Snoring

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Snoring is the sound you make when your breathing is blocked while you are asleep. The sound is caused by tissues at the top of your airway that strike each other and vibrate. Snoring is common, especially among older people and people who are overweight.

When severe, snoring can cause frequent awakenings at night and daytime sleepiness. It can disrupt your bed partner's sleep. Snoring can also be a sign of a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea. You should see your health care provider if you are often tired during the day, don't feel that you sleep well, or wake up gasping.

To reduce snoring:

• Lose weight if you are overweight. It may help, but thin people can snore, too.
• Cut down or avoid alcohol and other sedatives at bedtime
• Don't sleep flat on your back

NIH: National Institute on Aging

Start Here

• Snoring (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Sleep Study (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Do Products That Claim to Stop Snoring Actually Work? (Harvard Medical School)
• Oral Appliance Therapy (American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine)
• Snoring and Snore-Reducing Devices (American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine)
• Surgical Treatment for Snoring and Sleep Apnea (Department of Veterans Affairs)
• Treatment Options for Adults with Snoring (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

Related Issues

• Snoring, Sleeping Disorders, and Sleep Apnea (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

Videos and Tutorials

• Snoring (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Snoring (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Local-anaesthesia, one-step sleep surgery.
• Article: Outcome of drug-induced sedation endoscopy in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea...
• Article: Non-Contact Screening of OSAHS Using Multi-Feature Snore Segmentation and Deep Learning.
• Snoring -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
• Find an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist) (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Sleep Center Directory (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

Patient Handouts

• Snoring -- adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish