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Is it normal to snore this much?
Your partner nudges you awake. Again. They tell you the snoring is getting louder, that it wakes them up, that it sounds like you are struggling to breathe. Or maybe you live alone and have no idea how loudly you snore, but you wake up exhausted every morning with a dry mouth and a scratchy throat.
Snoring is incredibly common. An estimated 37 million Americans snore regularly, with prevalence around 42% in men and 31% in women. Many people dismiss it as a harmless nuisance. But when snoring is loud, frequent, and accompanied by other symptoms, it can be a sign of a serious condition that deserves medical attention.
This article helps you understand why you snore, when snoring crosses the line from annoying to concerning, and what treatment options exist to help you (and your partner) sleep better.
Why Do People Snore?
Snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat, causing those tissues to vibrate as you breathe. The narrower your airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes, and the louder the snoring. Several factors can contribute to airway narrowing during sleep.
Anatomical Factors
The structure of your mouth, throat, and nasal passages plays a significant role. A thick, low soft palate, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a long uvula, a deviated septum, or a naturally narrow airway can all increase the likelihood of snoring. As people age, the muscles in the throat naturally lose tone, making the tissues more prone to vibration.
Weight and Neck Circumference
Excess weight, particularly around the neck and throat, adds pressure to the airway during sleep. A neck circumference greater than 17 inches in men or 16 inches in women is considered a risk factor for both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep Position
Sleeping on your back allows gravity to pull the tongue and soft tissues backward, narrowing the airway. This is why many people snore more (or only) when sleeping on their backs.
Alcohol, Sedatives, and Muscle Relaxants
These substances relax the muscles in the throat more than normal sleep would, increasing the likelihood and volume of snoring. Even moderate alcohol consumption in the evening can significantly worsen snoring.
Nasal Congestion
Chronic nasal congestion from allergies, sinus infections, or structural issues forces you to breathe through your mouth during sleep, which increases snoring.
Primary Snoring vs. Sleep Apnea: How to Tell the Difference
This is the critical question. Primary snoring (also called simple or benign snoring) produces noise but does not cause significant breathing disruptions or health consequences. Obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, involves repeated episodes where the airway completely or partially collapses, reducing or stopping airflow.
Research suggests that approximately half of people who snore loudly have obstructive sleep apnea. The distinction matters because OSA carries significant health risks if left untreated, while primary snoring is mainly a quality-of-life and relationship issue.
Warning Signs: Snoring that is accompanied by witnessed breathing pauses, gasping or choking sounds, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, or difficulty concentrating likely indicates obstructive sleep apnea rather than simple snoring. A sleep study is the only way to confirm the diagnosis.
Health Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea
When snoring is caused by sleep apnea, the health implications extend far beyond noisy nights. Untreated OSA is associated with high blood pressure (the repeated oxygen drops cause blood vessels to constrict), cardiovascular disease and increased heart attack risk, stroke (the risk is elevated 2 to 3 times), type 2 diabetes (sleep disruption impairs insulin sensitivity), cognitive decline and memory problems, mood disorders including depression and irritability, and increased accident risk from daytime drowsiness. One large community-based study found that untreated severe sleep apnea is associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Self-Assessment: When Should You See a Doctor About Snoring?
Consider seeking evaluation if:
- Your snoring is loud enough to disturb your partner’s sleep
- You have been told you stop breathing, gasp, or choke during sleep
- You wake up with a dry mouth, sore throat, or morning headache
- You feel tired during the day despite spending adequate time in bed
- You have difficulty concentrating, experience brain fog, or feel irritable
- You have high blood pressure or a family history of sleep apnea
How Is Problematic Snoring Diagnosed?
A sleep medicine specialist can evaluate your snoring through a comprehensive assessment that includes your medical history, symptoms, physical examination, and a sleep study. A home sleep apnea test is a convenient option that monitors your breathing, oxygen levels, and heart rate while you sleep in your own bed. Telemedicine services like SLIIIP make it possible to consult with a board-certified sleep specialist, receive a home test, and review results without in-person office visits.
Treatment Options for Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Lifestyle Modifications
For mild snoring, positional therapy (sleeping on your side), weight loss, reducing alcohol intake, and treating nasal congestion can make a meaningful difference.
CPAP Therapy
For moderate to severe sleep apnea, CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is the gold standard treatment. It delivers constant air pressure through a mask to keep the airway open.
Oral Appliance Therapy
For patients with mild to moderate OSA, or for those who cannot tolerate CPAP, oral appliance therapy provides an effective, comfortable alternative. These custom-fitted devices are worn during sleep and work by advancing the lower jaw forward, which opens the airway and reduces or eliminates both snoring and apnea events.
Oral Appliance Therapy: What Patients Want to Know
Oral appliances have become increasingly popular as an alternative to CPAP for snoring and sleep apnea treatment. Below, dentists answer the most common questions patients ask:
Q: My partner says my snoring is getting worse every year. At what point should I get a dental sleep appliance?
Dental sleep appliances are an important way to treat sleep breathing problems such as snoring. If snoring is getting worse, what’s most important is to find out why and address that. Since snoring is linked to damage to the carotid arteries, which feed blood to the brain, I guess the answer has to be: ‘as soon as possible, but get diagnosed first.’ Ask your primary care doctor for a referral to a sleep test and a trained dentist in your community.
Q: How effective are oral appliances at reducing snoring compared to CPAP?
Snoring happens when air is pushed or pulled through narrow, flexible parts of the airway. Oral appliances widen and stiffen the airway, but results vary widely between people. Most users of oral appliances find their snoring reduced enough to please their bed partner. CPAP can eliminate snoring completely, but sometimes the complications that come with CPAP use become problems themselves.
Q: Can I buy an oral appliance online, or does it need to be custom-made by a dentist?
You can buy one online, but it won’t be made for you, so it probably won’t fit very well. If your snoring is improved, you’ve proven that investing in a custom device made by a trained dentist will be successful. If your snoring isn’t helped much because you can’t keep the generic device in place, or it doesn’t hold your jaw in the right place, you won’t really learn much. A custom device may be very helpful, so don’t write off that plan just because a cheaper online device ‘didn’t work.’ Ask a trained dentist.
Steve Carstensen DDS
Frequently Asked Questions
Is snoring always a sign of sleep apnea?
No. Many people snore without having sleep apnea (primary or simple snoring). However, loud, chronic snoring is a significant risk factor for OSA, and approximately half of habitual loud snorers do have some degree of sleep apnea. A sleep study is the only reliable way to distinguish between the two.
Can snoring be cured permanently?
It depends on the cause. Snoring related to weight, alcohol use, or sleep position can often be resolved with lifestyle changes. Snoring caused by anatomical factors may require ongoing management with an oral appliance or, in some cases, surgical intervention. The key is identifying and addressing the underlying cause.
Does snoring get worse with age?
Yes, for most people. As you age, the muscles in your throat and tongue lose tone, making the tissues more likely to collapse and vibrate during sleep. Weight gain that commonly occurs with aging further contributes to worsening snoring.
