Just about everyone snores occasionally, but if snoring happens frequently it can affect the quantity and quality of your sleep and that of your family members and room mates. Snoring can lead to poor sleep and daytime fatigue, irritability, and increased health problems. If your snoring keeps your partner awake, it can also create major relationship problems. Thankfully, sleeping in separate bedrooms isn’t the only remedy for snoring. There are many other effective solutions available.
Identify the cause to find the cure
Not all snoring is the same. In fact, everyone snores for different reasons. When you get to the bottom of why you snore, then you can find the right solutions to a quieter, deeper sleep.
People who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue, or “floppy” tissue that is more prone to vibrate. The position of your tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing. Evaluating how and when you snore will help you pinpoint whether the cause of your snoring is within your control or not. The good news is that no matter how and when you snore, there are solutions to making your snoring better.
Where does the snoring sound come from?
Snoring happens when you can’t move air freely through your nose and mouth during sleep. Often caused by the narrowing of your airway, either from poor sleep posture or abnormalities of the soft tissues in your throat. A narrow airway gets in the way of smooth breathing and creates the sound of snoring.
Common causes of snoring
- Age.
As you reach middle age and beyond, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases. - The way you’re built.
Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, and other physical attributes that contribute to snoring are often hereditary. - Nasal and sinus problems.
Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring. - Being overweight or out of shape.
Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring. - Alcohol, smoking, and medications.
Alcohol intake, smoking, and certain medications can increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring. - Sleep posture.
Sleeping flat on your back causes the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.
