Why Do We Snore?

Snoring happens when the air can’t flow smoothly through our nose or mouth during sleep. Imagine sleeping with a pillow over your face, it’s harder to breathe, and you might make some funny noises. In snoring, the soft parts of your throat relax too much, like a sleepy cat flopping around, blocking the path of the air and making that loud sound.

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Examples

  1. A person sleeps on their back and snores loudly because their tongue falls into their throat.
  2. A child with a stuffy nose snores because it’s harder for them to breathe through their nose at night.
  3. An adult who drinks alcohol before bed snores more than usual because the alcohol relaxes the muscles in their throat.

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