What causes snoring in females?
What Causes Snoring in Females? Do you or someone you know to snore in the presence of females? If so, you may be curious to know what causes snoring in females and how this prevents it from happening. After all, we’re often taught that boys snore more than girls, but is that true? Or does something else cause snoring in females? Why does it seem to happen so much more in women than men? In this article, we’ll look at what causes snoring in females.
What is snoring?
Snoring is the sound that comes from your throat and mouth when you breathe, also known as a nasal passage obstruction. The muscle at the back of your throat relaxes to allow breathing, and vibrations create by air passing through your mouth or nose. Snoring is usually attributed to being overweight or alcohol consumption. Still, there are many other potential reasons, including having an enlarged adenoid gland, sleep apnea, reflux disease, and a deviated septum. It can also be hereditary! Make sure to consult with a doctor if you think you might have any obstructions that could be contributing to this condition.
Do men snore more than women?
Snoring does not discriminate against genders, but there are biological and social reasons men are more likely to experience it. Men and women alike can suffer from sleep apnea, characterized by the obstruction of airflow. People with obstructive sleep apnea have a harder time staying asleep, and the more oxygen their body does not receive, the more likely they are to start snoring loudly. Some researchers say that for every 30 minutes of sleep a person misses due to obstructive sleep apnea, they will also miss an average of two hours of restorative REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
Reasons for snoring in females
Several factors can cause snoring in women. These include:
1. Weight gain
Some of the possible reasons why a female may experience issues with breathing include weight gain. Weight gain can have several physical effects on your body and lead to mental health problems like anxiety or depression. Women are especially susceptible to weight gain due to hormonal changes during and after pregnancy that suppresses appetite and can change metabolism permanently. Sleep apnea affects at least one out of every 20 people, most overweight people who stop breathing for short periods during sleep.
2. Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a well-known cause of snoring because of the drastic weight changes in your body. The weight gain around your abdomen can lead to a hiatal hernia and reduced lung capacity, which leads to you fighting for air all night. Mucus also builds up during pregnancy, which may create additional congestion that causes you to breathe heavier, potentially with less oxygen getting into your lungs. This problem will most likely stop after pregnancy since no excess fluid is present in the stomach to aggravate breathing issues and even out the hormonal levels throughout the body. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that 80% of pregnant women experience sleep apnea symptoms during their pregnancies which tend to improve once they give birth.
3. Exhaustion
Snoring can be a result of fatigue. When the body is exhausted, people often sleep at an incline, and less air than normal gets through the throat. Snorers are more likely to sleep on their backs, reducing how much oxygen reaches the nose. Certain medical conditions such as COPD, sleep apnea, and obesity also increase one’s risk for snoring because they disrupt breathing during sleep and enlarge the tonsils and adenoids in your throat, which block airflow.
4. Menopause
The most common cause of snoring for women is during menopause. The symptoms and underlying causes for menopause-induced snoring vary, but most often, it can cause by a dry mouth. A dry mouth is not just the result of dental problems like not getting enough water or a side effect of some medications. Women can go through menopause and still risk getting a dry mouth from smoking cigarettes or drinking too much alcohol regularly. This constant state of dehydration contributes to the weakening of throat muscles, which leads to the complete collapse of these muscles while sleeping, resulting in more vibrations from heavy breathing and snoring.
5. Sleep Apnea
Snoring occurs when the muscles at your throat relax and allow a person’s airway to narrow or completely close. The sound of this is blocked by the tongue and soft palate, which vibrates against each other during inhalation. The most common cause of snoring is sleep apnea, which can cause by physical factors like being overweight, having a small jaw, or loose or floppy muscles in the mouth and throat. Momentarily people who experience sleep apnea stop breathing while they’re asleep, usually many times an hour. There may also be periods where a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more. Sleep apnea often goes unnoticed because pauses in breathing happen quietly, and people with it might not realize they’ve stopped breathing.
Five ways to prevent snoring
1. Control your weight
Weight-loss programs might be the best way to fix the issue. If you want a healthy, gradual weight loss, then it is recommended that you try either juicing or an eating plan like DASH or the Mediterranean diet. It will not only help you stop snoring, but it will make sure your body has the proper nutrients for a healthy metabolism.
2. Choose the right pillows
Luckily, there are a variety of pillows that may help with the symptoms of snoring. Note that any pillow you choose should be comfortable and help keep your neck aligned, so your airway stays open.
3. Stay hydrated
The first and most important tip is to drink plenty of water before bed. The body needs more fluids to generate saliva and mucus that moisten the throat to prevent snoring. Also, it’s crucial not to drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages before bed because they are stimulants that will have the opposite effect on you by drying out your respiratory tract.
4. Check your nasal passages
Nasal passage obstruction is the most common cause of chronic snoring, affecting about 90% of people who snore. Airflow through the nose and mouth must be unimpeded for normal breathing and restful sleep. Blockages or constrictions in the nasal passages are the roots of the problem.
5. Maintain sleep hygiene
- Get your partner, roommates, or family members to help by:
-reducing or eliminating all alcohol and smoking;
-eliminating sleeping pills and sedatives;
-eliminating sleeping on the back (as this puts additional pressure on the airway)
- Maintain a healthy weight with adequate caloric intake and regular physical activity. Consult with your physician to ensure there are no underlying medical conditions contributing to sleep apnea or other breathing disturbances.
