Causes of Snoring
From LoveToKnow Sleep
Many people who snore habitually wonder about the causes of snoring. Snoring is a hoarse or harsh-sounding breathing that happens during sleep when the relaxed tissues in the throat partially obstruct the airway. The sound is created when air flows past and vibrates the relaxed tissue. Snoring has a variety of causes and contributing factors, and it can be troublesome when it wakes the sleeping snorer. Loud snoring can be especially disruptive to the snorer's spouse, and may require medical attention if the snoring person's breathing is actually obstructed.
Common Causes of Snoring
While snoring can indicate an underlying condition, in many cases it is not a problem and does not necessarily require any special treatment. For example, the tissues of the throat, tongue, and soft palate normally relax as people progress from light to deeper sleep, and light snoring may be nothing more than very relaxed tissue. Normal aging processes can cause tissues to become less toned and more floppy, which can contribute to snoring. In addition, nasal congestion from a cold can also cause a temporary snoring problem, which should go away when the congestion clears.
Anatomical Problems
A few anatomical abnormalities of the ear, nose, and throat can cause snoring by obstructing the airway. Hypertrophy, or enlargement, of the cells of the adenoids and tonsils can cause them to protrude into and obstruct the airway, which then leads to snoring. Enlarged adenoids and tonsils often need to be surgically removed, as antibiotics are not effective in reducing tonsil size in most cases.
An elongated uvula or a bifid (split) uvula can partially block the windpipe and cause snoring. Bifid uvulas, often associated with a cleft palate, contain less muscular tissue and are therefore more floppy than single-lobed uvulas.
A deviated septum can make breathing through the nose difficult. Hypertrophic turbinates are another nose problem that is often associated with snoring. The turbinates are bony protrusions into the nose that can cause chronic nasal obstruction when they become enlarged or hypertrophic.
Sometimes the soft palate is very floppy, and can droop down into the throat. An enlarged tongue, or macroglossia, can also lead to partial airway blockage. All of these anatomical issues can lead to a snoring problem.
Rarer Snoring Causes
Some birth defects and genetic syndromes can cause snoring in children. Disorders such as Apert's Syndrome can cause midface hypoplasia. This condition is often associated with a sunken bridge of the nose that causes the nasal passages to be partly or completely blocked, and with an elongated soft palate. Other congenital conditions associated with snoring are:
- Retrognathia, a condition in which the lower jaw is located farther back than the upper jaw
- Laryngomalacia, or the collapse of the larynx's soft cartilage during inhalation
- Choanal atresia, the blockage of the back of the nasal passage by abnormal tissue
- Specific Genetic Syndromes:
- Apert's Syndrome, associated with abnormalities of the skull, face, and palate
- Pierre Robin Sequence, associated with a very small lower jaw, cleft palate, and the tendency for the tongue to fall back and downwards in the airway
- Treacher Collins Syndrome, a genetic abormality involving severe underdevelopment of the lower jaw, facial hypoplasia, and facial cleft
- Goldenhar Syndrome, a set of one-sided craniofacial defects that can result in the migration of the soft palate to the unaffected side of the face
These syndromes are very rare, and it is unlikely that they would go unnoticed as a hidden cause of snoring. They are mentioned only because those with any of these conditions may have problems with snoring, and relatives or caregivers may not associate the chronic snoring with the condition itself.
Lifestyle Factors
Excessive alcohol consumption relaxes the muscles of the mouth and throat, which causes the tissues to vibrate and breathing to become noisy. Also, obesity can lead to a narrowed airway because of the increased pressure on soft tissues that goes along with excess fat deposits in the neck area. Smoking also exacerbates snoring problems due to the narrowing of the air passages that is associated with it.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that occurs when throat tissue collapses and obstructs the airway. The snoring associated with this condition is distinct in that it gets very loud and is followed by periods of complete silence. This brief silence is actually a period when the person stops breathing, and then wakes with a gasp or a loud snorting sound. This potentially life-threatening condition can be treated with a machine that delivers a continuous flow of air into the trachea, preventing airway collapse.
When to Seek Help
When snoring is interfering with the sleep of the snoring person or their partner, or the snoring is accompanied by periods of not breathing, it's time to seek medical attention. The doctor can determine whether the snoring is caused by a nasal obstruction, obesity, or obstructive sleep apnea. He or she can then recommend nasal surgery, a weight loss program, or nightly therapy with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
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