Top 5 Causes of Snoring

What is snoring?

As you breathe in while sleeping certain parts of your mouth and throat can vibrate and cause the sound called snoring. So why don't we make this sound while we are awake? When you are sleeping all the muscles in your body relax, this includes your upper airway muscles. When your upper airway muscles relax they can decrease the size of the airway passage and cause airflow limitation and disturbance. It is the combination of your muscles being relaxed and the airflow disturbance while breathing in that causes the snoring sound while you sleep.

Why do men snore more than woman?

Have you ever wondered why a man is more likely to snore than a woman? This is mainly due to our build or the shape of our bodies. Women tend to put weight on around the stomach and thigh area, whereas men tend to put it on around the neck and waist. The thicker your neck is the more likely you are to snore, as it puts extra pressure on your airways causing airflow limitation and disturbance during sleep. However, once a woman starts to go through menopause this does often change. As women get older their muscle tone tends to reduce and they can start putting on extra weight. So that by the time a woman reaches 70 she is just as likely to snore as a man of the same age.

It is said that snoring is often caused by over indulging in life's pleasures. With this in mind let's take a look at the top 5 causes of snoring and you can decide for yourself.

1 - Being overweight - overeating or lack of exercise

If you are overweight and have a collar size of 16 1/2 inches or more, then you may not have the muscle tone in your upper airway to allow you to breathe normally while sleeping. For example a person with a long thin neck is less likely to snore than a person with a short fat neck. Being overweight by a small amount can affect how you sleep. The extra build-up of fatty tissue in your neck area can cause disruptions to how you breathe and lead to snoring.

By taking measures that lead to a healthy weight you will reduce your chances of snoring, and by reducing your snoring you will sleep better. A diet alone will not give you all the results you desire when it comes to getting a good night's sleep; you must also include exercise on a regular basis. Exercise improves your breathing and increases your muscle tone thereby reducing your risk of snoring and improving your overall health.

2 - Smoking

The smoke from a cigarette causes irritation to the nasal cavity and throat which leads to area swelling and inflammation. When you have inflammation or swelling in your nasal passages it can be very difficult to breathe through your nose. This is due to the reduction in size of your upper airway and can lead to snoring. With every cigarette that you smoke you increase your chances of snoring; or if you already snore, your snoring can get progressively worse. One of the most concerning things about smoking is that it is not only the person who chooses to smoke that is effected, passive smoke is also inhaled by children and adults alike and can lead to them snore as well as having other smoking related health issues. To improve your health and sleeping pattern of both yourself and those around you the best thing to do is quit smoking.

3 - Alcohol

When alcohol enters your body it travels around the blood stream to all areas and slows your brains response time, this causes your muscles to relax. By relaxing your air muscles you are increasing your chance of snoring and you will therefore have poor sleep. If you already snore then drinking alcohol can lead to the life threatening condition of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disruption in your breathing while you sleep that disturbs your sleep cycle. This usually makes you wake-up with a start and then go back to sleep, a lot of the time without even realizing it has happened. If you can't stop drinking alcohol all together try to limit the amount of alcohol that you drink, as well as making sure that you stop drinking alcohol at least 4-6 hours before bed. By doing this, you will allow your body time to start processing the alcohol in your system and greatly improve your quality of sleep.

4 - Sleeping position

Your sleeping position can greatly affect the quality of your sleep. By sleeping on your back you increase the likelihood that you will snore. This is due to your muscles relaxing and gravity putting downward pressure on them. This impedes the airflow and increases your chances of snoring as well as having sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back also puts your spine into an un-natural position - straight. Our spine is naturally curved and should not be straight for long periods of time. To enable you to have the best night's sleep, sleeping on your side with your knee slightly bent is the recommended position. A handy tip that has been used to stop you from sleeping on your back is to sew a small ball into the back of your night ware, that way when you roll over onto your back you are uncomfortable and will change your position back to your side.

5 - Nasal congestion

When you have any type of nasal congestion, whether it be from cold, allergy or flu you increase your possibility of snoring. When your nasal passages are blocked you will automatically breathe through your mouth, when you breathe through your mouth you are increasing the likelihood that you will snore. If this a problem for you, you have to first identify why you have nasal congestion and then take measures to prevent it.

In this article I have looked at the top 5 reasons that can cause you to snore. Snoring is a much overlooked issue that is often laughed about. Snoring is a serious problem for a lot of people and can lead to the life threatening condition of sleep apnea as well as causing you sleep disruption. By taking the time to identify what is causing you to snore and changing your habits you can reduce your snoring and give yourself a better night's sleep.

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