What causes snoring 

What is snoring?

To understand what causes snoring, we need to define it first. It is indeliberate forced breathing during sleep and essentially associated with the production of irritating sound or low level reverberating noise. In itself, snoring is neither a disease nor a symptom of any disease, yet its social repercussions are at times too serious to ignore it.

What Causes Snoring

Snoring is neither the result of any chemical reactions nor an outcome of some chemical disbalance in human body. More than chemistry it is a matter of physics, in that the voice is in fact produced due to narrowing of air passage during sleep, hindering the free flow of air. A short answer to what causes snoring is that it is caused by relaxation of certain organs in buccal cavity during sleep, which in relaxed state fall in the air passage and obstruct the free airflow with consequent production of the sound produced through nasal tract or mouth.

Other causes of snoring 

Some people consider that snoring may result from overeating while others think that over fatigue, deprivation of sleep, or sleeping in the state of mental stress can cause snoring. All these factors, somehow or the other way obstruct the nasal passage or throat and induce snoring during sleep.

Hereditary factor 

Having conducted research studies on snorers of different age groups, some researchers have arrived at that snoring is hereditary therefore one should simply bear with it or seek suitable solutions including surgical options after due medical advice and specially under professional advice of a neurophysician or a neuro surgeon.

Dietary factor  

Although it has been suspected that some diets can influence the breathing pattern during sleep, there is little scientific evidence to endorse the viewpoint. Alcoholic drinks and excessive use of some beverages may accelerate and aggravate snoring. Smoking has also been pointed out as a causative factor.

What causes excessive snoring in men? 

Compared with women, more of men have been found snoring. It has been established that men have narrower air passage, prone to obstruction more easily.

Is snoring related to sleeping posture? 

Next only perhaps to the hereditary factor, the sleeping posture is a factor, agreed upon by number of experts to be a definite cause of snoring. Some of them have even gone to the extent of recommending the use of some teasers like a ball to prevent sleeping on back. One simple and practical way to maintain the desired posture is to use three pillows; one under head and neck and two under right and left sides to limit tilting thus avoiding sleep on back posture.

Can Yoga help prevent snoring? 

No discipline other than yoga can attain an equivalent degree of excellence in breathing exercises. The very basis of yoga is reduced metabolism, reduced pulse rate, increased control over body function and increased longevity. Two of the yoga exercise known as ‘The Lion Pose’ and the ‘Lotus Pose’ are particularly considered beneficial to prevent what causes snoring.