What causes snoring?

During breathing, the brain sends nervous messages to the muscles of the chest and diaphragm. Milliseconds before, the nose and throat muscles stiffen, pulling open the upper airways in order to take in oxygen. However, during sleep, these nervous messages quieten resulting in shallower breath and throat muscles that are looser, floppier and narrower. Lying down also encourages a narrower throat. If a person’s throat narrows too much then when air is sucked in, the walls of the throat vibrate causing snoring. The sound produced can be relatively gentle and unobtrusive, or extremely loud and disruptive.

Many factors can contribute to snoring, including weight gain, blocked noses, drugs and alcohol, large tonsils and other less understood factors. The causes of snoring differ for each person, therefore every snorer requires a unique assessment and treatment of their condition.