Causes Of Snoring

Many Different Causes of Snoring

There are several causes of snoring. Knowing the causes of snoring may not be any comfort at all to those who are getting little quality sleep because someone snores, but it may help to determine what can be done about the problem.

The most common of the causes of snoring is the vibration of the soft tissue at the top of the throat. Typically, the uvula or the skin at the back of the pallet are the skin tissues that catch the air when a person is breathing in. The abrupt intake of breath against that flabby skin is the vibration commonly referred to as a snore. That's why having someone turn over is sometimes enough to change the way the skin lies and to end the snoring episode.

If this is the most common of the causes of snoring, and since everyone has a uvula and everyone breathes in, why is it that not everyone snores? And why is it that some people only snore occasionally?

Sometimes, the causes of snoring are not just because of those pesky folds of skin but are evidence of some other, deeper problems. For example, a person with a cold or nasal congestion may snore loudly even though they typically don't snore at all.

When a person lies down, the airways become slightly more constricted than when the person is upright. These constricted airways, in conjunction with the air pressure against the uvula and tissue at the throat, are another of the causes of snoring.

If you want to know more about the causes of snoring, you might want to check out the "snoring IQ" on the Breathe Right website at http://breatheright.com/snoring/iq.asp.

There are a number of other factors that can become causes of snoring, including obesity. Overweight people are more likely to snore because airways are more constricted. By the same token, any other genetic factors that lessen the amount of space a person has to breathe freely can be one of the causes of snoring. Receding chins and larger-than-normal tongues are among those listed by Breathe Right.

You can't change the genetic factors that are causes of snoring, but you can avoid some snoring "triggers" such as alcohol to decrease the amount and severity of your snoring. You can also maintain a proper weight, eat right and take part in a regular exercise routine.