It is said that approximately 45 percent of all adult Americans snore at least occasionally, while another 25 percent are defintely habitual snorers. Snoring problems are generally more frequent in males and with people who are overweight. In addition, this condition usually gets worse with age as we will address later in this discussion.



The actual act of snoring itself is the result of noisy breathing through both the nose and mouth while sleeping. Snoring is then created when the air passage is restricted and inhibits what would otherwise be easy and normal breathing. Thus, the path of least resistance is blocked. The worst cases tend to occur when a person sleeps on their back as opposed to their sides. The snore sounds that we tend to associate with this condition are the result of the vibration or flapping of the tissues lining the air passages.

Snoring will generally occur when air fails to flow smoothly through the air passages, or when the soft tissues or muscles in air passages vibrate. Age can become a factor as it is found that the older a person gets, the weaker their throat muscles become. This weakening of the throat muscles generally causes the surrounding tissues to sag making them more susceptible to vibration.

Sometimes nasal blockages caused by allergies or a deviated septum when the partition between the noses is crooked has been known to restrict airflow through the nose can also caise one to snore. This forces more breathing through the mouth where the flabby tissues are located. There have also been a few rare cases where enlarged tonsils have also caused the obstructions that lead to snoring.

Believe it or not, excessive consumption of alcohol or sedation at bedtime can also lead to deformities in the nasal pathway. Snoring can also occur from being overweight. In fact, anyone who is 20 percent over their ideal weight is susceptible.

Some of the more common ways to reduce snoring is listed as avoiding smoke and alcohol before going to bed, reduction of body weight, establishing regular sleeping patterns of sleeping on the side of the body rather than sleeping on the back. A person can also use a decongestant before bed to relieve nasal congestion and perhaps try to sleep without a pillow.

In any event, reducing the tendency to snore usually requires a change of lifestyle or habits as most of these methods would produce slow results.