What Causes Snoring?

Snoring is common, but it isn’t always something to ignore. In some cases, persistent snoring may indicate changes in how the airway functions during sleep and can be associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). While CPAP is commonly recommended as a first-line treatment, long-term adherence can be challenging for some patients, with only around 50% of patients still using CPAP therapy after five years.

At Absolute Sleep, we provide custom mandibular advancement splints, an oral appliance that gently moves the jaw forward to help support the airway and reduce snoring. For suitable patients, long-term adherence to oral appliance therapy may exceed 80%, making it an effective alternative for those seeking snoring treatment in Perth.

What Is Snoring?

Most people don’t realise they snore until someone else points it out. It happens when airflow is partially restricted during sleep, causing the soft tissues in the airway to vibrate and produce the familiar snoring sound.

It might be something that comes and goes, like after a glass of wine or when you have a cold, or it can be something more constant that happens almost every night, affecting daily rest for both you and your partner.

Snoring is extremely common, and factors like age, weight changes, sleeping position, alcohol consumption, and natural airway anatomy can all play a role.

How Snoring Physically Occurs and What Contributes to It

During sleep, the muscles that support the tongue, soft palate, and throat naturally relax. As these tissues relax, the airway can become narrower, particularly when lying on your back. As air passes through this restricted space, it causes the surrounding soft tissues to vibrate, producing the sound we recognise as snoring.

Several factors can increase the likelihood or severity of snoring, including excess weight, nasal congestion, alcohol consumption before bed, smoking, certain medications, ageing, and the natural shape of the mouth, jaw, and airway.

While occasional snoring is common, loud or persistent snoring may indicate an underlying sleep-related breathing disorder such as obstructive sleep apnoea.

This process specifically involves the tongue and soft palate, which may drift backward and flutter against the back of the throat to create the snoring sound. Several common factors can make this more frequent or more noticeable, including:

• Excess weight: Extra tissue around the neck and throat can place pressure on the airway and increase airflow resistance during sleep.
• Ageing: As we get older, muscle tone naturally decreases, making the airway more prone to narrowing during sleep.
• Alcohol consumption: Alcohol further relaxes the muscles in the airway, which can increase the likelihood and severity of snoring.
• Sleeping position: Falling asleep on your back can allow the tongue and soft tissues to fall backward, narrowing the airway.
• Nasal congestion: Blocked nasal passages can increase breathing resistance and lead to mouth breathing, which may make snoring worse.
• Enlarged tonsils or soft tissue: Increased tissue size in the airway can reduce space for airflow and contribute to vibration.
• Jaw and airway structure: Some people naturally have a smaller airway or jaw position that makes snoring more likely.

Who Is Most Likely To Snore?

Snoring can affect anyone, but it is far more common in individuals who share specific anatomical or lifestyle traits. From the natural changes that come with age to the shape of your jaw, several key factors dictate how smoothly air moves through your throat at night. Here is who is most likely to experience frequent snoring:

• Men
• Middle-aged and older adults
• People carrying excess weight
• Individuals with a family history of snoring or sleep apnoea
• People with narrow airways or certain jaw structures

Understanding your unique risk profile changes the conversation from wondering why this is happening to actively discovering snoring solutions in Perth.

When Is Snoring More Than Just Snoring? The Link to Sleep Apnoea

Both snoring and sleep apnoea share a common cause: narrowing of the airway during sleep. In OSA, this narrowing may progress further, leading to repeated pauses in breathing where airflow stops, oxygen levels drop and the brain briefly wakes the body to resume breathing. This cycle can occur multiple times a night and disrupt normal sleep quality.

If your partner notices you stop breathing or choke during sleep, this may be a sign worth investigating. Other symptoms such as morning headaches, daytime fatigue and difficulty concentrating can also suggest disrupted sleep. In these cases, it may be helpful to complete a quick online screening to better understand potential next steps.

The Impact of Snoring

It’s easy to treat snoring as just an annoying sound, but the friction it causes doesn’t end when you wake up. Depending on its frequency and severity, it may influence several other aspects of your life, including: 

• Sleep quality: Even without full breathing pauses, repeated airway restriction can fragment sleep and prevent you from reaching deeper, more restorative stages.
• Sleep environment and relationships: Ongoing snoring can disrupt the sleep of a partner or others in the household, affecting overall rest and bedtime routines.
• Daytime performance: Poor-quality sleep can show up as fatigue, reduced concentration and lower energy throughout the day.
• Long-term health considerations: In cases where snoring is connected to OSA, untreated sleep-related breathing interruptions may contribute to cardiovascular and metabolic health concerns over time.

Can Snoring Be Treated?

The right approach to snoring treatment in Perth depends on what’s causing it. For some people, small changes to daily habits can make a noticeable difference, while others may need more targeted treatment to improve airflow during sleep.

In many cases, lifestyle adjustments such as reducing alcohol intake, improving sleep routines or weight management help reduce pressure on the airway. Changing sleep positions can also prevent the tongue and soft tissues from narrowing your airway.

For ongoing or more persistent snoring, it’s recommended that you consider a medical assessment, particularly if your symptoms suggest sleep apnoea. In suitable cases, an oral appliance for snoring may offer a non-invasive option that helps support your airway and reduce snoring by gently repositioning your jaw during sleep.

How Oral Appliance Therapy Helps Reduce Snoring

Dental snoring treatment offers a customised option, helping selected patients manage snoring linked to airway narrowing. You wear the appliance while you sleep, and it gently advances your lower jaw to help support clearer airflow through your upper airway.

This forward positioning helps you maintain more space in your airway and reduces the backward movement of your tongue and soft tissues that can contribute to snoring. In simple terms, it helps you keep your breathing pathway more open and stable while you sleep and offers the benefits such as:

• Improved airway stability during sleep
• Reduced tongue and soft tissue collapse
• Better airflow and reduced snoring intensity
• A comfortable, non-invasive treatment option for suitable patients

You can complete a quick screening to help understand whether this approach may be suitable for you and what your next steps could look like.

Snoring FAQs

To help you better understand the differences between a simple night’s snore and a more serious breathing concern, we’ve rounded up some of the most common questions we hear.

Take the First Step Towards Better Sleep

If snoring is affecting your sleep, your partner’s sleep or raising concerns about breathing overnight, understanding the cause is the first step. Absolute Sleep provides assessment pathways and custom oral appliance treatment options for suitable patients seeking a practical alternative to CPAP.