Snoring is noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep.
It can occur when you are breathing in or out.
Snoring occurs when air does not flow smoothly through the air passages, or when the soft tissues or muscles in your air passages vibrate.
As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth (soft palate) relax.
This muscle relaxation causes your throat tissues to sag.
As you breathe, the sagging tissues narrow your airway and vibrate or flutter, creating the sound of snoring.
The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration...
and the louder your snoring.
Snoring affects 45 per cent of the population from time to time and an estimated 25 per cent of people are habitual snorers.
There are a number of reasons why you may snore.
Age can be a factor.
The older you get, the weaker your throat muscles become.
Weak throat muscles cause the surrounding tissues to sag and vibrate.
If you are overweight, your throat tissues are less firm and more inclined to vibrate when you breathe.
A low-set, thick soft palate, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids (the spongy tissue between the back of the nose and throat) can narrow your airway.
A longer-than-normal uvula (the triangular piece of skin that hangs from your soft palate) can limit airflow and increase vibrations as you breathe.
Nasal blockages caused by allergies or a deviated septum (when the partition between your nose is crooked) can limit airflow through your nose.
This forces you to breathe through your mouth where more flabby tissue is located.
Alcohol and certain drugs (such as tranquillizers) affect your central nervous system, causing extreme relaxation of your muscles, including those in your throat.
When you sleep on your back, your tongue falls backwards into your throat which can narrow your airway and partly block airflow.