Types of Snoring and Why They Occur
Snoring at night is an indication that you are probably not sleeping well. Snoring is a result of your body being unable to move air freely through the nose and throat because of a partial closing of your upper airway. Depending on what causes this closing of the airway, there are four types of snoring, and in order to effectively combat them, it is crucial to understand why snoring occurs.
Mouth-based Snoring
When a person breathes through the mouth instead of the nose while sleeping it results in mouth snoring, or “palatal fluttering.” This is the most common type of snoring, with 80% of snorers being mouth snorers. Blocked nasal passages, enlarged tonsils, or most commonly loose soft-palate tissue may be the causes behind mouth snoring. If you can’t breathe via your nose at night due to a blockage, it causes you to breathe through the mouth, resulting in a vibration of the soft-palate tissues, hence the snoring sound.
If loose soft-palate tissue is the cause then Solea Sleep is the most effective treatment that provides immediate relief in only 5 minutes by tightening the collagen fibers of the soft palate and opening the airway.
Nose-based Snoring
Blocked nostrils as a result of a deviated septum or some physical obstruction in your nose may lead to blocking your airway, thus resulting in nasal snoring. Other causes include pet and dust allergies, nose stiffness, cold or if you are using certain types of medications. This kind of snoring can be treated in several ways depending on what causes it:
A deviated septum may require surgery to
Air purifiers would help reduce snoring resulting dust allergies.
Quitting smoking, nasal dilator strips, or a nasal rinse is effective against snoring due to cold or stiffness.
Tongue-based Snoring
This type of snoring occurs because the tongue gets too relaxed, particularly when we lie down on our back, thus blocking the airflow into the lungs. As a result, it becomes difficult to breathe, thereby causing snoring. Tongue-based snoring may occur in people who love to drink alcohol or use sleep medication. Excessive fat around the neck may also be a cause of tongue based snoring.
Snoring mouthpieces or mandibular advancement devices are especially designed to be used as a remedy for tongue snorers. It helps move your jaws forward, thus preventing the tongue from blocking the back of your throat, and ensure uninterrupted breathing. Anti-snoring pillows and backpacks are useful ways of preventing this kind of snoring. They keep you on your side, preventing you from turning on your back, thus avoiding difficulty in breathing.
Throat-based Snoring
This kind of snoring is the loudest, and most dangerous of all. It is caused as a result of sleep apnea, a condition where the person stops breathing several times during the night in his sleep. And this condition occurs when the muscles and soft tissues in the throat area are too relaxed. They lead to a blockage in the walls of the throat, not allowing the air to pass through, thus resulting in tongue-based snoring or sleep apnea.
It occurs in every sleeping position, and can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke if left untreated. Sleep apnea needs medical attention right away, and the most common methods of treatment are CPAP therapy, UPAP therapy and UAS therapy.
How to Diagnose Your Snoring
Below are the symptoms that can help you identify which type of snorer you are:
Looking at the symptoms above will give you an idea about the type of snorer you are. While the other three types are not serious and can be cured easily, it is the throat-based snoring that you really need to worry about. Take the Solea Sleep snoring and sleep apnea screening to identify your snoring patterns and symptoms, and if you are potentially at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
What are the Symptoms of Snoring?
Many people are not aware that they snore. It’s important to recognize these other, waking symptoms of a possible snoring condition:
Sore throat upon awakening
Headaches in the morning
Excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue
Troubles with memory, learning, concentration
Mood swings, short-temperedness, anxiousness, depression
High blood pressure
As stated previously, snoring is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If snoring is accompanied by any of the symptoms below, it may be an indication to see a doctor for further evaluation for OSA.
Restless sleep
Witnessed breathing pauses during sleep
Gasping or choking at night
Chest pain at night
Disrupting your partner’s sleep
Needing to get up often throughout the night to use the bathroom
Snoring Link to Sleep Apnea
In most cases snoring is a symptom of another sleep disorder: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but everyone diagnosed with sleep apnea snores - snoring is a key symptom.
Millions of men and women do suffer from sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder that requires medical treatment, many of them undiagnosed. Snoring may be loud, but loud snoring in and of itself is not a clear sign of sleep apnea. Sleep-apnea snoring may be intermittent, with pauses in noise followed by loud gasps, choking or snorting sounds. Often, it is sleeping partners who will observe these episodes. The link between snoring and sleep apnea is one important reason snoring should never be ignored. Without treatment, sleep apnea increases risks for other serious medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
