Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentComplications and Risk FactorsDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Complications and Risk Factors
Diagnosis
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Snoringis the loud, harsh sound that results when tissues in the back of your throat vibrate while you sleep. It happens when air can’t move freely through your upper airway. The effect makes the throat and nasal tissue vibrate and make the sound of “sawing wood,” the term often used to describe snoring.
Snoring can be harmless and have little impact on your quality of sleep. You may not even know you snore until someone else complains that the telltale noise is disturbing their sleep.
However, snoring can also be linked to health problems likeobstructive sleep apnea, a disorder that can make you stop breathing while you sleep. Snoring linked to this problem can cause symptoms such asmorning headaches,daytime sleepiness, and a dry,sore throat.
This article explains the common symptoms of snoring. It also covers common causes, how they’re treated, and when you should seek medical advice.
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Symptoms of Snoring
Snoring occurs when your airway is obstructed during sleep. The symptoms you experience from snoring reflect your body’s responses to the reduced amount of airflow. Common symptoms of snoring include:
How Do I Know If I Snore?You may not even know you snore if your snoring doesn’t bother your sleep pattern. If you have symptoms, ask your bed partner or housemate if they’ve heard snoring or pauses in your breathing when you sleep. If you live alone, set up a recording device to record the sounds you make while you sleep.
How Do I Know If I Snore?
You may not even know you snore if your snoring doesn’t bother your sleep pattern. If you have symptoms, ask your bed partner or housemate if they’ve heard snoring or pauses in your breathing when you sleep. If you live alone, set up a recording device to record the sounds you make while you sleep.
Causes of Snoring
Snoring can occur as anacute or chronicproblem. Acute snoring occurs from temporary factors like a cold or seasonal allergies. It can also happen when your throat muscles loosen and relax after drinking alcohol.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apneaoccurs when the soft tissues and muscles at the top of your throat relax and collapse when you sleep. The relaxed soft tissue of your tongue, tonsils, anduvulablocks the airway and prevents normal breathing.
While the breathing lapse doesn’t last more than a few seconds, it can happen dozens of times every hour, causing up to 400 sleep disruptions nightly.
The following factors increase your risk of OSA because they can cause physical changes that narrow your airways:
Sleep Position
Sleeping on your back can increase your risk of snoring. When you sleep on your back, the natural force of gravity shifts the weight of your soft palate and tongue to the back of your throat. This positioning blocks precise airflow and results in the telltale sounds linked to snoring.
Research shows that people who sleep on their backs have a higher incidence of snoring vs. those who sleep on their sides, in a lateral position.Using a pillow to encourageside sleepingcan reduce the severity of snoring.
How Sleep Position Might Impact Your Snoring
Alcohol Use
Drinkingalcohol, especially before bed, can increase your risk of snoring. Researchers report that alcohol contributes to the additional relaxation of muscle tone that occurs during sleep. The effect the increased obstruction in the airway, resulting in snoring and sleep apnea.
Alcohol also reduces your reaction time, so it takes longer for your body to react and recover from snoring and obstructed breathing.
Medications
Drugs in these classes may cause the tissue in your mouth and neck to relax more than usual. When you sleep, the tissue can create a blockage, setting you up to snore. Medications that cause the mouth and tongue to be excessively dry can also contribute to snoring because the soft tissue in the throat is excessively sticky and this contributes to the the soft tissue collapsing.
How to Treat Snoring
The treatment that’s best for your snoring depends on the underlying cause of your problem.
Treatment for Simple Snoring
If you suffer from simple snoring or snoring that isn’t linked to OSA or another issue, you may be able to fix the problem with the following conservative treatments:
If your snoring is linked to OSA, you may have to use aCPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)device while you sleep. This machine uses a face mask or nosepiece and hose to deliver a steady stream of air pressure to keep your airway open and help you breathe during sleep.
Some people with OSA can achieve this effect with one of the followingoral appliancesthat hold your mouth to keep the airway open:
When snoring is related to physical problems, you may need surgery. Some common surgical treatments include:
Depending on the source of your problem, other procedures may be used to reshape or reduce areas around and on the tongue or jaw.
Complications and Risk Factors Associated With Snoring
Without treatment, snoring alone can increase your risk of other health problems likehigh blood pressure (hypertension).It can also prevent restful sleep and lead to sleep deprivation.
Getting less than the needed amount of sleep can increase your risk of the following problems:
While snoring is a symptom of OSA, leaving it unchecked can allow OSA to go untreated. This also increases your risk of developing the complications associated with inadequate sleep noted above.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Snoring?
A diagnosis of snoring requires a visit to your healthcare provider, who may perform the following:
When OSA is suspected, you may be referred to a sleep specialist for anovernight sleep study, or polysomnogram, in a sleep laboratory. This is the gold standard in diagnosing OSA.It records data about your heart rate, breathing, brain waves, blood oxygen levels, and leg and eye movement during sleep.
While there are home tests available, they are regarded as less accurate than tests done in a sleep lab.
Contact your healthcare provider for an examination if you have any interruption in normal breathing during sleep.
Seek medical advice if you have daytime sleepiness or notice that you can’t think clearly despite a full night’s sleep.Ask your sleep partner or housemate about your snoring so you can give your provider a more accurate report of your symptoms.
Summary
Snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that carries risks of severe physical and mental problems if untreated. You can protect your health with treatment for OSA.
Treatment for snoring requires handling the factors causing the problem. Simple cures involve changing to a side-sleeping position or losing weight. For more severe cases or those linked to OSA, you may have to wear a CPAP or oral device while you sleep. Surgery may also be needed to fix a physical problem.
A Word From Verywell
If you snore or have symptoms of snoring, contact your healthcare provider to check whether you need treatment. It may take a few tries to find the right solution, but solving the problem is worthwhile.
