My wife recorded me snoring once. I thought she was exaggerating. Then I heard it — I sounded like a lawnmower starting up. I was mortified. I immediately went online and almost bought a $200 mouthpiece and a $150 nasal dilator before I had even tried the free stuff.

Four free changes later I do not snore anymore. My wife can confirm.

Sleep on Your Side

Snoring happens when your tongue and soft palate collapse backward and vibrate as you breathe. This mostly happens when you sleep on your back. Side sleeping keeps the airway open.

The trick to staying on your side: sew a tennis ball into the back of a t-shirt and wear it to bed. Every time you roll onto your back, the ball is uncomfortable and you roll back. It sounds ridiculous but it is the oldest snoring remedy for a reason.

Took me about three nights to adjust. Now I sleep on my side naturally.

Clear Your Nose

If your nose is even slightly stuffy, you breathe through your mouth while sleeping. Mouth breathing directly causes snoring because the air hits the soft palate from the wrong angle.

Before bed, use a saline spray or a neti pot to clear your nasal passages. If allergies are the issue — they were for me — an over-the-counter antihistamine before bed makes a noticeable difference. Dust your bedroom regularly too. Dust mites are a major nighttime allergen.

Skip the Nightcap

Alcohol relaxes throat muscles more than normal sleep does. Even one drink within two hours of bedtime significantly increases snoring. I stopped having wine with dinner and my snoring dropped noticeably within the first week.