What Causes Snoring?

March 15, 2019

Snoring may be loud, annoying, and embarrassing, but it can also be an indication that you or your sleep partner has a sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea. This disorder can interfere with your ability to get a quality night’s sleep but more importantly possibly leads to more serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke and dementia to name a few. However, snoring doesn’t mean you have sleep apnea, and can actually be caused by a range of other factors. Almost one-third of adult Americans suffer from sleep apnea. A simple home sleep study ordered by your doctor can help determine your condition and risks.

Here’s a closer look at what causes snoring and what you can do to get snore relief.

Being Overweight

Fat tissue around your neck and throat puts added pressure on your airways to cause snoring. If you are overweight or obese, work with your doctor to lose excess weight so you can stop snoring.

Deviated Nasal Septum

The septum is a wall of bone and cartilage between your nostrils. A crooked or bent septum can lead to congestion and difficulty breathing, along with snoring. A deviated septum can often be repaired and corrected with surgery.

Nasal Polyps

Nasal polyps are small, tumor-like growths that hang from your nasal passages. These growths are non-cancerous but can interfere with your ability to breathe properly. Make an appointment with your primary care doctor if nasal polyps are causing difficulty with breathing while you’re sleeping.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones can make the mucous membranes in your nose swell up and cause congestion and snoring. Pregnancy can also lead to excess weight gain that contributes to fat tissue around the neck and throat which causes snoring.

Drugs and Alcohol

Medications like benzodiazepines and sleep aids can relax the muscles in your neck, jaw, and throat; these muscles collapse onto your airway and restrict airflow to cause snoring. Alcohol also produces sedative effects that relax these muscle groups and contributes to snoring.

If you need help with snoring, make an appointment with a sleep specialist who can perform an evaluation and get you back to enjoying a full, comfortable night’s sleep. Quality sleep is critical to maintaining a healthy hormonal balance, a healthy metabolism, and higher energy levels.

At Healthcare Associates of Texas, we understand how sleep disturbances like snoring can make you feel weak, fatigued, and mentally cloudy. Ourdoctors will work with you one on one to find snoring solutions and ensure you receive a proper diagnosis and the highest quality personalized care and treatment. Schedule an appointment today.

Resources:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000720.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4389504/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818216/