Snoring - extremely common and can affect any person.
Overweight people and men have the most frequent snoring difficulties.
As people get older, this problem tends to get worse.
Doing it from time to time is something that does not need to be taken too seriously.
More than anything else, it is a problem for the person sleeping next to the snorer.
However, people who snore habitually are not only causing the people next to them to lose sleep, they are disrupting their own sleep patterns.
As time goes by, this can have many negative consequences on the snorer's overall health.
In some cases, it can be the first indicator that a person is slowly developing obstructive sleep apnea, a much more serious condition.
It may surprise many people to know that there is research which indicates roughly 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women are snorers.
What is the cause of snoring? When there is a physical obstruction that blocks air from flowing through the nose and mouth, this problem will occur.
There are several things that can result in the obstruction of air flow:

• Long uvula and/or soft palate: These have the ability to narrow the opening between the throat and the nose.
  When there are vibrations in these structures that causes them to bump into each other, an obstruction in the airway occurs.
  
• Bulky throat tissue: This is a problem frequently seen in people who are overweight.
  It is also an issue for children with large adenoids and tonsils.
  
• Bad muscle tone in the tongue and throat: If the muscles in the tongue and throat become overly relaxed, they can possibly collapse.
  This will cause them to obstruct the airway.
  This is commonly seen when people use sleeping pills, consume alcohol or enter a deep sleep.
  These muscles become more relaxed as a person ages.
  
• Nasal airways becoming obstructed: There are certain people who only have difficulties when they are suffering from a sinus infection or common allergies.
  Nasal polyps or a deviated septum are also common causes of nasal airway obstructions.
  

What is sleep apnea? This is a serious sleep disorder that happens when there is an interruption in the breathing of a person while they are sleeping.
People who suffer from sleep apnea and remain untreated will continually stop breathing while they are sleeping.
In some cases, this can happen literally hundreds of times in a single night.
The result of this could be that the brain and the rest of the person's body will not receive as much oxygen as it needs in order to function efficiently.
Let's take a look at the two different types of sleep apnea:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea - This is the most common form of sleep apnea.
   It occurs when the airway becomes blocked.
   This usually happens when there is a collapse in the soft tissue located in the rear section of the throat while a person is sleeping.
    
2. Central sleep apnea - There is no blockage of the airway.
   However, the brain does not send a signal telling the muscles to breathe.
   This is caused by the respiratory control center in the brain becoming unstable.
    

There are many ways to prevent or help snoring including mouth devices, breathing aparatus, comfort pillows, or even ear plugs.
  There are also things such as nasal drops or spray to help with opening the airway passages.
  The point is, snoring can be the sign of, or even lead to, major health problems and there are solutions and preventatives to help with them.
  Don't let snoring control your life and your sleep.