Among women, those in their 50s and those with higher BMI (body mass index) are most likely to document habitual snoring, researchers document in the journal Chest.

Middle-aged, heavy women may be more likely to snore — or at least, to admit it.

The researchers — who work at Sweden’s Uppsala University — studied snoring because habitual snoring is a major symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In people with OSA, breathing stops momentarily during sleep.

The finding comes from a study of about 6,800 women living in Uppsala, Sweden. The women, who were at least 20 years old, took surveys about snoring, age, weight, height, waist and neck circumference, smoking, hormonal status, and alcohol use.

Snoring Study
Malin Svensson, MD, and colleagues mailed surveys to over 10,000 women. Each woman also got a tape measure to measure their neck and waist.

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is potentially life-threatening and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. However, snoring is usually not a serious problem.

Less than 3% of women in their 20s reported habitual snoring. Women age 60 and older were less likely to document habitual snoring than women in their 50s, the study shows.

The surveys, which included 109 questions, showed that 8% of the women reported being habitual snorers. That percentage peaked at 14% among women in their 50s.

“The prevalence of self-reported habitual snoring was strongly dependent on age and BMI,” Svensson’s team writes.

The researchers also calculated the women’s BMI, based on self-reported height and weight. They found that women with high BMI were more likely to document being habitual snorers.

Alcohol, Inactivity
Experts already know that drinking alcohol and being fat can boost snoring risk. Svensson’s study adds more detail to those factors in women.

For instance, very lean women (BMI less than 20) were more likely to document being habitual snorers if they were dependent on alcohol. Two questions on the survey gauged alcohol dependence.

Overweight women (BMI of at least 30) were more likely to document habitual snoring if they also reported getting small physical activity in their leisure time. The influence of alcohol dependence faded as women’s BMI rose, the study shows.

Few women in the study had low BMIs, so the researchers suggest using caution in interpreting those findings.

Fib Factor
Some of the women may not have known — or admitted — that they were habitual snorers. The researchers didn’t check the women’s self-reported snoring habits.

 a third of the women said they didn’t share their bedroom. No one may have told them that they snored. But those women’s self-reported habitual snoring and BMI were similar to other women in the study who did have shared bedrooms, the researchers write.

There are some things that people can do to reduce or stop snoring. The first thing they require to know is what causes snoring in the first place. When a person lies on their back plus their tongue or some of the soft tissue falls to the back of the throat, it can cause a partial obstruction. Then these tissues rub together when they breathe. This is what makes the snoring sound that they are all familiar with. So the first rule of thumb would be do not sleep lying flat of your back. Try sleeping on a higher pillow or elevating the head a bit to see if that helps. You can also elevate the head of your bed three inches. The American Academy of Otolaryngology recommends doing this to help reduce or eliminate snoring.

How to stop snoring
Snoring can affect as many as 50% of the population at one times or another. The American Academy of Otolaryngology has reported that 25% of all people tend to snore on a regular basis. They also state that the statistics show that snoring tends to affect more men than women plus that snoring becomes worse as people start to get older. This sounds like something that is minor but it can be a major issue for somebody who is trying to sleep in the same room with a person who snores.

Sleeping on a person’s side can help to alleviate snoring as well. It is hard to know when somebody will roll over in their sleep however. It is recommended to try going to sleep on your side holding on to a pillow to keep yourself in that position. Sewing a tennis ball on the back of your pajama top will help you keep from turning over on your back as well. In addition, avoid drinking alcohol or taking sedatives before going to bed. These things can make snoring much worse.

Other things that people can do to help relieve snoring are to get rid of nasal congestion. Changing bedding frequently in the bedroom to remove potential allergens or things that can cause respiratory congestion is recommended. To improve breathing at night, use a humidifier or steam vaporizer with a few drops of eucalyptus, peppermint, or menthol essential oils in them when you sleep. This will help to keep the breathing passages open plus help stop the tendency to snore.

Losing weight can help people to stop snoring as well. The Academy found that all chubby people had issues with breathing when they went to sleep. They also found that snoring was a major issue with people who were chubby. Due to this they recommend that to help stop snoring that people lose 10% of their bodyweight. They also recommend regular exercise.

This is the premise behind the nasal strips that they see in the pharmacies for snoring. These work the same way. The nasal strips are another alternative for helping to relieve snoring. Many people have had nice luck with the nasal strips. You can also use tape plus tape your nasal passages open in the same manner.

