Causes of Snoring

What is snoring and sleep disordered breathing?
Snoring occurs when a part of the throat air passage has a tendency to collapse and vibrate. When asleep, the muscles that constitute and support the walls of the throat and other throat structures are relaxed. This allows collapse and vibration of these structures when breathing in thus causing snoring. The main issues when assessing a patient with this problem are:

1. Where is the collapse/vibration occurring? This allows assessment for appropriate treatments.

2. Is there obstructive sleep apnoea? The extreme end of the spectrum is apnoea-when the throat collapses completely during sleep. This causes interruption of breathing because the throat is “shut” (Apnoea). What happens as a result (at a simple level) is oxygen levels in the blood stream decrease, this causes a degree of arousal and the muscles of the throat tense up and the throat opens up, restoring normal breathing. A cycle of apnoea-arousal-resumption of breathing re-occurs throughout the night. In the long-term, obstructive sleep apnoea, untreated, can cause high blood pressure and put a strain on the heart. Also not to be under-estimated are the effects on permanent daytime tiredness on quality of life and the increased chance of accidents (e.g. driving) as a result.

What factors influence the degree of snoring and sleep disordered breathing?
1. Weight. There is a well-proven and certain link between being over-weight and sleep disordered breathing. If you are over-weight, this is the first thing to try to address.

2. Alcohol. Drinking alcohol regularly in the evening is going to promote snoring and sleep disordered breathing by relaxing the muscles of the throat excessively.

3. Nasal obstruction. This occurs through a combination of mouth breathing (the jaw sinks back and narrows the throat) and breathing with more effort (more collapsibility as a result)

4. Large tonsils. Narrow the throat airway.

5. Other anatomical configurations, such as a long palate, large tongue, floppy uvula, narrow voice box inlet, weak lower jaw, narrow throat etc. This is assessed in clinic and can determine whether a given form of treatment is likely to be successful.

What causes snoring?
Snoring is often related to a physical obstruction to your breathing during sleep. The muscles of your palate, the uvula (the thing that hangs down in the back of the throat), and the tonsils relax during deep sleep and the air you breathe in causes them to vibrate noisily.

Anything that narrows the airways will contribute to the problem so excessive tissue bulk at the back of the throat is a major cause. A blocked nose can also restrict nasal respiration and will encourage the vibration we know as snoring. Advance snoring problems are often associated with obstructive sleep apnea which can sometimes indicate a serious medical disorder.

How common is snoring?
Granddad is not the only person who snores when he nods off in the fireside chair - in reality, habitual snoring is a problem for 30% of all men and 10% of all women. And it gets worse as people grow older. By the time they reach sixty, snoring affects 50% of men and 30% of women.

The social impact of snoring
Snoring certainly affects the sleep pattern of the snorer so restful sleep is difficult. The snorer is not fully refreshed when he or she awakes but the effect on other members of the family can be even more devastating. Snoring can completely disrupt family life. Sleeping partners, even people trying to sleep in nearby rooms, can lose excessive amounts of sleep and this often causes resentment.

In a survey carried out in 2001, 40% of the couples interviewed said that snoring had adversely affected their relationship and a staggering 80% of these had resorted to sleeping separately to escape the noise.

After Snoring Treatment
King St Clinic have the answers to your sleeping problems
Habitual snorers rarely do anything themselves to rectify the problem and many do not even admit they have a problem. But if they ignore the pleas of others they probably don't know how easy it is to be treated.

At King St Clinic, we understand the causes and the effects and we offer a long-term remedy to the problem.

• Articles on Causes of Snoring

• Snoring was ruining my love life.But how could I find a cure?
• One man's quest for a quiet night by Robin Kermode, Daily Mail Good Health 13 November 2007 Snoring facts and snoring
• more >>
• Government recommends RF procedure to Stop Snoring
• Extract from National Institute Clinical Excellence (NICE), part of NHS that advise Governement on clinical recommendations.
• more >>

• External Links
• Stop Snoring Manchester Clinic
• Find out more about snoring and its causes.
• http://www.StopSnoring-Manchester.co.uk
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