Contents:
- Medical Video: Why Snoring Could Cause Health Concerns
- Actually what is snoring and why can it happen?
- Then, why do men snore more often than women?
- Anatomical difference
- Lifestyle
- Are there other factors that make people more likely to experience snoring?
- How to reduce snoring habits?
Medical Video: Why Snoring Could Cause Health Concerns
Reported on the page of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, men do snore more during sleep than women. About 40 percent of men get used to sleeping while snoring, while women who are accustomed to sleeping while snoring are only as much as 24 percent. Why do men snore more often? Here's the explanation.
Actually what is snoring and why can it happen?
Snoring is a noisy sound from breathing that occurs during the sleep process. People will snore because the airways narrow when they sleep. This narrowed airway creates obstacles in the pathway that connects the mouth, nose, and lungs.
The narrower the airways, the more pressure is needed to build enough air flow. The greater the pressure, the more snoring sounds will be heard.
Like other muscles, when sleeping the muscles in the throat including the tongue will also relax. The tongue will fall towards the back and the throat will become narrow. As you breathe while sleeping, the narrow wall of the throat becomes trembling.
This vibration causes a distinctive breath sound, which is the sound of snoring that you hear. The narrower the airway, the greater the vibration and the harder the sound of someone's snoring.
Then, why do men snore more often than women?
According to Jomvie Reyes PTRP, RN, MN, a Master of Nursing and also a lecturer at Davao Doctors College, there are two main factors why men snore more, namely the condition of the body's anatomy and lifestyle.
Anatomical difference
Basically, a man's physical body is more supportive of snoring. Men have a lower voice position (larynx) than women so this makes men have more open space in the airway. This larger space makes the airway narrower. Snoring sound will appear.
In addition, the condition of the vocal cords can also affect. Men have vocal cords that are more alive, deeper, and heavier than women. This condition makes men more likely to often snore during sleep.
The shape of the jaw can also affect the occurrence of snoring. The shape of the male jaw is more prominent, while the jaw of the woman is smaller and not too prominent.
Lifestyle
There are some habits that are more often done by men, making more men snoring during sleep. Men tend to consume alcohol frequently. This alcohol is relaxing the muscles of the respiratory tract.
This loosening of the muscles makes the airway more closed and the air flow becomes narrower so that the sound of snoring appears.
Men also have high smoking habits. Cigarettes can irritate tissues in the respiratory tract. This condition will cause an increase in mucus production. This increase further adds to the narrowing and blockage of the airways.
Are there other factors that make people more likely to experience snoring?
- Use of sedatives. Sedatives are similar to alcohol, relaxing the muscles of the respiratory tract.
- Overweight. People who are overweight usually have excessive neck thickness. This condition will increase the pressure in the airways.
- Elderly (elderly). The older you are, the more you snore. This is because the condition of the muscles in the respiratory tract is increasingly relaxed due to various factors.
- Drug consumption. Taking certain drugs can cause dryness or irritation in the breathing passages.
- Health condition. Flu, the presence of polyps in the nose and allergies can also make people experience snoring during sleep
- Sleeping position on your back. Sleeping on your back makes the tongue and flesh around the throat loosen or pull in so that it clogs the airway. This causes the sound to vibrate when you sleep. Sleeping position can help you overcome snoring.
- The bigger the size of the uvula then narrows the airways. The uvula is a small tissue that hangs on the roof of the mouth that is always visible when people open their mouths.
How to reduce snoring habits?
- If you are overweight, losing weight is the right way to stop snoring.
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before going to bed.
- Quit smoking.
- Elevate your head with a pillow while sleeping so that your tongue does not block the airway.
- Sleep on your side.
