RW - foRWard Health & Wellbeing eMag - May 24 - Flipbook - Page 42
What can raise my risk of snoring?
How does it affect people?
• Being overweight or obese will mean you have
more fat around the neck. This will make your
throat narrower and it will vibrate more easily.
For many families snoring is a
big problem. O昀琀en, the snorer
has to sleep alone in another
room. If not, then his or her
family will have trouble ge琀�ng
a good night’s sleep. The family
might be more 琀椀red during the
day. This can mean that they
can’t focus as well on work or
study. Some snorers also have a
condi琀椀on known as sleep apnea.
Over 10% of regular snorers have
this condi琀椀on to a signi昀椀cant
degree. Sleep apnea is linked to
high blood pressure, heart a琀琀acks
and strokes.
• Drinking alcohol will relax the muscles in your throat.
This will mean more vibra琀椀on and more sound.
• People who breathe through the mouth are more
likely to snore. This is because the walls of your
throat at the back of the mouth vibrate easily. Walls
at the back of your nose do not vibrate as easily.
• A blocked nose will mean that you have to
breathe through the mouth. This will raise your
risk of snoring. It also makes a vacuum inside
the throat. This may pull the walls of your throat
closer together.
• Sleeping on your back makes your tongue fall
directly back. This can get in the way of your
air昀氀ow. Snoring is almost always worse on the back.
• Some people snore because of narrowing
caused by nasal polyps, a large tongue or thyroid
swellings. These narrow the airway. O昀琀en
children snore because of large tonsils and
adenoids.
• Allergies, hay fever and smoking can make
snoring worse. This is because they make
it harder for air to 昀氀ow in and out.
• Some medica琀椀ons make your
throat muscles relax, e.g. sleeping
tablets, anaesthe琀椀c drugs, oral
steroids and epilepsy drugs.
• Some people are born with
a smaller airway than
normal. These people
will have a higher
chance of snoring.
• Snoring is
more likely in
pregnancy.