Thursday 5 November 2009

Snoring - What It Is and What Causes It

What is snoring and what is the cause of it? We all know that the effects of snoring are unhappy and tired spouses or relatives. Most people however, do not know what causes snoring, or that the act of snoring is not under the control of the snorer.

Snoring is very common and is an involuntary action on the behalf of the snorer. Almost half of all adults snore occasionally and around one quarter of adults snore frequently. Children may also be the victims of snoring. Although males and females alike can experience snoring, it is more common in males and overweight persons. Additionally, snoring usually grows worse as the snorer gets older.

So what exactly causes the act of snoring? Snoring is caused when the flow of air in the nasal passages and mouth are blocked or obstructed. Snoring usually occurs right before a person enters deep sleep. At this phase, the muscles in the throat, tongue and soft palate relax. If they relax enough, they block the airway and vibrate together, causing the snoring sound that we all know. Louder snoring occurs when the air passages are narrower, which causes the tissues to vibrate together more and the passage of air to become more vigorous, in turn resulting in louder snoring.

Many factors can bring about snoring. Among these factors include the anatomy of the snorer's mouth, alcohol consumption, problems with the nasal passages, or a condition called sleep apnea. The anatomy of a person's mouth can contribute to a snoring problem due to the size of the tonsils, soft palate and tissues in the back of the throat. If any of these body parts are larger than normal, then they can narrow the air passages even more.

One might wonder what alcohol consumption has in common with snoring. Alcohol can be like a sedative and relax the throat muscles, causing snoring. Thus, heavy alcohol consumption should be avoided before bedtime. Snoring may also be caused by problems with the nasal passages, such as congestion, which blocks the airways.

Snoring may also be caused by a medical condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is more than just a form of snoring. With sleep apnea, the throat tissues block the air passages, preventing a person from breathing. Eventually the person wakes up with a start due to lack of air. This condition may continue throughout the night.

Not very many people are aware that there may be side effects to snoring, but there are some side effects. Snoring may lead to weak or poor muscles in the throat and/or tongue. This may cause the tongue to fall into the throat, or the muscles of the throat to cave into the air passages, constricting the airways. Weak or poor muscles in the throat and/or tongue are also a cause of snoring. Likewise, a larger than normal soft palate will cause snoring. A large soft palate will dangle more closely to the air passages and block them easier. Large throat tissues or tonsils will cause a person to snore more readily. This is one reason why overweight people are more prone to snoring; they have bulkier throat and neck tissue.

While there are many causes to the problem of snoring, there are also many cures or treatments for it. Some treatments may be hearsay, while others are medically proven. Whatever the cause or severity of your snoring, it can be helped and possibly treated with a little research and knowledge

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