Snoring is the sound produced by the vibration of respiratory structure as an outcome
of obstructed breathing during sleeping. The sound can be either soft or loud depending
upon the severity of obstruction. It is apposite to take into account major factors that
contribute in the blockage of air passage and cause snoring.

Fat Accumulation around the Throat

The accumulation of fat in and around the throat is the primary factor responsible for
snoring. Consuming food rich in fats makes fatty tissue around the neck that constricts
the airway during sleep and blocks the air to flow in and out freely. It is worthy to be
noted that fat is more problematic for men than women because men accumulate fat
around their necks while women around thighs. Moreover, the upper airway in women is
relatively larger than that of men and this is why their air passage resists strongly against
fats. Weight loss with proper diet and exercise is the best panacea for this problem.

Nasal Obstruction

The obstructed nasal passageway is the second major reason for snoring. It happens when
membranes coming to nasal passage are swollen as a result of inflamed blood vessels.
It also hinders the usual airflow due to which the sufferer snores while sleeping. Nasal
obstruction can be the outcome of different causes including allergy, influenza, hey fever
or even some medications. To treat it, steam inhalation is the effective natural remedy;
however, pills and injections can also be used as per the doctor’s prescription.

Improper Sleeping Position

Proper body position also plays an important role for a peaceful night sleep. Different
studies have pointed out that the supine position (sleeping on one’s back) is likely to
cause snoring. In this position gravitational forces stimulate the tongue to drop to the
back of the mouth. Resultantly, the air passage narrows down decreasing the space for air
flow and leading to snoring.

In a similar way some people who suffer from retrognathia also snore when sleeping on
back because their jaws push the upper air passage towards the back of the throat and
narrows down the breathing passage. So it is better to sleep on either right or left side in
order to avoid troublesome snoring.

Taking relaxant medicines or drinking alcohol just before going to bed also impacts the
normal breathing during sleep. Such sedative elements are used to let the body muscles

relax; however, their impact on throat muscles is far reaching. Owing to the relaxation of
throat muscles, oropharynx, the middle part of the throat, collapses to hinder breathing
and cause snoring. Furthermore, these relaxants can also cause irritation and congestion
of the nasal air passage thus making breathing even more difficult.

However, if you cannot get rid of drinking, you should drink at least three or four
hours before sleeping in order to minimize its effects on breathing. Besides, you should
review your supplements to know whether or not they are relaxants and on finding them
relaxants, ask your doctor to suggest some alternatives.

In the nutshell, snoring is primarily caused by the obstruction of air into the air passage
that includes throat and nose. If these are narrowed down due to one or the other reason,
one may suffer difficulty in breathing while sleeping.