The best anti-snoring devices: how to match the device to your snoring

The best anti-snoring device is the one that targets the place your snoring starts. Strips and dilators work on the nose, mouth tape and chin straps on a mouth that falls open, mouthpieces on the jaw and tongue, and positional devices and pillows on back sleeping.

How do you choose an anti-snoring device?

Choosing an anti-snoring device starts with finding where your snoring comes from. The NHS says snoring is caused by the tongue, mouth, throat or airways in the nose vibrating as you breathe, and it matches treatments to the cause. For a blocked or narrow nose, it lists nasal dilators or strips. For a mouth that falls open during sleep, it lists a chin strap or a mouth device that keeps you breathing through your nose. For a tongue that partly blocks the back of the throat, it lists a mouthpiece that brings the tongue forward, called a mandibular advancement device. It also suggests sleeping on your side.

Three quick checks narrow it down:

• Does your nose feel blocked or narrow at night? Try breathing through it with your mouth closed for a couple of minutes, as in our nose test.
• Does your mouth hang open while you snore? A bed partner can tell you, or you may wake with a dry mouth.
• Is the snoring worse on your back? Ask your partner, or notice whether it eases when you roll over.

A yes to more than one is common. The German snoring guideline published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International in 2019 lists whether snoring depends on position and whether nasal breathing is impaired among the things to ask about when taking a snoring history.

What does the research say about anti-snoring devices?

The research on anti-snoring devices is uneven. Jaw-advancing mouthpieces have guideline-level support, nasal strips and positional devices have smaller controlled trials, and mouth tape, chin straps and tongue devices rest on a handful of small studies. Less-studied doesn't mean useless; it means matching the device to the cause matters more.

The German guideline sums up the field this way: evidence-based recommendations can be given for selected situations, but the overall state of the evidence on many techniques remains limited.

Which devices work on a blocked or narrow nose?

Nasal strips

Nasal strips are adhesive bands with springs that sit on the outside of the nose and lift the sides open. They target the nasal valve, the narrow section just inside the nostrils.

Evidence: in a 2000 randomized, placebo-controlled trial in the European Respiratory Journal, 12 people with chronic rhinitis who snored but didn't have sleep apnea were studied overnight. Snoring frequency was 173 snores an hour with a real strip compared with 258 with a placebo strip, though snoring loudness and sleep quality didn't change. The German guideline says internal or external nasal dilators should be tried when breathing is impaired at the nasal valve.

Who they suit: people whose snoring is worse with a stuffy, narrow or congested nose, and anyone who would rather not put anything in their mouth or nostrils.

Internal nasal dilators

Internal nasal dilators are small devices that sit inside the nostrils and hold them open from within. They target the same part of the nose as strips.

Evidence: a 2019 open study in Acta Biomedica compared an internal dilator with a nasal strip in 41 people who snored. Both reduced snoring time and improved sleep quality ratings, and the internal device worked for more people. There was no placebo group.

Who they suit: people with nose-related snoring whose skin doesn't get on with adhesive, or who find a strip falls off.

Which devices work on a mouth that falls open?

Mouth tape

Mouth tape is a strip of skin-safe tape over the lips that keeps the mouth closed so you breathe through your nose. It targets snoring that happens when the jaw drops and the mouth falls open.

Evidence: a 2022 study in Healthcare looked at 20 mouth breathers with mild sleep apnea. Each had a baseline home sleep test and a second one a week later on a night with the mouth taped. The median snoring index fell by 47%, from 303.8 to 121.1 events an hour, and 13 of the 20 cut their snoring index by at least half. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found 10 studies with 213 people and rated all of them as poor quality, so the evidence is promising but early.

Who it suits: adults who snore with their mouths open and can breathe comfortably through their noses. In the 2025 review, four of the 10 studies warned that keeping the mouth closed could pose a serious risk of asphyxiation if the nose is blocked. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Chin straps

Chin straps are fabric straps around the head and chin that hold the jaw closed. They target the same open-mouth pattern as tape.

Evidence: mixed. The 2025 PLOS One review said the evidence on mouth occlusion or chin strapping is uncertain and that conclusions vary between studies. The NHS lists a chin strap as one option when your mouth falls open during sleep. See chin straps for snoring.

Who they suit: people whose jaw drops open and who would rather not have adhesive on their lips.

Which devices work on the jaw and tongue?

