The term snore is used for the sound that a person makes during their breathing when they are asleep. Caused in different people due to different reasons, snoring can cause sleeping difficulties for people who sleep with the snorer and thus becomes a turn off for various relationships. Also, with different levels of intensity in snoring, it causes a lot of problems for sleeping partners. While there are some ways to reduce, if not cure, snoring, knowing what causes snoring can help a person make appropriate lifestyle changes to ensure that their snoring levels are reduced, if not resolved. completely.
Biologically, the reason why a person snores can be as simple as poor sleeping posture that partially blocks the airway, and since the airways are narrow and do not allow air in and out, snoring occurs. The other reasons may also include things like the biological shape of the airway and tongue position, sleeping posture, and other things that could hinder the process of smooth breathing.
Main causes of snoring:
Biological setup: Some people have a narrower throat or cleft palate, so the airways are very congested. As a consequence of these physical characteristics, the person is more susceptible to snoring.
Increasing age: It has been found that the airways become narrower as a person ages. In addition, the throat muscles also become more relaxed and the laxity causes a further reduction in the size of the airways and this leads to snoring. In a person who is already snoring, the intensity increases with age.
Allergies or Infections: Allergies or certain infections like coughs and colds have been known to cause the airways to become blocked. Due to this, the breathing process is disturbed and therefore the person may snore.
Sleeping position – As mentioned above, people who sleep in positions that add pressure to their airways and therefore cause the airways to narrow will snore more than in a position that better accommodates the airways. .
Other things like smoking and alcohol: Activities like smoking and alcohol and some medications also relax the muscles in the body and this muscle relaxation of the throat region and this results in a smaller airway to breathe in which causes more snoring.
Body fitness and obesity: If a person is overweight or the body is out of shape, even in these cases, the airways will be blocked due to lower muscle tension and the intensity of snoring will increase.
The above are some of the main reasons why people snore. While some of the things like better fitness, better sleeping posture, and avoiding smoking and drinking can be controlled, the other factors of smoking like heredity, physical characteristics, and aging are out of a person’s control.