1. Colds and Allergies – nasal congestion forces you to breathe through your mouth and creates more pressure behind your soft palate and uvula, which leads to “zzz’s” or vibration of the tissue.
2. Not enough room for your tongue – you may not even notice that your mouth is too small for your tongue… until you relax into sleep, your tongue moves back, obstructs your airway, and causes snoring.
3. Obesity –weight gain affects all your tissues, even things like neck tissues, and a thicker neck puts a strain on your throat.
4. Enlarged adenoids or tonsils – Anything that blocks your airway can cause snoring.
5. Aging – a loss of muscle tone is common in aging, causing the throat to narrow and leading to that zzz sound during sleep.
6. Sleeping on your back – this sleeping position causes your neck and throat muscles to be at their most relaxed, which can collapse them against each other. The result? More zzz’s than usual.
7. Sleep apnea – snoring is the primary symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep-related breathing disorder that prevents airflow during sleep – and it’s no joke! Sleep apnea occurs when the tongue and surrounding tissues collapse to the back of the throat, blocking the airway, severely reducing oxygen intake – and it can happen hundreds of times a night!