Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Diagnosis & Treatment
Surgery - Sleep Apnea &
Snoring
Snoring and Pregnancy
FAQs
Snoring Myth
Snoring Celebrities
Your Snoring Experiences
Snoring and the resulting disturbance often lead to jokes and ridicule.
But snoring is no joke. It causes disturbed nights for all concerned and
tension between even the most tolerant of people. Snoring could also be
damaging your health.
Snoring happens when the structures in the back of the mouth collapse into
the airway during sleep or when the nasal airway becomes constricted.
Vibration occurs as air is forced around the structures and through the
constricted airway. The turbulent airflow produces the snoring noise. The
structures involved (mainly tongue, soft palate and uvula) become relaxed
when asleep. This is made worse by lying on your back, allowing the relaxed
tissue to easily fall backwards into the airway.
Who Snores?
You are most likely to snore if you are an overweight man with a thick neck (greater than 17 inches). However,
snoring is not restricted to these groups and thin females with thin necks
have been known to snore.
Alcohol and certain drugs, particularly those
with muscle relaxing properties will worsen the snoring. Eating a late
meal will also relax the airway tissue, making it more prone to collapse.
You might have heard
people complaining that a partner snores when they've been drinking, but strong links between snoring and smoking have also been made.
Chemicals in the smoke are thought to irritate the air passages
in the nose and throat, leading to inflammation, narrowing and
snoring.