Snoring is a common phenomenon characterized by a rattling or snorting sound some people make while sleeping. It occurs when air cannot flow easily through the nose or mouth, leading to an obstruction in the airway. While occasional snoring is harmless, hearing oneself snore can be a distinct experience, prompting questions about its meaning.
Understanding Snoring
Snoring happens when the flow of air through the throat becomes partially obstructed during sleep, causing the tissues in the airway to vibrate. As muscles relax during sleep, particularly in the soft palate, tongue, and throat, these tissues can sag and narrow the air passage. The more narrowed the airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes, increasing tissue vibration and leading to a louder snoring sound. Common factors contributing to this airway narrowing include age-related decrease in muscle tone, alcohol consumption or sedatives that relax throat muscles, and the anatomy of the mouth and sinuses like enlarged tonsils or a deviated septum. Nasal congestion from allergies or colds can also block airflow, forcing mouth breathing which often exacerbates snoring.
Why You Can Hear Yourself Snore
The ability to hear your own snoring often indicates a significant volume or consistency of the sound. While the brain typically filters out repetitive sounds during deeper sleep stages, you might perceive your snoring if you are in a lighter sleep phase or just falling asleep. This self-awareness can be linked to your “arousal threshold,” the level of stimulus required to wake you from sleep. People with a lower arousal threshold are more likely to be roused by internal noises, including their own snoring.
Loud snoring can cause brief shifts to lighter sleep stages, known as microarousals, even if you do not fully awaken. These microarousals can make you momentarily conscious of the sound. Sleeping on your back can worsen snoring by allowing the tongue and soft palate to collapse backward, amplifying the sound. A quiet room might also make even moderately loud snoring more prominent to the sleeper.
When Snoring Becomes a Concern
While occasional snoring is usually not a cause for alarm, frequent, loud, or disruptive snoring can signal an underlying health issue. A primary concern is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to a blocked airway.
Symptoms suggesting snoring is more than a nuisance include:
- Witnessed breathing pauses.
- Gasping or choking sounds during sleep.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Morning headaches.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Irritability.
- Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat.
Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health complications, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It can also impair quality of life, increasing the risk of accidents. If these symptoms are present, seeking medical advice from a healthcare provider is important for proper evaluation and diagnosis.
Managing Snoring
Several strategies can help reduce or manage snoring.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Maintaining a healthy weight can be beneficial, as excess tissue in the throat can narrow the airway. Avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bedtime is advised, as they relax throat muscles, increasing the likelihood of snoring. Changing sleep position to sleep on your side instead of your back can prevent the tongue from falling backward and obstructing the airway. Elevating the head of the bed by a few inches can also improve airflow.
Nasal and Oral Devices
Addressing nasal congestion through medications for allergies or colds, or using nasal strips, can help open nasal passages and promote easier breathing. Oral appliances, similar to mouthguards, can be fitted by a dentist to keep the jaw in a forward position, which helps maintain an open airway.
Medical Interventions
For cases where snoring is associated with sleep apnea, medical interventions like Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines may be recommended. CPAP machines deliver pressurized air through a mask to keep airways open. In some severe cases, surgical options might be considered to address anatomical issues contributing to snoring.