brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Snoring
Introduction
Snoring is a raspy noise produced in the nose and throat during sleep. It is quite common and becomes more common as people age. About 57% of men and 40% of women snore. However, what qualifies as snoring depends on the person listening to it, and how loudly and how much a person snores vary from night to night. Thus, the percentage of people who snore is only an estimate. (See also Overview of Sleep .) A few people snore lightly, but snoring is usually noticeable and is sometimes loud enough to be heard in another room. Snoring is distressing usually only to other people, typically a bed partner or roommate trying to sleep. Snorers seldom know that they snore unless others tell them. However, some hear their own snoring as they wake up. Snoring can have significant social consequences. It frequently causes stress between the snorer and bed partner or roommates. Other symptoms such as waking up frequently, gasping or choking during sleep, Insomnia and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) , and morning headache may also be present, depending on what is causing the snoring. Snoring results from fluttering of soft tissues in the throat, particularly the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth). The fact that people do not snore when they are awake suggests that relaxation of muscles during sleep is part of the cause. This relaxation is thought to decrease the stiffness of tissue, making it more likely to flutter (just as a cloth flag is more likely to flutter in a breeze than is a similar-sized sheet of metal). Also, tissue relaxation narrows the upper airway, making flutter more likely. 