What Causes Snoring?

Published on 31 July 2019

Posted in Blog

Snoring is noisy breathing during sleep, which occurs due to the vibration of tissues in the upper airway. Snoring is a problem that is common to all people at different stages of their lives. 

Although snoring doesn’t harm, it can be treated using various remedies. If remedies are unable to cure the problem, then there are treatment options which are available. In some circumstances snoring can be associated with severe health issues.

Common Causes of Snoring

Excessive Weight

Having excessive body weight can subject you to numerous health issues, and it’s a great influencer when it comes to snoring. Being overweight may result in a variety of problems such as poor muscle tone and increase the tissue in the neck and throat region, which is how snoring occurs during sleep.

Alcohol

Although many think taking alcohol offers them a comfortable night sleep, it is beyond doubt that drinking before you sleep can be disruptive, and it has a large impact on those who snore. Alcohol triggers the relaxation of muscles, making the throat and airway to relax during sleep, this then causes the vibration needed to snore when you breathe. In other words, if you tend to have an uptake of the muscle relaxant, it may result in more snoring during the night.

Sleeping Position 

Sleeping positions are a common cause of snoring, people who sleep on their back have the problem of their tongue and soft palate collapsing to the back wall of their throat which then causes them to snore. Sleeping on your side reduces the chance of this happening, because there is a larger gap for air to pass making it less likely that you snore.

Nose and Throat Conditions

Specific physical conditions involving the nose and throat can lead to snoring. These may comprise of the deviated septum, which is a condition that happens when the border separating the nostrils is moved to one side. Enlarged nostrils and nasal polyps are major causes of snoring. Also, those experiencing seasonal allergies may be affected by snoring problems in similar ways.

How to Prevent Snoring

Reducing alcohol and sedating medications

Depressant or sedative drugs can stimulate the relaxation of muscles, making them collapse. Alcohol serves as a depressant so you should ensure not to drink alcohol at least four hours before you sleep. All the prescriptions or over-the-counter sleep sedatives should be taken as per the instructions of the health care professional. This will help to sleep with the sufferers of certain disorders.

Adjust your sleeping position

Sleeping positions can sometimes lead to snoring. For instance, sleeping on your back can provoke the relaxed tongue and soft palate to collapse to the back wall of your throat interfering with the airway. 

Sleeping positions that prevent this can be sleeping on your side, as mentioned above. This reduces the chance of your tongue and soft palate collapsing to the back of your throat. If you can only sleep on your back then sleeping with raised pillows to tilt your head forward can minimise the chances of snoring by not allowing the collapse of the tongue and soft palate into the back of the throat. Changing beds or hiring a bed can help with this and aid with you sleeping in a different position.

The Impact of snoring

Headaches

Waking up with a headache is one of the problems associated with snoring. When snoring is linked to other sleeping diseases, it results in morning headaches. Frequent snorers are associated with constant headaches which can then develop into a migraine. 

Heart disease

Sleeping disorders are linked to the potential of heart attacks and heart failure as a result of cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure. Snoring aids in the development of irregular heart rhythm which can develop further into the mentioned problems.

In conclusion, if you suffer from snoring then you should try the above remedies to help with the prevention of snoring. However, if this does not solve the problem then we recommend that you go to see your doctor and have them advise you professionally on how to cure and prevent your snoring.

Thank you for reading Bed Hire’s blog post. If you would like to know more about how we can help you through the hiring of beds then contact us on 0208 933 8888, alternatively, visit our contact page and get in touch now.

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