Do You Snore? Here's the What and Why!

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Snoring is a sound a person makes just like talking, yelling or crying. The sound comes from a vibration that causes air to turn into sound waves. It's the same when we speak. Vocal cords vibrate like a musical instrument. That's our voice. We form words. That's speech.

When there's a turbulent airflow in our mouth, it makes a snoring sound as if a person was making a growl sound. It comes from the nose and throat.
Both men and women snore. Our dog snores, too. Snoring might or might not disrupt the continuous slumber of the bed partner, but more than not, snoring bothers the sleeping mate more than the person who snores.

Snoring generally occurs when a person sleeps lying down, although snoring can happen sitting or relaxing on the patio lounge. When parts of the mouth from the lips to the throat, including the tongue relaxes, gravity coaxes these parts backward. This causes a collapse or narrowing of the airway. What happens is the tissues vibrate, which results in a snoring sound. Vibration while in a relaxed or sleeping state is the root cause of snoring.

You can gently nudge the snorer, ask the person to roll over on his or her side. This relieves the tissues from being pulled backward due to gravity, which reduces or stops the snoring.

Snoring can also result from alcohol and medications. Even though snoring is a social issue between bed partners, snoring can also be a symptom of problems such as sleep apnea, and other sleep related breathing problems including serious health issues.

Sleep apnea is a concern because it links to a high risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and strokes. Another factor is high blood pressure. Although some studies show that people who snore do not have higher rates of elevated blood pressure compared to people who don't snore.

If you or someone you know snores, find out if the act of snoring is a relaxing side-affect or possibly a symptom of a medical condition or disease. If you snore, visit your doctor.

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