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I'm a 26-year-old male who is 6 foot 3 and around 19 stone and I have a snoring problem.

I don't do much exercise other than about a kilometer per day plus whatever I do on the stairs at work. Which sometimes can be quite a lot.

Up until a year ago I was a smoker and stopping made it much more quiet.

I snore very loudly, louder than I thought was possible. Even after quitting smoking it is not good.

My question is what causes such a loud snore, and what I could do to either quieten the noise or stop altogether?

Edit: my other half also mentioned that sometimes I fall silent for short amounts of time like I'm holding my breath.

Edit 2: I know how loud I snore as a friend once recorded me from outside the door to prove he wasn't exaggerating when he stayed at mine.

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"Snoring occurs during sleep when soft tissue in the upper airway vibrates as you breathe." (1) Typically, this will happen because the passage way for air narrows and the air rubs against the tissue in passing, similar to what happens to your lips when you blow a raspberry.

It's actually common in men, but can also occur frequently in women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause. Obesity, age, nasal obstruction, sickness, alcohol, smoking, and even position possibly increase the risk of snoring, and may also contribute to the intensity of your snores.

One of the most important risk factors is obesity, and in particular having a lot of fatty tissue around the neck.

The Sleep Foundation (2) notes: That the normal aging process leads to "the relaxation of the throat muscles, thus resulting in snoring."

Your personal anatomical shape could play a part too. Enlarged tonsils, nasal polyps, or deviated nasal septum could narrow the throat during sleep and also lead to snoring.

Inflammation of the throat, due to a disease or otherwise, would also cause the throat to narrow, and may cause snoring.

Sleep position, such as sleeping on your back, may lead to snoring in some people. Alcohol is a potent muscle relaxant and its ingestion in the evening will cause snoring.

Muscle relaxants taken in the evening may lead to or worsen snoring in some individuals.

Possibly any one of these or a combination of them may be contributing to the intensity of your snores, or it could be something else too, but these tend to be the most common causes of snores.

  1. http://www.aadsm.org/snoring.aspx

  2. https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/other-sleep-disorders/snoring

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  • Please add proper sources to your quotes and claims. And please quote your copied sentences.
    – kenorb
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 16:24
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    @kenorb Thanks for pointing out the confusion. I didn't cite my quote, which was a little unclear. I think that if someone read carefully though, they would see that the first half of my answer quotes/paraphrases the first link and same for the second half with my second source. I've added a little clarity though, in case people do get confused.
    – Dave Liu
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 20:29
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Snoring is a common condition that can affect anyone. There are many factors, such as the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses, alcohol consumption, allergies, a cold, and your weight, can lead to snoring. Try these natural solutions and lifestyle changes, which may help you stop snoring- Change Your Sleep Position, Lose Weight, Limit alcohol consumption, Use anti-snoring sprays.

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