Health

Snoring is one of the most annoying bodily functions of humankind. Often, the person performing the act has no idea he or she is doing so while the bed partner cannot sleep due to the noise. The result is that both spouses are not receiving the deep sleep necessary to have energy the next day.

Although there are effective snoring cures available, it is important to know how snoring takes place. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), snoring is a sign of a condition called sleep apnea. The NIH indicates that sleep apnea can:

1. Increase the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
2. Increase the risk for or worsen heart failure
3. Make irregular heartbeats more likely
4. Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents

Here are three reasons you or your spouse may snore:

One: Snoring takes place due to the vibration of the uvula and the soft palate. The uvula is a small
fleshy tissue that hangs from the center-back of the throat. The soft palate is at the base of the tongue in the back of the roof of the mouth. If the soft palate and uvula relax and sag, the airway becomes blocked, making breathing noisy. This is more likely to happen when the person is in the Rapid Eye Movement or dream stage of sleep. In order to get proper oxygen in the body, the snorer automatically awakens to take deep breaths and loses the important deep sleep. If these arousals happen more than 20 to 30 times an hour, the person may have sleep apnea

Two: Although much snoring is inherited, certain personal habits can exacerbate the problem. Overweight and, especially, obese people tend to snore more since there is an excess amount of tissue in the airway causing it to be narrowed. With a narrowed airway, air cannot easily move in or out of the nose or mouth. When a person lies on his/her back, the tongue has a greater chance of moving to the back of the throat increasing the chance of snoring. Also, alcohol and sleeping medications increase snoring since muscle tone, including those in the mouth, decreased significantly.

Three: There are some snorer characteristics that cannot be changed easily. Men have at least a double chance of snoring compared to women due to the size of the soft tissue in men's throats. African Americans have a higher probability of snoring although it is not clear if it is heredity or personal habits that cause the differences. Finally, older people snore more since muscle tone in the mouth relaxes with age.