Growing up my step father was and still is a snorer. Countless memories of me as a kid with a pillow over my head to muffle him. The vacations where we shared hotel rooms were my worst nightmare.When he snores, the room is sure to shake. And don’t even get me started on having sleepovers. Once, my friends thought some machine had gone into over drive and I just sighed and said “nope just my dad”. Im sure a lot go you have experienced some crazy snores so this week I decided to discuss…. you guessed it snoring.
What exactly is it?
Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound from nose or mouth that occurs when breathing is partially obstructed while sleeping and if y
ou have not experienced a crazy snorer, consider yourself blessed. Now, everyone snores a little every now and then, but for some it is chronic and also a big pointer to underlying health issues. Snoring is also related to sleep apnea where you stop breathing multiple times throughout your sleep and if you are a loud snorer or never feel well rested, this can be an indicator. Snoring can also be caused by a number of things including the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses, weight, allergies and even alcohol. According to Mayo Clinic Researchers, it occurs “When you doze off and progress from a light sleep to a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of your mouth (soft palate), tongue and throat relax. The tissues in your throat can relax enough that they partially block your airway and vibrate”.
Risk Factors & Causes
- Being a man: Men are more likely to snore than are women.
- Being overweight: People who are overweight are more likely to snore or have obstructive sleep apnea.
- Having a narrow airway: Having a long soft palate, large tonsils or adenoids, can narrow the airway and cause snoring.
- Drinking alcohol: Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles
- Having nasal problems: Having a structural defect in your airway, such as a deviated septum, puts you at risk of snoring.
- Having a family history of snoring or obstructive sleep apnea: Heredity is a potential risk factor
- Sleep deprivation: Not getting enough sleep can lead to throat relaxation
- Sleep position. Snoring is typically most frequent and loudest when sleeping on the back as gravity’s effect on the throat narrows the airway
“Snoring.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Dec. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/snoring/symptoms-causes/syc-20377694.
I may or may not be one of those people that snores, but it was nice to hear about what can cause snoring and how it really works. I think its interesting that sleep position can also affect our snoring. I never thought of how we sleep being a factor in what makes us snore.