Exploring Causes and Treatments of
Snoring
by Mark Daymond
For many people, snoring is seen as a bit of a joke. In fact it is far
from it and for many people it is a very serious matter. These are
people for whom snoring can make their lives a misery and can be
responsible for sleepless nights and ultimately ruined relationships.
For such people, going to bed is a chore that is ended in the
morning with the realisation that another night has passed with little
or interrupted sleep. A common question for sufferers is what
causes snoring? And perhaps more importantly, how can I stop
snoring?
Let's consider first of all what causes snoring. Put very simply, it is
to do with the soft tissue at the back of the throat vibrating causing
the characteristic snoring noise. The cause of this is that the
muscles around the airway relaxing when asleep reducing the
amount of space available for air to pass through. When we are
awake these muscles are taut keeping the airway open which is
why we do not snore when we are awake.
There are a number of factors that can exacerbate this airway
restriction. Being overweight, for example, can lead to a build up fat
around the throat meaning that the airway is more susceptible to
becoming restricted. Sleeping position can also be a factor - lying
on the back in particular can also reduce the airway as the soft
tissue falls back reducing the amount of space available.
Other causes tend to relate to people tending to breathe through
their mouth while sleeping rather than their nose. When we breathe
through our mouths the air follows a curved path meaning that it hits
the back of the throat in a gentle way. However, breathing through
the mouth means that the air hits the soft tissues at the back of the
throat full on making vibrations more likely.
There are number of reasons for this pattern of breathing while
sleeping. For many people it may just be a habit that they have
fallen into. Others, may suffer from allergic conditions which restrict
their ability to