The Science Behind Snoring

Many people today snore. It can be a nuisance that disrupts your sleep and the sleep of anyone around you. Do you ever wonder what causes you to snore? Snoring happens when the flow of air from your mouth or nose to your lungs makes the tissues of the airway vibrate. Most of the time this is caused by some sort of blockage or obstruction is the nose, mouth, or throat, but the cause usually varies from case to case.

The following are possible causes of snoring:

• You might have enlarged tissues in the nose, mouth or throat. If your child snores, their tonsils may be enlarged.

• It is possible that your nasal passage is blocked. This makes it more difficult to inhale. It also affects the tissues in the throat that pulls together when you are breathing. If your nasal passage is blacked you may suffer from upper respiratory infections, allergy, or nasal polyps.

• For some, you may experience a loss of muscle tone in the throat, which makes it easier for the tissue to collage. Many times this is a result of aging or a lack of fitness.

• Drinking alcohol has been known to cause snoring. It can depress the part of the brain that regulates our breathing. In effect, our tongue and throat muscles become overly relaxed and they tend to black air movement.

• It has also been proven that obesity contributes to snoring. This is because fat in the throat makes the airway smaller.

• If you take medicines to help you relax or increase your drowsiness (allergies, depression, or anxiety) they might contribute to your snoring.

Ideally, when you are sleep, you want to be able to inhale and exhale properly. Unfortunately, someone who suffers from a snoring problem cannot experience this. When they inhale during their sleep, the air enters the mouth or nose and passes across an area referred to as the soft palette (the back of the roof of the mouth). Then it goes to the lungs. There is an area called the uvula that is collapsible. This is located where our tongue and upper throat meet our soft palette. If the uvula collapses, our airway becomes narrow and blocked. Thus, our airflow is disturbed and we are unable to breathe properly. Snoring then results. The narrower your airway is, the louder you snore. Certain factors do increase your risk for snoring. And, if the problem gets worse, it could progress towards sleep apnea, a more serious condition.