Mandibular advancement devices

Mandibular advancement devices are mouthpieces that hold the lower jaw forward, which the NHS says brings the tongue forward too. They target snoring that starts at the back of the throat.

Evidence: the strongest of any device here. The 2015 guideline from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine recommends that sleep physicians prescribe oral appliances, rather than no therapy, for adults who want treatment for snoring without sleep apnea. It also says the diagnosis of snoring alone should come from a sleep physician, not a dentist, because snoring is often accompanied by sleep apnea. The German guideline recommends these devices in suitable cases and says fitting and monitoring should involve dental and sleep medicine experts.

Who they suit: people whose snoring isn't fixed by opening the nose or closing the mouth. The German guideline says how far the lower jaw can move forward should be assessed first, and its authors list enough stable, healthy teeth and a sufficient ability to open the mouth as conditions. The AASM guideline says most side effects of oral appliances are dental. See oral appliances for snoring for more.

Tongue-retaining devices

Tongue-retaining devices hold the tongue forward, usually with suction on the tip, instead of moving the jaw. They target the same throat-level snoring as jaw devices.

Evidence: limited. In a 2008 randomized crossover study in Sleep and Breathing, a non-custom suction device was compared with the same device without suction. Snoring index fell from 214.7 to 132.9 an hour only with the suction version, and 54% of participants said they would keep using it. See tongue-retaining devices.

Who they suit: people with throat-level snoring who want to try a non-custom option. A dentist can tell you whether a tongue device or a jaw device suits your mouth better.

Which devices work on back sleeping?

Positional devices

Positional devices keep you off your back. They range from a tennis ball sewn into your sleepwear, which the NHS suggests, to belts and small vibrating trainers. They target snoring that's worse when you lie face up.

Evidence: a 2024 systematic review in the Journal of Personalized Medicine found 9 studies of positional therapy and raising the head of the bed for snoring. The authors called both reliable options for improving snoring, but said there are only a few short-term recent studies and that larger controlled trials are urgently needed. The German guideline says avoiding the back should be offered for position-related snoring. See positional therapy devices.

Who they suit: people who mostly snore on their backs and are quieter on their sides.

Pillows and wedges

Anti-snoring pillows and wedges change the angle of your head or upper body. Some are shaped to keep you on your side, and some move your head when they detect snoring.

Evidence: the German guideline cites a randomized crossover study of 22 people with a pillow that changes head position when it detects snoring. The snoring index was 162 with the pillow switched on and 269 with it switched off, and the guideline says snoring-triggered head position change should be offered. The 2024 review found that people didn't tolerate a steep head-up angle for long, so angles above 35 degrees may be of limited practical use. See anti-snoring pillows.

Who they suit: back sleepers who find a belt or ball too intrusive.

Anti-snoring device checklist: which type fits you?

Can you combine anti-snoring devices?

Many people have more than one cause, so combining devices that work on different parts of the airway can make sense. The most common pairing is a nasal strip with mouth tape: the strip widens the nose and the tape keeps the mouth closed, so the strip helps the nose carry the breathing the tape asks of it. Side sleeping can be added to either.

For a nose-and-mouth pairing, the Titan Sleep System puts both in one routine.

When should you see a doctor instead of buying a device?

See a doctor before buying anything if your snoring comes with warning signs. The NHS says to see a GP if you feel sleepy during the day, your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, or you make gasping or choking noises, because you may have sleep apnea, which can be serious if not treated.

None of these devices is a sleep apnea treatment, and a quieter night doesn't prove the breathing pauses have stopped. If your nose is blocked most nights, get that checked rather than relying on a strip. If you're pregnant, ask your midwife or doctor before trying a new device. Our guide to snoring vs. sleep apnea explains the difference.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

For snoring linked to the nose or an open mouth, our pick is the Titan Sleep System from Titan Recovery. We haven't tested or ranked anti-snoring devices ourselves; this is our recommendation, based on how Titan describes the system against the checklist above.

Titan says the system pairs TitanAir Nasal Strips with Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape as one nightly routine. Titan describes the strips as drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, placed just above the flare of the nostrils on the soft part of the nose, not the bony bridge. It describes the tape as a bamboo silk strip worn across the lips, and suggests 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice before the first night.

Titan says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and its 30-night guarantee refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• Mouth tape vs. 7 other snoring products: how they compare
• 13 snoring remedies to try at home, ordered by the evidence

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.