Snoring Overview

Snoring is a result of the vibration of respiratory structures and the then resulting sound due to continuous abrupt air movement during breathing while sleeping. In some cases, the sound may be soft, but in other cases, it can be loud, hard and unpleasant. Snoring is more common in men than in women. Snoring can affect any age group of people. People snore when the flow of air from mouth or nose to the lungs makes the tissues of the throat vibrate while sleeping. This makes a very loud sound that is enough to break a good night’s sleep. But the main and the most horrible effect of snoring is that it makes others uncomfortable at night, so insufficient sleep at night may lead tiredness in the day.

Snoring may point to other medical problems, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be a serious problem because you stop breathing at certain times during the sleep period. Additionally, the size or weight of body has an effect on snoring. The bigger the structure of throat, the louder is the snoring sound. Smoking is another activity which can lead to snoring. According to Dr Kingman Strohl, Head of the Sleep Disorders Program in Veteran’s Administration Hospital, even the average volume of snoring (60 decibels or dB) is as loud as normal speech. But some people, however, snore around 80 to 82 dB, the sound level of a loud yell. Also, the snoring volume of a few people have been recorded as reaching 90 dB, the sound level of loud rock music.

Snoring occurs at the time of sleeping if the area at the back of the throat narrows at any period. When air passes through this smaller opening, it causes the tissues surrounding the throat to vibrate, which in turn can cause the sounds of snoring which are very loud in nature. The symptoms of snoring are common. Almost every person snores at night but its sound varies from individual to individual. The snoring sound is caused the vibrating of the soft tissuea at the back of our mouth, nose or throat. We can prevent snoring by avoiding the use of alcohol and medicines that slow our breathing, eating sensibly, exercising, going bed at the same time every night, sleeping on our side and not on back, and by quitting smoking.

One of the diagnostic techniques to detect snoring is polysomnogram (PSG), an overnight sleep study. The polysomnogram will test a multitude of values while you sleep including brainwaves, heartbeat, blood pressure, oxygen levels, airflow and breathing effort, and eye and limb movement. 

There are some expensive procedures like surgery, snoring prevention devices and pills that can be bought from medical stores to cure snoring. But doctors usually suggest to start by trying to change the position in which you sleep. Of course, there are many other exercises and sleeping positions that will help cure the problem.