Causes of Snoring
Snoring can be caused by a number of different things. Two of the most common reasons for snoring also happen to be easily fixed. Those two would be drinking too much alcohol and being overweight.
Alcohol and Relaxation
You know a little alcohol makes relaxing much easier. Unfortunately, alcohol can relax things a bit too much, especially in your throat. When the muscles in your throat relax too much your airway becomes constricted and things start to vibrate which makes you snore.
Alcohol may be an easy way to relax at night, but if you have a snoring problem try going without it for a while. Sometimes getting rid of alcohol completely isn’t necessary. Often just cutting back on it can bring some nice results.
Body weight
Being overweight comes with many of its own problems. This is another one of the most common origins of snoring. Although this is another problem that can be resolved, how easily it can be fixed varies from person to person.
What happens when you are overweight is that fat tissue can actually build up in your throat. This buildup restricts your airflow and results in snoring. Even if fat tissue has not built up in your throat yet, that doesn’t mean that extra body weight isn’t putting too much pressure on your airway. Body weight is one of the biggest factors that can lead to sleep apnea which is actually quite dangerous.
The Nose Knows
Snoring also happens because of nasal issues. If you have allergies or sinus problems they could be creating your snoring problem as well. Most of the time this is seasonal but the fact is that nasal issues are a very common reason for snoring.
Other than congestion and such sometimes the outer sides of the nostrils will pucker in and make you snore. This is a pretty easy fix and several solutions can work well in this situation.
Sleeping Position
If you sleep on your back consider sleeping on your side instead. Sleeping on your back can make you snore all by itself. This position allows your tongue to fall back towards your throat and lay in a position that causes vibration. If this is why you snore then you should consider yourself lucky.
This kind of snoring can be resolved easily and shouldn’t be too complicated. There are also some devices that will hold your tongue in place comfortably so that you can still sleep on your back while keeping yourself from snoring.
Genetics and Oral Structures
Many people have multiple reasons they snore, but usually none of them are their fault. One of the most common sources of snoring is genetics.
If your snoring is happening because of genetics that means that you have some differences in your soft palate or uvula. Remember that the soft palate is just the back of the roof of your mouth and the uvula is the tissue that hangs from it. The uvula hangs from the roof of your mouth between your tonsils.
When genetics are the problem your soft palate may be thicker or protrude lower than that of others. This is a natural obstruction to airflow. Genetics can also give you a larger or lower hanging uvula. A big or low uvula will also partially block airflow during sleep.
Age and Muscle Tone
Sometimes age can lead to snoring. When age is the culprit snoring is a result of the muscles of the throat weakening and loosening. Throat muscles losing their tone allow things to close in a bit and further obstruct your airways. This is another issue that is not your fault. If a lack of muscle tone around your airway is the problem there are solutions for this too.
Sleep Apnea
The final common reason for snoring is a condition called sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea you will stop breathing when you sleep. This will happen multiple times every hour that you sleep. Sleep apnea is a very serious condition of its own, so if you think you may have sleep apnea you should think about talking to your doctor. A few solutions can help with sleep apnea; some are just more pleasant than others.
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