What Causes Snoring in Men

I am sure, half the women, who complain about lack of sleep, may attribute it to the loud snoring of their partners. The person who snores, rarely realizes that his snoring disturbs others sleeping around him. This leads to frequent arguments between couples wishing for some peaceful sleep. Instead of fighting and arguing about the noise, think what causes snoring in men. The cause may be related to your partner's health, and timely intervention can help save a lot of trouble later on.

What is Snoring

The loud breathing sounds of the upper airway during sleep, caused due to disruption of breathing rhythm, is called snoring. One of the most common problems affecting more men than women in snoring. As mentioned above, most men are not aware of their problem. They generally come to know of the problem after their wives or partners nag about the constant noise at night. Snoring in men is generally very loud and may indicate a serious health problem.

Causes of Snoring in Men

When you sleep, the muscles of the nose and pharynx enter a relaxed state. The soft tissues in the back of the throat tend to vibrate when breathing, leading to snoring. The uvula, tonsils and palate tend to flap around each other when something obstructs the air passage in the narrow gap between nose and pharynx, or there is presence of tissue. This leads to production of loud sound called snoring. There are many factors that lead to snoring in men that are discussed below.

Nasal Problems
One of the common problems, that leads to snoring, is nasal obstruction. This obstruction can occur due to various reasons like nasal septum deviation, nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis, etc.

Pharynx Obstruction
When the pharynx is obstructed due to a variety of reasons, it leads to vibration of soft tissues leading to snoring. This can occur due to excessive fat tissue under the pharyngeal mucosa, tonsils, hypertrophy, etc.

Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition where a person suffers from interruption in breathing for 10 seconds or longer. Sleep apnea can occur many times during a night, and causes disturbance in normal sleeping pattern. When the person stops breathing the level of carbon dioxide increases in blood. The brain sends a signal and wakes up the person, so that he can resume breathing. Thus, heavy snoring may indicate a possibility that one suffers from sleep apnea.

Obesity
Lack of exercise and increase in body fat around the throat can lead to snoring. As there is lack of muscle tone, the airway tends to collapse frequently leading to loud snoring. The fat tissues around the neck press the airways during sleep. This causes air obstruction and vibration of the soft tissues that causes a person to snore.

Alcohol
Men who drink tend to snore more than those who don't. This is because alcohol tends to slow down the brain's response. Thus, the muscles relax more than they normally do, and the throat flaps collapse easily. It also causes nasal irritation and congestion leading to snoring.

Smoking
Another common habit in men is to smoke. When a person smokes, it begins to irritate the nasal cavity and throat. This irritation leads to inflammation that narrows the nasal passages even more. Thus, causing snoring after the person falls asleep.

Other causes of snoring in men may include a hectic life, wherein the person gets really tired. It may also indicate high blood pressure, hormonal problems, aging, etc. It is therefore, a good idea to get one self examined by a doctor, to find out if any underlying health problem is causing one to snore.

Some Snoring Remedies

There are a few snoring solutions that you should try to reduce snores. People who are overweight should think of serious weight loss remedies. This will not only help reduce and prevent snoring, but also help you overcome other health issues like high blood pressure, cardiac aliments, etc. One should avoid smoking, drinking and eating chocolates about 4 hours before one goes to sleep. Four hours is enough time for the body to metabolize alcohol, chocolates, etc. and prevent one from snoring in sleep. If you suffer from nasal congestion, take measures to open your nasal passages and blow your nose before you sleep. Sleeping on the side also helps as it prevents any fatty tissue from squeezing your nasal passages and prevent snoring. There are many stop snoring mouthpiece available, that helps prevent the jaws from moving back and clears the nasal passages as one sleeps. Thus, eliminating the chances of snoring. You can speak to your dentist for more details on stop snoring mouthpiece available.

Most of the time snoring treatment depends on curing the cause. If you feel your partner has a snoring problem, speak to him and ask him to visit a physician. This will help him find the cause and seek treatment for the same. Conditions like sleep apnea can prove to be serious, if not treated early.