Why do I snore? The causes, pattern by pattern

What’s going on

Snoring happens when air moving through your throat makes soft tissue vibrate. The sound usually comes as you breathe in, through your nose, your mouth or both.

It’s very common. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) says about half of people snore at some point. It runs in families and becomes more common with age.

The parts involved

Picture the back of your mouth and the top of your throat. According to ENT Health, snoring comes from where these parts meet:

• Soft palate. The soft back part of the roof of your mouth. If it’s long, it narrows the opening from your nose into your throat.
• Uvula. The small piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate. A long one can flutter like a flag in the wind.
• Base of the tongue. When your muscles relax in sleep, your tongue can drop back toward your throat.
• Jaw position. Your tongue is attached to your lower jaw. A lower jaw that sits further back leaves less room behind the tongue.
• Nose. A blocked nose makes you pull harder to breathe in, which draws the throat tissues together.

Awake, your muscles hold all of this open. Asleep, they relax. If the space is already tight, the tissue vibrates, and you snore.

What makes it worse, by pattern

Your pattern is a clue to the cause. The snoring pattern finder walks you through it.

Mostly on your back

The AASM says sleeping on your back may make you more likely to snore. On your back, gravity lets your tongue fall back and narrow the airway. If you’re quieter on your side, position is a big part of your snoring.

With your mouth open

Snoring with your mouth open often goes with a nose that isn’t letting enough air through. Your body switches to mouth breathing to make up for it. Dental sleep researchers also link a narrow upper jaw with more resistance through the nose, mouth breathing and sleep apnea.

After a drink

Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, the AASM says, so the tissue collapses and vibrates more easily.

When you’re congested or it’s allergy season

Congestion from a cold or allergies can make you snore, according to the AASM. ENT Health notes that some people only snore during allergy season or with a sinus infection. A deviated septum or nasal polyps can also block the nose.

If you’ve gained weight

Extra weight can add soft tissue in the neck, which narrows the airway, ENT Health explains. That said, slim people snore too. Weight is one cause among several.

During pregnancy

Snoring is common in pregnancy. In one study of 1,719 women in their third trimester, 34% snored, and 25% had started snoring during the pregnancy.

That same study linked snoring that started in pregnancy with high blood pressure in pregnancy and preeclampsia. If you’ve started snoring while pregnant, mention it to your obstetrician or midwife.

As you get older

Snoring becomes more common with age, according to the AASM. ENT Health lists poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat as one cause. When those muscles are too relaxed, the tongue falls back and the throat walls draw in.

On sedating medicines

Medicines that make you sleepy can relax your throat, as alcohol does. ENT Health and the AASM both point to drugs that cause sleepiness. Don’t stop a prescription on your own; ask your doctor whether the dose or timing could change.

What a dentist or doctor can see

A lot of what drives snoring sits in your mouth and throat, so a dental exam can reveal clues. The American Dental Association (ADA) and a dental sleep medicine review list features dentists can look for:

• A lower jaw set back from the upper jaw (retrognathia), or a small lower jaw.
• A large tongue. One sign is a scalloped tongue, with wavy indentations along the sides where it presses against the teeth.
• A narrow, high-arched palate. A narrow upper jaw leaves less room for the tongue and is linked to more resistance through the nose.
• Large tonsils or a soft palate and uvula that hide the back of the throat when you open wide.

These are clues, not a diagnosis. The ADA says no single physical sign proves someone has sleep apnea. A dentist who spots them may ask about your sleep and suggest you see a physician.

An ear, nose and throat doctor can look further, sometimes with a thin camera. They check for allergies, blockages and large tonsils or adenoids.

When snoring is more than noise

Snoring by itself can be harmless. But it’s also the most common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, the AASM says. That’s when the airway closes off again and again during sleep.

Watch for loud snoring with pauses, choking or gasping, or feeling tired after a full night’s sleep. If that sounds like you, take the 2-minute “Should I get tested?” checklist or read snoring or sleep apnea?

Ready to do something about plain snoring? Start with how to stop snoring, which lists fixes from free to paid.