Medically reviewed by
Dacelin St Martin, MD
Triple board-certified in Sleep Medicine,
Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics.
What Exactly is Snoring? | Snoring and OSA | Side Effects of Sleeplessness | Chronic Conditions | Sleep Tips
What Exactly is Snoring?
Snoring is a typical and ordinary occurrence, yet the question begs to be asked: What causes all that noise?
Snoring occurs due to the vibration of soft tissues in the upper airways, with varying causes for different people.
Lifestyle choices, such as smoking, particularly in the hours preceding bedtime, may cause inflammation and swelling of airway tissues, leading to turbulent airflow.
While other causes of snoring, such as sinus congestion or obstructed sleep apnea (OSA), are medical conditions that may require diagnosis and treatment from a healthcare professional.
Snoring and OSA
Snoring can be caused by something as simple as allergies or be a symptom of a chronic sleep disorder, such as OSA. [1]
OSA is a breathing-related sleep disorder that interrupts normal sleeping patterns due to soft tissues partially blocking the upper airways.
When the airways are blocked, the brain senses low oxygen levels, sending signals to muscles to wake the person up to get the air they desperately need.
People with OSA have various symptoms, such as morning headaches from a lack of oxygen, daytime fatigue from being constantly awoken throughout the night, and an inability to concentrate, and problems with memory consolidation due to fragmented sleep.
However, it’s not the snoring or choking sounds typical of snorers that awakens them, causing daytime sleepiness. Instead, these brief nocturnal awakenings interfere with the snorer reaching the most restorative sleep phase called REM.
Snoring is a telltale symptom of this potentially fatal disorder and requires the attention of a doctor. When OSA is diagnosed and managed, the snorer can get a restorative night’s sleep; however, they won’t be the only ones newly able to get some shut-eye.
Enter stage left the snorer’s bed partner. This tired soul spends half their night throwing flying elbows and staring daggers at their sleeping (and snoring) bed partner. It’s a lonely and tiring existence, being with a snorer, and the sleeplessness and its effects on health are valid.
Side Effects of Sleeplessness
Disrupted sleep, either due to snoring or being the one whose sleep is disrupted by a snoring partner, can affect a person’s emotional and physical health.
Most of us are familiar with how a night of sleeplessness can cause a day of brain fog, irritability, and feeling sleepy during the day, and hinder one’s ability to focus or concentrate properly.
Several nights in a row of this pattern leave a person feeling depleted, exhausted, and, frankly, quite cranky.
Chronic Conditions and Sleeplessness
Lack of sleep isn’t just a nuisance that causes irritability. It can also lead to medical issues, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and take a toll on the heart, leading to cardiovascular disease. Deprived sleep and sleep disruption can lead to dangerous chronic health conditions. [2]
Individuals who get less than 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night have a higher likelihood of developing obesity, which can trigger other chronic health conditions, such as:
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Anxiety
- Depression [3]
Living longer and healthier is one of the most significant strides, but many of us are unaware of the vital role sleep has in helping to achieve it. In addition to an increased risk of developing poor health, sleep deprivation could be linked to a shortened life span. [4]
Consider helpful tips on dealing with this sleeplessness before getting too mad with a partner who isn’t aware of or has control over their snoring. Although snoring is a significant symptom of OSA and warrants a trip to the doctor for testing, not all snorers have the condition.
If your partner is cleared of conditions related to snoring, here are helpful tips to get some reprieve from all the noise.
Sleep Tips
1) Lose Weight. Weight loss can help reduce the amount of loose tissue around the neck.
2) Invest in a Humidifier. Dry air can aggravate airways and exacerbate snoring. Add moisture back into the air with a humidifier.
3) Take a Steamy Shower Before Bed. Steam from the shower can open airways, helping to decrease the incidence of snoring.
4) Adjust the Sleep Position. Sleep positions on the back often make snoring worse. [2] The snorer should try to fall asleep in a side position, so placing a tennis ball beside the person’s back will alert them if they roll onto it, thereby forcing them back into the side position. [5]
5) Invest in an Anti-Snore Pillow. A 2015 study showed results of the snorer sleeping more comfortably with a head-positioning pillow positioned to lift the neck, which allows adequate airflow. [6]
6) Quit Drinking and Smoking. Alcohol can cause the muscles at the back of the throat to relax too much, causing them to interfere with airflow. Smoking leads to inflammation, causing turbulent airflow and snoring.
Conclusion
For snorers, finding the root cause of the symptoms can be solved with medical intervention, such as a sleep study and eventual treatment to help manage a diagnosed sleep disorder, like OSA. As mentioned earlier, not all snorers have OSA, but it’s not a symptom that should be overlooked. Noise-sensitive bed partners suffering through loud bouts of snoring also need some reprieve from the nocturnal ruckus.
Once cleared of OSA, sleepless bed partners should try employing some of the six tips for a restful night’s sleep. Sleep is vital for wellness, and it’s considered one of the three pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, and, of course, sleep.
References:
- Slowik, J. M., & Collen, J. F. (2021). Obstructive Sleep Apnea. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
- Colten, H. R., Altevogt, B. M., & Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research (Eds.). (2006). Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. National Academies Press (US).
- Colten, H. R., Altevogt, B. M., & Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research (Eds.). (2006). Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. National Academies Press (US).
- Kohatsu, N. D., Tsai, R., Young, T., Vangilder, R., Burmeister, L. F., Stromquist, A. M., & Merchant, J. A. (2006). Sleep duration and body mass index in a rural population. Archives of internal medicine, 166(16), 1701–1705. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.16.1701
- Chen, W. C., Lee, L. A., Chen, N. H., Fang, T. J., Huang, C. G., Cheng, W. N., & Li, H. Y. (2015). Treatment of snoring with positional therapy in patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Scientific reports, 5, 18188. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep18188
- Oksenberg, A., & Gadoth, N. (2015). Continuous and Loud Snoring Only in the Supine Posture. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 11(12), 1463–1464. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5290
