Causes of snoring

Why is it important to know the true causes of snoring? Because it makes it possible to get rid of it, because almost every third person over 30 snores regularly, and 45-50% snore from time to time. At the same time, at least 40% of the total male population of the planet and 18-24% of women are susceptible to ronchopathy. In addition, 6-15% of children snore during sleep. [1]

Snoring as a breathing disorder

In ICD-10, snoring is classified as a breathing disorder and has the code R06.5 - breathing through the mouth. That is, the key cause of snoring is recognized as a violation of nasal breathing of various origins. These include injuries or  malformations of the nasal septum  (including its curvature), the presence of polyps in the nasal cavity, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses - if snoring is noted after sinusitis or sinusitis; and, of course, nasal congestion, for example, with  chronic rhinitis (chronic rhinitis ) of any etiology.

Otolaryngologists explain the physiological component of  snoring  as a process that occurs when breathing through the mouth, a decrease in the muscle tone of the nasopharynx during sleep - an involuntary relaxation of the tissues of the soft palate and folds around the tonsils, which, under the influence of the air flow during inhalation and exhalation, begin to vibrate with a characteristic sound accompaniment.

Often, ronchopathy occurs when a person sleeps while lying on their back: this leads to sagging of the uvula (uvula) and restriction of the space for air passage. [2]

Overweight (and a short, thick neck) has been shown to be one of the risk factors for snoring: due to increased tissue volume (fatty infiltration) at the base of the tongue and in the upper part of the throat, as well as an increase in the size of the soft palate and tongue.

The genetically determined factor is the initial size of the tonsils of the pharyngeal lymphoid ring, and hyperplasia of the tonsils is considered pathological  .

Habitual snoring occurs in people with maxillofacial anomalies and malocclusion, in particular, with superior prognosis. And if the lower jaw is too small (mandibular micrognathia or retrognathia), a decrease in the lumen of the upper respiratory tract occurs due to a lack of space for the tongue.

28% of constantly snoring people suffer from  sleep apnea  - a short-term stop of air flow in the airways. And snoring is a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. [3]

The latter circumstance explains snoring after a stroke, which causes ischemic damage to the brain with impaired respiratory regulation mechanisms and the development of apnea and insomnia, as well as a failure of the normal sleep and wakefulness cycle. [4]

By the way, it is with the effect on the brain and central nervous system that snoring after alcohol is associated.

Why do women snore?

In addition to all the factors listed above for the onset of ronchopathy, there are reasons leading to snoring in women associated with certain physiological periods.

Many women are faced with the problem of snoring during pregnancy, and there are explanations for its occurrence. This is a natural weight gain (sometimes excessive), an increase in estrogen levels (leading to swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa), as well as a relaxing effect on muscle fibers of relaxin, a hormone that is produced during gestation not only by the corpus luteum of the ovaries, but also by chorion (in the early stages ), and then the placenta and the decidual intrauterine membrane.

If snoring does not go away for some time after pregnancy, that is, after childbirth, then this is due to a gradual decrease in the synthesis of estrogen and relaxin. Or, the reason is all the same extra pounds gained during the gestation period.  [5]

In addition to the usual (disturbed breathing through the nose, accumulation of fat in the upper body, etc.), there are also special causes of snoring in women after 50 years. And here, too, the matter is in hormones: due to the lack of the sex steroid progesterone, with the onset of menopause, the relaxation of the muscle tissues of the upper respiratory tract increases. [6]

Causes of snoring in children

It should be borne in mind that the body's lymphoid system is formed in childhood, in particular, the largest palatine and pharyngeal tonsils, related to immunocompetent organs, are in children aged two to six years, and the peak of angina (tonsillitis) falls on the period from four to seven to eight years old. Thus, it is at this time that the  adenoids  increase, and their decrease begins on average from the age of 12. [7]

The tonsils are the first to protect the body from ingestion of inhaled pathogenic microorganisms. At the same time, there is an influx of blood and activation of the M-cells on the tonsils, capturing antigens produced by pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The B- and T-lymphocytes of the tonsils are also activated and multiply. [8]

Frequent infections in young children with an imperfect system of general immunity can lead to  hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils , causing snoring in a child after an illness, in particular, after a sore throat, which is also accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane of the tonsils and the upper parts of the palatine arches. [9]

If the nose is stuffy and nasal breathing is disturbed, then - until the swelling of the mucous membranes finally subsides - a short-term snoring can be observed in a child after ARVI.

Restless sleep, stuffy nose, trouble breathing during sleep, and snoring after pneumonia in a young child are quite common. [10]

Snoring after surgery

In cases of hypertrophy of the  pharyngeal (adenoid) tonsil , which interferes with nasal breathing and leads to other negative consequences, they resort to surgical intervention.

But sometimes, after a while, snoring occurs after adenotomy -  removal of adenoids in children . There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the formation of scars, which narrow the lumen of the upper respiratory tract, and, secondly, the regrowth of the tissue of the pharyngeal tonsil (in children under five years of age). [11]

According to clinical data, total thyroidectomy in 30% of patients with goiter contributes to a significant reduction in the frequency of snoring and sleep apnea. However, snoring is possible after removal of the thyroid gland, which specialists in the field of endocrine surgery try to explain either by a postoperative decrease in the patency of the upper airways, or by an increase in the folds of the mucous membrane lining them.