These triggers in your everyday life could be causing you to snore!
| Updated: Mar 5, 2018, 15:14 IST
Snoring is quite the disruption when you are sleeping. It not only affects your own sleep but also the person who is sleeping next to you! But snoring is more than just a noisy nuisance. It's a form of sleep-disordered breathing that can interfere with high-quality rest and put you at higher risk for various health problems including depression and heart diseases.
Most people know that being overweight and sleeping on your backs can cause you to snore. However, there are many other factors in everyday life that trigger noisy nighttime breathing! Why do people snore? During sleep, the muscles of the throat and mouth relax. This relaxation narrows the trachea—that's the 'windpipe' that carries air to and from the lungs. Within the narrowed airway, the tissues of the soft palate and uvula shake and vibrate. This vibration causes noise. Some people have anatomical characteristics—a thick soft palate, more tissue in the back of the throat—that make them more likely to snore.
Your pillow too could be the problem. Are you craning your neck during sleep, because your pillow is too flat or too full? This can make sleep uncomfortable and less restful, and it can also be what causes snoring. Not getting enough sleep is one reason why people snore. When you're finally getting some rest after being sleep deprived, the muscles throughout your body—including in your mouth, nose and throat, can relax excessively. This leads to a more narrowed airwayand noisy, disrupted breathing. A late night drink could be relaxing but too much alcohol near bedtime could make you snore too! That's because alcohol causes an exaggerated relaxation in the muscles of the airway, narrowing and even temporarily obstructing the passage of air. Smoking too irritates and inflames the tissues of the mouth, nose and throat. Both irritation and inflammation of these sensitive tissues can cause you to snore. Allergies, dry climate, an illness and medication, being dehydrated and midnight meals too can cause you to snore! Who knew, right?
Most people know that being overweight and sleeping on your backs can cause you to snore. However, there are many other factors in everyday life that trigger noisy nighttime breathing! Why do people snore? During sleep, the muscles of the throat and mouth relax. This relaxation narrows the trachea—that's the 'windpipe' that carries air to and from the lungs. Within the narrowed airway, the tissues of the soft palate and uvula shake and vibrate. This vibration causes noise. Some people have anatomical characteristics—a thick soft palate, more tissue in the back of the throat—that make them more likely to snore.
Your pillow too could be the problem. Are you craning your neck during sleep, because your pillow is too flat or too full? This can make sleep uncomfortable and less restful, and it can also be what causes snoring. Not getting enough sleep is one reason why people snore. When you're finally getting some rest after being sleep deprived, the muscles throughout your body—including in your mouth, nose and throat, can relax excessively. This leads to a more narrowed airwayand noisy, disrupted breathing. A late night drink could be relaxing but too much alcohol near bedtime could make you snore too! That's because alcohol causes an exaggerated relaxation in the muscles of the airway, narrowing and even temporarily obstructing the passage of air. Smoking too irritates and inflames the tissues of the mouth, nose and throat. Both irritation and inflammation of these sensitive tissues can cause you to snore. Allergies, dry climate, an illness and medication, being dehydrated and midnight meals too can cause you to snore! Who knew, right?