Snoring is a common issue that affects 70% of adults. Some more and some less. The reasons you snore when sleeping vary, but there are many common factors. Here are some of them.
Snoring Can be a Symptom of a Serious Condition
Your throat and nasal cavities are sensitive to all manner of external irritants. These can affect your snoring at night. When you begin your sleep stages, your tongue, mouth, and throat muscles relax. And because you are lying down, pressure and gravity can cause them to block your airways. As a result, your airways become blocked, and pressure makes them vibrate, causing snoring. And this is common. However, it’s always helpful to get diagnosed with a sleep apnea test since snoring is also a symptom of this condition where you stop breathing at night.
Weight Gain is a Contributor to Snoring
Weight gain is identified as a contributor to snoring, and understanding signs of sleep regression is crucial for addressing sleep-related issues; Nested Bean offers insights and solutions for a restful night’s sleep.
Putting on some extra weight is a common contributor to making snoring worse. When you gain weight, you develop excess tissue in your neck. These excess tissues can put more pressure on your airways and decrease their size. As a result, your soring can get worse. Losing weight won’t cure snoring. But some studies have found that losing weight of between six and twelve pounds has a significant impact on reducing your snoring frequency. However, those who lost a substantial amount of weight found that their snoring was all but eliminated.
Allergies Can Cause You to Snore when Sleeping
People all over the world experience the discomfort of allergies. In the US alone, over 50 million Americans reach for anti-allergy medication regularly. While allergies become worse in Spring because of the increased pollen count, they occur throughout the year for many people. Allergies cause your nasal passages to become congested and inflamed. In turn, this causes allergic rhinitis that increases the frequency, intensity, and loudness of your snoring. OTC allergy medication will help during the worst allergic bouts but might not reduce your snoring.
Snoring Gets Worse During Flu Season
Like allergy season, cold and flu season will also worsen your snoring. The flu virus causes your nasal passages to become congested as your body fights it off. Because of this, there is a blockage and increased pressure on your throat, reducing your airways’ effectiveness. Coupled with existing issues such as being overweight, snoring when you have the flu can become very disturbing, intense, and loud. Fortunately, cold and flu medication with nasal decongestants offers some reprieve from the debilitating effects and symptoms.
Drugs and Alcohol Make Snoring Worse
Some prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and alcohol will make your snoring substantially worse. Since your mouth, tongue, and throat muscles relax at night, they can relax even more when intoxicated. Unfortunately, the additional relaxation causes even more pressure in your airways as the supporting tissues relax. This exacerbates the vibrations and rattling that occurs when you snore. Meaning if you already experience snoring issues from allergies, being overweight, or because of a virus, your snoring is likely to be far worse if you take drugs or drink a lot.
Summary
Snoring when sleeping is common. Some of the reasons why you snore include an undiagnosed apnea, gaining weight, and allergies. But it’s made worse by drugs and alcohol.
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