Everyone snores occasionally. The habitual snoring in adult men is 57% and 40% in women. Some people snore without any sleep-related problems.
Sleep apnea disrupts sleep leading to health issues. Other causes of snoring include individual anatomy, weight and behaviors like sleeping position. You can use a snoring patch to tame the snoring problem.
Common Causes Of Snoring
Snoring results from air blockage to prevent air’s free flow through the airways. It happens when breathing in and out when asleep. When airways are partially blocked or narrowed, upper airway tissues vibrate. They produce a snoring sound that you hear. Many reasons cause snoring. Let’s take a look at these causes.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Many people with OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) snore as they sleep. You will realize the snoring from repeated pauses in breathing as one sleeps. It results from complete or partial blockage of airways. People with this condition snore loudly with sessions of silence when breathing stops.
OSA can result in depression, heart diseases and high blood pressure. To treat the condition, one uses devices that aid in stopping snoring.
Sedative Medication And Alcohol
Sedatives and alcohol result in snoring when they relax muscles supporting airway tissues. OSA and individuals under this state have severe snoring issues. Experts say people should avoid sedative medications and alcohol when going to bed. It helps to reduce snoring.
Smoking
Smoking cigarettes is the top factor that leads to snoring. It’s not known why smoking individuals snore. Research shows that it may result from oedema and inflammation of the upper airway. When you quit smoking, it improves on snoring rates.
Head And Neck Anatomy
The shape and size of specific structures can constrict airways leading to snoring. Individuals with a deviated septum are prone to snoring. It’s a condition that makes the nostril walls bend or skewed to one side. Nasal passage growth, small jaws and enlarged tonsils or tongue will lead to snoring.
Chronic Nasal Congestion
A stuffy nose while sleeping results in snoring. It reduces airflow through the airways making this path collapse.
Infections or allergy are common causes of nasal congestion. Other contributors include deviated septum or dry air environment. When these conditions persist for long, the state results in snoring. Treatment of this type of condition depends on the causes.
Sleep Position
You are likely to snore when you lie on your back or supine position. While on your back, gravity will pull tissues around the airways, making them narrower. Other people will snore when they sleep on their sides or lateral position.
Avoid snoring by not sleeping on your back. You can use positional alarms, lateral sleep pillows and modified nightshirts.
Overweight
Extra tissues on the neck lead to smaller airway size that is prone to airway blockage. Losing weight for overweight individuals improves snoring. Individuals losing at least six pounds are likely to reduce snoring.
Ageing
Old age leads to sleep changes that include snoring. Muscles around the airways and the tongue become weaker as an individual age. Older people need to have throat and mouth exercises to reduce snoring. It’s a process known as myofunctional therapy.
Hypothyroidism
It’s a condition where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce adequate thyroid hormone. When not treated, it leads to a puffy face, slow speech, slow heart rate and hoarse voice. Treatment for this problem is taking medications. They tend to replace the deficit in thyroid hormone.
Conclusion
Snoring is a manageable situation that you can handle. Visit a specialist to examine the situation and propose the ideal treatment.