Why do people snore?

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Most of us are pretty familiar with the sound of snoring, either because somebody in our house is a snorer, or because we’ve seen TV shows or movies where people snore. But what causes this funny, strange noise?

Snoring happens when a person is asleep and the tissues in their mouth, nose, and throat vibrate, creating anything from a slight snoring sound to a whole lot of noise! There are several things that can cause these tissues vibrate, such as the structure of a person’s mouth or being congested. 

Snoring is pretty common – 45% of grown-ups snore from time to time! There are many ways that people who snore can try to lessen or help their snoring, including sleeping on their side instead of their back, having a regular sleep schedule, or using special oral appliances that help keep the airways clear to reduce the vibrations and snoring!

Snoring can occasionally be a symptom of sleep apnea, a condition in which a sleeping person’s airway is blocked or mostly blocked by tissues in the throat, causing the person to wake up frequently in order to get a breath of air. – If you ever feel like this is happening to you, talk to a grown-up.

Exploring snoring

In October 2009, a woman in the United Kingdom was reported to have a remarkably loud snore: 111.6 decibels! To give you some idea of how loud that is, the average power-saw or jackhammer are each about 110 decibels! – Wow!!