Why do people snore when they sleep? | What causes people to snore?

One of the reasons why do people snore when they sleep is because of drinking alcohol or taking sleeping pills. The reason this causes snoring is because both of these things overly relax the muscles which normally keep the breathing passage open. Consequently these very relaxed muscles are unable to do their job thereby reducing the size of the air passageway and creating snoring.

Another reason why people snore is due to having too much fat. Someone who is overweight has much more tissue or fat in their throat again causing a reduction in the size of the air passageway, which results in snoring. Very often doctors will recommend people to lose weight in order to solve their snoring problems.

The enlarged size of tonsils, adenoids, soft palate, uvula also causes people to snore due to the obstruction they create for the air which is trying to pass through when we breathe. In more severe cases surgery is done to remove the entire or parts of any of these blocking tissues.

The nose can also become congested. If the nose has not been cleaned for example it is much harder for the air to pass through and this can create snoring. The nose can also be blocked for other reasons such as a deformity.

Lastly, people who sleep on their backs tend to snore more often because the gravity pulls down the tissues on top and reduces the size of the air passage. This is why one easy solution for some people is to sleep on their sides or buy anti snore pillows which align the body in the best way.