According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 90 million Americans describe themselves as snorers. Although it can be annoying, it’s widely considered a harmless behavior. In some cases however, snoring can be a warning signal of something worlds more critical. If you, or someone you love snores, read on to learn more about what snoring could be saying about your health.
Snoring means that your nasal passages are severely backed up
Your throat muscles are supposed to naturally relax while sleeping, narrowing the airway. As you take breaths, vibrations are sent through that results in the snore. The more constricted the airway, the louder the snoring will be. This is especially true when sleeping on your back because the relaxed airway “falls” to the exterior of the throat causing the snoring sound to intensify. If the airway is blocked, this may make the snoring even harsher.
Things you can, and can’t control may also play a role
As we age, our throat muscles become more pliable and relaxed so snoring becomes more common the older we get. Biological reasons also come into play here as well. Allergy induced inflammation in the nose and a deviated septum can also narrow the throat, which essentially is something you can’t control. On the other hand, alcohol consumption can have the same throat muscle relaxing effect, thus inducing a snore.
You may be a genetically predisposed snorer
According to the Sleep Foundation referenced herein, more than half of the US population will snore at least…