Why Are Your Snoring?
Why am I snoring
Snoring is simply making annoying noises mostly at night while you are asleep which is caused primarily due to the obstruction of the free flow in the air which breathe. The obstruction is almost always caused in the passage, which is at the back of the mouth and the nose, which ultimately doesn't allow the right amount of flow of the air while we breathe. The area where the flow of the air is not proper is the collapsible part of the airway where the upper throat and the tongue meet the uvula and the soft plate. Due to snoring these structures collide against each other, resulting in vibrations.
Snoring must not be viewed as a light problem as it can be a very serious problem. Snoring causes lots of medical conditions, it can affect women during their pregnancy, it also causes sleepless nights and a person becomes very uncomfortable. Snoring has been proven to cause sleep apnea, a potentially fatal condition.
A few of the causes of snoring are mentioned below:
Structural cause: Snoring may be caused due to problems like narrow jaws, having a large tongue, enlarged tonsils, enlarged adenoids, thick soft palate, crooked septum or even small nostrils. Snoring is can also be caused due to the tongue and the upper throat meeting the uvula and soft palate, blocking your air.
Outside causes: including all the factors, which affect the individual externally, however these are controllable.
These factors include allergies, consumption of alcohol, sedatives, and excessive and regular smoking, disruption of the normal sleep patterns, decrease in the lung capacities and an irregular lifestyle.
However, there are helpful remedies available. Some include dental implants, drug, prescription or over the counter medication, and natural remedies.
Sleep Apnea: This occurs when the snorer stops or ceases to breathe for several seconds, totally obstructing their breathing, this kindof condition is known as Sleep Apnea. Some of the recorded serious episodes have lasted for ten seconds and these episodes occur more than seven times per hour. The people who are affected with such apnea experience such episodes 30 to 300 times per night. These events are extremelyvery threatening for the individual.These events create several other medical condtions, elevated blood pressures and even enlargement of heart might result.
Muscle tone of the tongue: The muscle of the tongue and the soft palate tend to become smaller during sleeping. These muscles of the tongue become more relaxed resulting in their collapse. This is a major cause of snoring. The soft tissues like the tonsils and tongue, which produces sounds, change the quality of snoring. Snoring is also caused by the position of sleeping. When you are laying on the back your tongue falls towards the throat and results in the blockage of the airway.
Blockage of airway: Blocking of the airway results in reduced air flow, ultimately leading snoring. In children the chief cause of snoring is enlargement of tonsils and adenoids.
Age and other factors: Age is can also be one of the factors which contributes to snoring. In a senior citizen the muscles become weaker resulting in snoring.
For more information on snoring and aids and remedies, go to: Snoring
Published December 24th, 2007
Filed in Health




