What Causes Snoring

Snoring is caused by a multitude of things which can be different for different people and for a variety of reasons. Medical research has confirmed that snoring only occurs when you are asleep and it is caused by vibrations of the air passage within the respiratory tract.

So why do we only snore when we are asleep?

Whilst we all breathe 24/7, the reason we only snore when we are asleep is due to the fact that only relaxed muscles cause snoring.

During our sleep, our voluntary acting muscles become relaxed. Sleeping rests our throat muscles. Throat tissue is soft and when it becomes relaxed it places us in the perfect position for it to vibrate. This is the sound more commonly known as snoring.

With the relaxation of this soft tissue the passages in our airways becomes significantly more narrower than usual. The result of the narrowing passages can cause loud noises due to the increase vibration. The size of these restricted passages will have an impact on the pitch and tone of the vibrations. Hence the sounds of a person's snore can change.

The force of the air flow through these restricted passages can also effect the volume of a person's snore. If the speed of the airflow is faster, then the snore, is typically louder and more resonant. It is not uncommon for babies to snore either. Generally speaking, however it is not considered to be snoring, only as moderate breathing noises caused by the respiratory tract. It would be unwise to ignore these noises as they could develop into long term issues. Large tonsils in children are also know to cause snoring however removal of the tonsils will cure the problem.

Men are more likely to be affected by snoring than women. Mid-aged men seem to head the studies conducted. It is suggested that men have more fleshy necks as they are generally a little wider than women.

In addition, women by their nature, produce progesterone hormones. These hormones can effectively reduce snoring in many cases. Due to this there are a variety of anti-snoring devices using progesterone as an ingredient. Ladies...you are congratulated.

Nature is not the only reason why we snore. Our lifestyles and health factors can also contribute to our chances of suffering from snoring.

I have listed some examples:

• Obesity.

• Allergies that cause narrowing of air passages.

• Drying of the nasal cavities - allergy medications.

• Cold and flu - blocked noses>

• Excessive alcohol.

• Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage.

• Pot belly - large stomach.
• Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
• Enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
• Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
• Swelling of the thyroid gland or goitre.
• Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
• Medications that initiate relaxation.

The main contributor to snoring problems is the narrowing of the airways. The pressure of excess weight being applied on soft tissues within the air passages, is a major contributor.

Whilst there is a significant about of information on the internet about solutions to snoring, there is one website that I like which provides a good common sense solution. This particular site is called ZQuiet Reviews, and it focuses discussion on a mouthpiece called ZQuiet. The ZQuiet mouthpiece is available only in the USA. The information on the site is worth reading.