Snoring – is it just a lot of hot air?

People are tempted to have a chuckle when it comes to snoring. It’s been used as a comedic device in cartoons, nursery rhymes and sitcoms for years, but if you’re losing sleep because of your partner’s snoring, it’s not so funny.

The 'snoring spectrum'

Snoring is the sound made when the muscles of your mouth and throat relax during sleep, and restrict your airway. It may be a sign of a condition called ‘sleep disordered breathing’ and it can reduce the quality of your sleep.

Approximately 50% of adults snore on occasion, and around 25% are habitual snorers, with more men affected and the severity worsening with age.¹ There is a scale of magnitude where simple snoring is at one end of the spectrum and sleep apnea is at the other.

Why should I seek help for snoring?

You may think snoring is too trivial an issue to ask for help with, but snoring may affect the quality of your sleep and consequently how you feel each day. It’s also a red flag for sleep apnea.²