Does Snoring Have You Up All Night?

Snoring is becoming a more common disorder nowadays.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring affects 90 million adults, 37 million of them on a regular basis. And while men are twice as likely as women to snore among younger folk, that gap closes after menopause, and women snore in equal numbers. An article from http://www.webmd.com offers several insights regarding this fact.

• A poll conducted by the sleep foundation in 2005 found that sleep problems—most commonly snoring—not only have an impact on how well you sleep but can negatively affect relationships between bed partners.

• Snoring can be a sign of more serious health problems that require treatment.

• The largest group of run-of-the-mill snorers is middle-aged and older men. But snoring is more common than most people realize—30% of adults over the age of 30 snore—and women make up one-third of those snorers.

• Benign snoring, is caused by “upper airway turbulence” that leads to vibrations of the soft palate and the uvula.

• When you think about it, that snoring increases with age makes sense. As we age we lose muscle tone everywhere, including in our palates, which become flabby and thus more susceptible to vibration.

• Allergies or being overweight can also contribute to snoring.

• Drinking alcohol before bedtime, which relaxes the muscles in the airway, is another potential cause.

• Some people have larger tongues or palates than others, or thick necks or a weak glossopharygeal nerve

Read more here:

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/does-snoring-have-you-up-all-night

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