good cry after watching a particularly sad movie,” says Keith F. Zeitlin, ND, a Wallingford, Connecticut-based naturopathic physician.

In some cases snoring can be the sign of a serious medical condition, such as obstructive sleep apnea, in which the throat muscles collapse, cutting off airflow for ten seconds or more. If you wake up gasping for breath or your snoring is accompanied by sleeplessness, morning headaches, confusion, and memory problems, you may have obstructive sleep apnea and should seek help from an ear, nose, and throat doctor.