If none of these remedies helps then it is time to receive a professional opinion on your snoring issues. There are medical professionals that can give you a thorough evaluation plus provide you with treatment for your snoring that can give you plus the person who is trying to live with your snoring some much needed peace!
Avoid eating giant meals right before you go to bed. This can push on the diaphragm plus make it much harder to breathe when somebody lies down on the bed. It is also recommended to cut down on the dairy products that a person eats if they have respiratory problems. Dairy products can cause increased mucous production in the respiratory tract. It is best to try to stop smoking as well. Smoking irritates the breathing passages plus can make snoring worse.

Snoring is not an illness, but it is a symptom. as a cough can be a symptom of pneumonia, snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by snoring, labored breathing & repetitive obstructed pauses or gasps in a person�s breathing during sleep. The obstructed pauses result from complete obstruction or blockage of the airway & may be associated with decreases in oxygen levels. Typically, the obstruction is terminated by an arousal�that is, the snorer briefly wakes up–leading to fragmented, less restful sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea can cause excessive daytime sleepiness, decreased attention & poor concentration, & decreased energy levels. The consequences of these behavioral problems can be severe & include motor vehicle accidents if a sufferer becomes inattentive or falls asleep while driving. Obstructive sleep apnea is also causally related to vascular complications such as hypertension. Snoring without evidence of obstructive sleep apnea may be an independent risk factor for hypertension & the daytime behavioral problems mentioned above, but how snoring alone causes problems remains unknown.

Snoring is the sound produced by vibrating structures of the upper airway, typically during inhalation. Any membranous part of the airway lacking cartilaginous support, including the tongue, soft palate, uvula, tonsillar pillars & pharyngeal walls, can vibrate. When you sleep, muscle tone throughout your body decreases, or becomes hypotonic. This relaxation of the upper airway muscles during sleep may decrease the size of the airway space & cause airflow limitation & turbulence. It is the combination of turbulent airflow through the hypotonic airway structures that results in the harsh vibratory noise known as snoring.

Snoring remedies run the gamut from simple, noninvasive devices that open the nasal passages to more invasive surgical procedures. An external nasal dilator, the Breathe RightR brand nasal strip, enhances nasal breathing by attaching to the outside of the nose like a bandage, & gently lifting & opening the nasal passages. A common observation suggests that snoring improves if the person sleeps on his side or in a semi-upright position than on his back. To encourage this position, plenty of snorers have tried solutions ranging from sewing a tennis ball to the back of pajamas to propping up on wedge-shaped pillows. Other noninvasive ways to reduce snoring include losing weight, avoiding alcohol & sedatives, & managing any allergic symptoms. Smoking may lead to airway inflammation & swelling that can further narrow the upper airway, thus smoking cessation may improve snoring. Oral appliances & nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) devices are mechanical apparatuses that act to prevent the tongue & soft palate from collapsing back into the upper airway. Finally, surgery–previously performed with a scalpel & now with a laser–removes a quantity of the vibratory tissues from the back of the airway. Success rates for this procedure are reported to range from 50 percent to 100 percent, although it is described as painful.

The reported prevalence of snoring varies, & depends on the population studied & the wording of the questionnaire. Data from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study found that 44 percent of all men surveyed & 28 percent of all women surveyed were habitual snorers. Overall, 4 percent of these men & 2 percent of these women had snoring that was associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Furthermore, the prevalence of snoring & obstructive sleep apnea seems to increase with age, after 65 years of age. Additional risk factors associated with the development of snoring include weight gain, alcohol consumption, allergies, nasal obstruction, use of muscle relaxants or sedatives, & smoking.

In summary, snoring causes more lost sleep & irritability than most people realize. As novelist Anthony Burgess observed, “Laugh & the world laughs with you; snore & you sleep alone.”
Snoring also occurs in children. Researchers have found that 20 percent of normal children snore occasionally & 7 percent to 10 percent of children snore every night. In plenty of cases, children who snore are perfectly healthy, but about 1 percent of children who snore have obstructive sleep apnea. Children with sleep apnea may snore at night & exhibit decreased attention during the day. There is also concern that children with sleep apnea have symptoms similar to those children diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder. In children, the most common cause of sleep apnea is enlarged tonsils & adenoids, & treatment consists of surgical removal of the tonsils & adenoids.