We snore because when we sleep, the muscles in the roof of the mouth (soft palate), tongue, and throat relax, causing the airway to narrow. This narrowing causes the tissues to vibrate as air flows past, producing the sound of snoring. The more the airway narrows, the louder the snoring becomes due to increased vibration of these tissues. Various factors can cause or worsen snoring, including the anatomy of the mouth and sinuses, alcohol consumption, nasal congestion, sleep position (particularly sleeping on the back), obesity, age, and certain lifestyle habits. Snoring results from the vibration of relaxed upper airway tissues like the soft palate, uvula, and tongue during breathing while asleep.
More specifically, snoring occurs because the airway becomes partially blocked or narrowed during sleep, leading to turbulent airflow and the vibration of soft tissues in the throat. This is why snoring is common during inhalation but can also happen during exhalation. Some underlying causes include anatomical features such as a thick soft palate, elongated uvula, nasal obstructions, or excess tissue from being overweight. Environmental and behavioral factors like alcohol use before sleep, sleep deprivation, and sleeping position also contribute to snoring.
Snoring can sometimes be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a more serious condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to airway collapse, causing loud snoring with pauses and gasping sounds.
This explanation covers why snoring happens physiologically and what factors influence its occurrence.
