Why do people snore?

There are many snoring causes, such as:

• The anatomy of your mouth and sinuses.

Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore.

• Nasal problems.

Allergies, colds, the flu, and nasal congestion are some of the most common causes of snoring at night. These conditions contribute to the fact that you start breathing through your mouth, which bypasses the nasal mucosa and makes regular breathing difficult, leading to snoring,

• Alcohol consumption and smoking.

Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat. As well as with smokers, when you sleep, the muscles can obstruct the airway, making it harder for the air to reach our lungs and cause you to snore.
Drinking alcohol and smoking is overall not good for your quality of sleep.

• Being overweight.

Due to the presence of neck fat, when you lie down, it compresses the upper airway, making snoring much more likely. Therefore, losing weight or not gaining too much, would be a tip on how to prevent snoring.

• Sleeping posture.

Your sleeping position can be what causes snoring. Snoring is typically most frequent and loudest when sleeping on the back, since the gravity's effect on the throat narrows the airway.

• Age.

Although it's common for a young person to snore, chances of snoring become greater with age. As we get older, our throat muscles sag and can obstruct our airflow while we sleeping.

These are potential reasons why someone could be snoring but there are also more severe conditions leading to this.

• Sleep apnea.

What is sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a more serious condition in which you repeatedly stop breathing. There are a lot of people who snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, probably because they wake up from their own snore.

The main types of sleep apnea are:

• Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form, related to the throat muscles relaxation.
• Central sleep apnea, related to the signals that your brain should send to the muscles that control breathing.
• Complex sleep apnea syndrome, which occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea symptoms

• Loud snoring.
• Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep.
• Awakening with a dry mouth.
• Morning headache.
• Having insomnias.
• Being too sleepy during the day.
• Difficulty paying attention while awake.

Sleep apnea treatment

• CPAP treatment

CPAP stands for Continuous positive airway pressure. Using CPAP for snoring is the most common and reliable method of treating sleep apnea, as it delivers air pressure through a mask while you sleep.

There are also CPAP alternatives, such as oral appliances, bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and nasal valve therapy.

• Inspire sleep apnea

Inspire for sleep apnea is an alternative to CPAP that works inside your body while you sleep. It gives stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls the movement of your tongue and other airway muscles. By stimulating these muscles, the airway remains open during sleep, preventing you from snoring.

• Sleep apnea surgery

This is usually only an option when more natural or less heavy treatments have failed.

A lot of people wonder if sleep apnea can kill you, but it is very unliky that the snoring itself could kill you, although it can bring other health conditions that contribute to it.

Snoring remedies

Do you want to stop snoring immediatly? Here are some tips that might help you stop snoring naturally:

• If overweight, lose weight.
• Sleep on you side. This way, your airway stays open and you can breathe easier.
• Use a natural latex pillow. Unlike synthetic foam, latex is a natural material that is breathable and therefore won’t leave you breathing in toxic fumes that may cause or aggravate allergies, being considered one of the best pillows for snoring. Vita Talaly's natural latex pillows are anti snore pillows, as they're highly breathable, regulate 25% of your body fat and help against allergies. For more information, click here.
• Raise the head of your bed. Your spinal alignment will change, as elevating your head above your chest reduces the pressure on your airway and nasal passages.
• Get enough sleep. One of the best home remedies to stop snoring is getting enough sleep. An adult should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
• Nasal strips. Adhesive strips applied to the bridge of the nose may help increase the area of their nasal passage, enhancing their breathing.

Baby snoring

About 3% of children have more serious snoring and a condition called SBD (sleep disordered breathing) or OSA (obstructive sleep apnea).

Usually, if a baby snores, that's not a cause for concern as every part of them is still very small, including their breathing airways. However, if it is noticed that the baby snores regularly and wakes up because for it, it would be beneficial to speak to your pediatrician.

Dog snoring

If a dog has always snored, there should be no reason for someone to worry. There are dog breeds with certain nose structures that don't allow them to have the best breathing. However, if there is noticed a suddent chamge in their breathing, they shoul be examined by a vet.

The dog breeds that are more likely to snore are:

• The Pug.
• The bulldog.
• The Shih Tzu.
• The French Bulldog.
• The Boston Terrier.

Is snoring bad?

Snoring just once in a while is not usually a serious problem, although it is not very pleasent in case you sleep with your partner. If you notice that you have been snoring for a long time and that your sleep quality is being affected by it, you could try out the home remedies for snoring adviced in this article and if you don't see any improvement, it might be a good option to visit a doctor.

Although men are the ones who tend to snore the most, all of the snoring reasons mentioned, are also explanations to what causes snoring in females.

For more information about a healthy sleep experience, visit our website.