What Causes My Snoring?
In order to understand how to cure snoring, it helps to understand how it is caused.
The critical factor is that when we are asleep the muscles around the throat area are more relaxed meaning that we breathe differently.
There are a number of factors that influence whether we snore.
These are: - Mouth breathing - Being overweight - Consumption of alcohol - Allergies and nasal stuffiness - Smoking - Small or collapsing nostrils - Sleeping position - Tongue base snoring If you sleep with you mouth open during sleeping it is likely that you will snore.
Breathing through the nose means that the air passes over the curved part of the soft palate avoiding unnecessary turbulence.
Breathing through the mouth means that the air hits the back of the throat head on and creates significant vibrations in the soft tissue.
Being overweight leads to a lack of muscle tone around the throat which means that the airway is not sufficient to keep the airway properly open and does not allow for proper breathing.
Therefore, snoring can result.
Alcohol can cause additional relaxing of the muscles in the throat area, and again the airway can be restricted.
Allergies, whether this should be seasonal or not, causes nasal congestion.
This means that breathing needs to be diverted through the mouth during sleeping and therefore makes snoring more likely.
Smoking can also lead to inflammation in the nasal passages and a build up of nasal congestion.
Likewise small or collapsing nostrils means that the body will respond by diverting breathing through the mouth during sleeping.
Sleeping position is particularly significant.
While sleeping on your back, your tongue, your chin and any excess fatty tissue under your chin is likely to relax back and squash your airway.
Sleeping on your side prevents this.
Tongue base snoring is where the tongue drops to the back of the throat causing an obstruction.
This impairs breathing due to the tongue blocking the airway.
In trying to get past the obstruction the air vibrates the tongue or the throat tissues, causing snoring.
The critical factor is that when we are asleep the muscles around the throat area are more relaxed meaning that we breathe differently.
There are a number of factors that influence whether we snore.
These are: - Mouth breathing - Being overweight - Consumption of alcohol - Allergies and nasal stuffiness - Smoking - Small or collapsing nostrils - Sleeping position - Tongue base snoring If you sleep with you mouth open during sleeping it is likely that you will snore.
Breathing through the nose means that the air passes over the curved part of the soft palate avoiding unnecessary turbulence.
Breathing through the mouth means that the air hits the back of the throat head on and creates significant vibrations in the soft tissue.
Being overweight leads to a lack of muscle tone around the throat which means that the airway is not sufficient to keep the airway properly open and does not allow for proper breathing.
Therefore, snoring can result.
Alcohol can cause additional relaxing of the muscles in the throat area, and again the airway can be restricted.
Allergies, whether this should be seasonal or not, causes nasal congestion.
This means that breathing needs to be diverted through the mouth during sleeping and therefore makes snoring more likely.
Smoking can also lead to inflammation in the nasal passages and a build up of nasal congestion.
Likewise small or collapsing nostrils means that the body will respond by diverting breathing through the mouth during sleeping.
Sleeping position is particularly significant.
While sleeping on your back, your tongue, your chin and any excess fatty tissue under your chin is likely to relax back and squash your airway.
Sleeping on your side prevents this.
Tongue base snoring is where the tongue drops to the back of the throat causing an obstruction.
This impairs breathing due to the tongue blocking the airway.
In trying to get past the obstruction the air vibrates the tongue or the throat tissues, causing snoring.