Removing or reducing snoring can improve your sleep quality and make you feel more rested when you’re awake. It can also reduce your risks of serious problems linked to poor sleep and OSA.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhile snoring isn’t a health risk alone, it may be a sign of an underlying problem like obstructive sleep apnea. A healthcare provider should diagnose snoring that interferes with your sleep or makes you stop breathing while you sleep.There is evidence that sleeping on your back increases your risk of snoring.When you lie back, gravity pushes the tissues in your oral cavity toward the back of your throat. This can block your airway. Sleeping on your side reduces your risk of snoring.While snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, not all snoring people have this condition. In addition to snoring, obstructive sleep apnea makes you stop breathing for short periods through the night. During these times, your body jolts you awake to resume breathing.
While snoring isn’t a health risk alone, it may be a sign of an underlying problem like obstructive sleep apnea. A healthcare provider should diagnose snoring that interferes with your sleep or makes you stop breathing while you sleep.
There is evidence that sleeping on your back increases your risk of snoring.When you lie back, gravity pushes the tissues in your oral cavity toward the back of your throat. This can block your airway. Sleeping on your side reduces your risk of snoring.
While snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, not all snoring people have this condition. In addition to snoring, obstructive sleep apnea makes you stop breathing for short periods through the night. During these times, your body jolts you awake to resume breathing.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Snoring.American Academy of Family Physicians.Snoring.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1Burgos-Sanchez C, Jones NN, Avillion M, et al.Impact of alcohol consumption on snoring and sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;163(6):1078-1086. doi:10.1177/0194599820931087Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Ephros HD, Madani M, Yalamanchili SC.Surgical treatment of snoring & obstructive sleep apnoea.Indian J Med Res. 2010;131:267-276.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Khazaie H, Negahban S, Ghadami MR, Sadeghi Bahmani D, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Brand S.Among middle-aged adults, snoring predicted hypertension independently of sleep apnoea.J Int Med Res. 2018;46(3):1187-1196. doi:10.1177/0300060517738426MedlinePlus.Healthy sleep.Stuck BA, Dreher A, Heiser C, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults-s2k guideline of the German society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.Sleep Breath. 2015;19(1):135-148. doi:0.1007/s11325-014-0979-8Semelka M, Wilson J, Floyd R.Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults.AFP. 2016;94(5):355-360.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Snoring.American Academy of Family Physicians.Snoring.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1Burgos-Sanchez C, Jones NN, Avillion M, et al.Impact of alcohol consumption on snoring and sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;163(6):1078-1086. doi:10.1177/0194599820931087Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Ephros HD, Madani M, Yalamanchili SC.Surgical treatment of snoring & obstructive sleep apnoea.Indian J Med Res. 2010;131:267-276.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Khazaie H, Negahban S, Ghadami MR, Sadeghi Bahmani D, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Brand S.Among middle-aged adults, snoring predicted hypertension independently of sleep apnoea.J Int Med Res. 2018;46(3):1187-1196. doi:10.1177/0300060517738426MedlinePlus.Healthy sleep.Stuck BA, Dreher A, Heiser C, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults-s2k guideline of the German society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.Sleep Breath. 2015;19(1):135-148. doi:0.1007/s11325-014-0979-8Semelka M, Wilson J, Floyd R.Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults.AFP. 2016;94(5):355-360.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Snoring.American Academy of Family Physicians.Snoring.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1Burgos-Sanchez C, Jones NN, Avillion M, et al.Impact of alcohol consumption on snoring and sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;163(6):1078-1086. doi:10.1177/0194599820931087Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Ephros HD, Madani M, Yalamanchili SC.Surgical treatment of snoring & obstructive sleep apnoea.Indian J Med Res. 2010;131:267-276.A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817Khazaie H, Negahban S, Ghadami MR, Sadeghi Bahmani D, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Brand S.Among middle-aged adults, snoring predicted hypertension independently of sleep apnoea.J Int Med Res. 2018;46(3):1187-1196. doi:10.1177/0300060517738426MedlinePlus.Healthy sleep.Stuck BA, Dreher A, Heiser C, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults-s2k guideline of the German society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.Sleep Breath. 2015;19(1):135-148. doi:0.1007/s11325-014-0979-8Semelka M, Wilson J, Floyd R.Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults.AFP. 2016;94(5):355-360.MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1
Johns Hopkins HealthCare.Snoring.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Snoring.
American Academy of Family Physicians.Snoring.
MedlinePlus.Snoring - adults.
Cazan D, Mehrmann U, Wenzel A, Maurer JT.The effect on snoring of using a pillow to change the head position.Sleep Breath. 2017;21(3):615-621. doi:10.1007/s11325-017-1461-1
Burgos-Sanchez C, Jones NN, Avillion M, et al.Impact of alcohol consumption on snoring and sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;163(6):1078-1086. doi:10.1177/0194599820931087
A. Stuck B, Hofauer B.The diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(48):817-824. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0817
Ephros HD, Madani M, Yalamanchili SC.Surgical treatment of snoring & obstructive sleep apnoea.Indian J Med Res. 2010;131:267-276.
Khazaie H, Negahban S, Ghadami MR, Sadeghi Bahmani D, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Brand S.Among middle-aged adults, snoring predicted hypertension independently of sleep apnoea.J Int Med Res. 2018;46(3):1187-1196. doi:10.1177/0300060517738426
MedlinePlus.Healthy sleep.
Stuck BA, Dreher A, Heiser C, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of snoring in adults-s2k guideline of the German society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.Sleep Breath. 2015;19(1):135-148. doi:0.1007/s11325-014-0979-8
Semelka M, Wilson J, Floyd R.Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults.AFP. 2016;94(5):355-360.
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