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.
Examples
- A person sleeps on their back and snores loudly because their tongue falls into their throat.
- A child with a stuffy nose snores because it’s harder for them to breathe through their nose at night.
- An adult who drinks alcohol before bed snores more than usual because the alcohol relaxes the muscles in their throat.
See also
- Why Do People Talk in Their Sleep?
- What Makes Some Foods Go Bad Faster Than Others?
- Why Do We Need Sleep?
- How Does the Human Body Heal Wounds?
- Why Do We Have Headaches?