Did you know that approximately 50% of the US population snores occasionally and about 25% snore habitually?
While many of us assume that snoring is related to good, deep sleep, it might not always be the case. These stats indicate the widespread habit of snoring and make us realize that it can either be a bane or a boon!
It can be habitual, casual, or a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. The need of the hour is to have in-depth insight into the snoring mechanism along with its causes and risk factors.
If you’re experiencing frequent snoring, buckle up because this article will facilitate you in understanding the crux of snoring that you would otherwise have to read up on snoring Wikipedia!
What Is Snoring?
Snoring, meaning a harsh sound from the throat, occurs when one cannot breathe freely or pass air through the nose and throat.
The snoring anatomy involves the muscles getting loose and the airway narrowing down. This causes the surrounding tissues to vibrate and produces a snoring sound.
People with sagging tissues around the mouth and throat are more likely to experience a feeling of discomfort while breathing, thus resulting in snoring.
What Is The Medical Term For Snoring?
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that the German word for snoring is ‘schnarchen’? It literally means to snort while sleeping.
Now that we know about the snoring definition, let’s talk about the technical term for snoring that ENT doctors often use for diagnosis. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder associated with the blockage of airways which causes frequent lapses in breathing.
Chronic snoring is one of the most common symptoms of OSA, but not all snorers have apnea. The snoring medical definition, OSA, is a more severe condition in which the amount of air reaching your lungs reduces significantly and ultimately leads to loud, choking, or gasping noises.
Essentially, OSA disrupts your body’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels which may be one of the main reasons for feeling lethargic and frustrated even after having an 8-hour sleep!
OSA also adversely impacts brain function and may reduce your attention span and overall productivity. This is because your body is waking up abnormally a lot of times during the night while you are unconscious.
What Are The Causes Of Snoring?
- Age
As you enter into your mid-thirties and beyond, the lining of the throat becomes narrower and the strength of the tissues weakens. Hence, chronic snoring might become a part of your sleeping routine. While ageing is inevitable, there are many throat exercises you can try before opting for any snoring medication.
- Weight
If the amount of fatty cells in your body exceeds a normal range, chances are snoring may become contagious to your health. Fatty cells weaken the muscles and put more pressure on the neck and throat area which causes snoring.
- Sleeping posture
Sleeping on your back collapses the airway and breathing and makes breathing uncomfortable. It is advisable to sleep on the sides to eliminate any kind of tissue vibration.
- Blocked nose
Dust, common flu, or any other allergy may lead to a blocked nose and require greater suction power to breathe properly. This movement narrows the airway and keeps the mouth open during sleep.
- Enlarged tonsils
Snoring respirations indicate nasal and sinus issues. Also, enlarged tonsils or a stuffy nose makes inhaling/exhaling difficult and is one of the common causes of snoring in children.
- Pregnancy
If you’re in your second or third trimester, you may experience frequent snoring due to the physiological changes in the uppermost area of the throat passage.
- Narrow air passages
Surprisingly, men have narrower air passages than women. And this is mostly hereditary! So, if you’re in your young twenties or so and observe your family members snoring, it is time for you to incorporate the right sleeping habits. Allocate a small time slot for throat exercises and save yourself from the hassle of taking any snoring medicine.
- Sleep deprivation/ excessive sleeping
Both of these conditions will gradually make your tissue more floppy and lead to chronic snoring. For instance, lack of adequate sleep will make your muscles relax a lot, hence the floppiness.
- Smoking and alcohol
Alcohol and nicotine consumption also increase muscle relaxation. Additionally, users of tranquilizers are more prone to developing chronic snoring.
What Are The Different Types Of Snorers?
According to the snoring wiki, there are three types of snorers. Let’s have a look at them below:
- Mouth snorer
Contrary to the usual nose breathing, mouth snorers can only breathe by keeping the mouth open. Research says that vocal exercises such as singing lessons can help to curb the frequency of snoring.
- Nose snorer
If your nostrils are blocked, you are more likely to be a nose snorer. Blocked/congested nostrils mean obstructed airways, hence the gasping sound. As a self-test, you can press one side of your nose and test if you can breathe with your mouth. If you face difficulty, then you’re definitely a nose snorer.
- Throat snorer
As we discussed earlier, throat snoring is caused by the vibration of tissues in the upper airway. Throat snoring is the most common and can be treated with proper consultation with an ENT doctor.
Conclusion
Now that you have a basic idea of what snoring is, you can go to a medical professional to see whether it’s casual, habitual, or a sign of an underlying medical condition.
