Snoring affects the quality of your sleep and that of anyone in bed with you. The causes are many and varied. They include everything from narrow throat due to heredity, age or gender, allergies, posture, smoking and drinking and general fitness level and conditioning. There has been much written on the subject and there are other sites that explore the many causes and potential ways of resolving snoring.

The one area that isn’t explored in depth and which has been clinically found to be effective in both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is the use of a cervical or orthopedic pillow. In a 1997 study published in the journal Cranio, HW Makofsky, of the State University of New York stated that,” Based on the evidence…it is recommended that the use of cervical-support pillows be considered as an adjunctive treatment modality in patients suffering from snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.”

Pillows, and more importantly the posture of neck and head during sleep are by no means the main cause of snoring or sleep apnea but are an overlooked way of potentially alleviating the causes particularly if other non-invasive approaches have not proven successful.

Cranio. 1997 Jan;15(1):68-73.