Snoring is the sulting sound of vibration of respiratory structures and, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. Snoring occurs when a person makes a snorting noise when they breathe during sleep. The noise comes from vibration of the soft palate and tissue in the mouth, nose or throat. While you sleep your airways relax and narrow. This affects air pressure within your airways, which causes the tissue to vibrate. This can also happen if your airways are partially blocked, for example if you have a cold. Some people snore infrequently and the sound they make is not particularly loud, while others may snore every night, loud enough to be heard in the next room. People who snore may suffer from: Poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, When muscles are too relaxed, the tongue falls backwards into the airway or the throat muscles draw in from the sides into the airway. Some relaxation is natural during deep sleep, but may become a problem if exacerbated by alcohol or drugs that cause sleepiness. Children with large tonsils and adenoids often snore. Obese people may have excess soft tissue in the neck that can lead to airway narrowing. Cysts or tumors are rare causes of airway narrowing. A long palate narrows the opening from the nose into the throat. The excessive length of the soft palate and/or uvula acts as a noisy flutter valve during relaxed breathing. A blocked nose requires extra effort to pull air through it. This makes an exaggerated vacuum in the throat that pulls together the floppy tissues of the throat, and snoring results. So snoring may occur during the hay fever season or with a cold or sinus infection.
Last date updated on April, 2024