Snoring and Breath Sounds That Sound Like Snoring

What causes the snoring sound

When you fall asleep, the muscles of the throat, tongue and soft palate relax. If the airway behind the tongue, palate or nose is narrow, air speeds up as it passes through, making the soft tissues flutter. The more the airway narrows, the louder the sound. Complete or near-complete collapse causes breathing pauses, which is obstructive sleep apnea.

Doctors often describe snoring-type sounds by where they come from:

Common causes of snoring

• Sleeping on your back: the tongue falls back.
• Alcohol and sedatives: relax throat muscles further.
• Nasal congestion: colds, allergic rhinitis, a deviated septum or nasal polyps.
• Excess weight: fat around the neck narrows the airway.
• Age: throat muscle tone decreases.
• Pregnancy: hormonal nasal congestion and weight gain.
• Large tonsils and adenoids: the most common cause in children.
• Smoking: irritates and swells the airway lining.
• Anatomy: a small jaw, long soft palate or large tongue.

Snoring vs sleep apnea

Snoring alone is called primary or simple snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is snoring plus repeated breathing pauses that lower oxygen and break up sleep. Clues to sleep apnea:

• a bed partner sees pauses, choking or gasping
• loud snoring every night
• waking unrefreshed, daytime sleepiness, poor concentration
• morning headaches and a dry mouth
• waking to urinate at night
• high blood pressure
• a neck size over 43 cm (17 inches) in men or 41 cm (16 inches) in women

The STOP-BANG questionnaire scores these features to estimate risk.

Snoring-like breath sounds while awake

A snoring or snorting sound while awake is not normal snoring. Possible causes:

• Severely blocked nose: a bad cold, polyps or a foreign object in a child's nose
• Swollen tonsils or a peritonsillar abscess: with sore throat, fever and a muffled voice
• Reduced consciousness: in someone who is very drowsy, intoxicated or unconscious, the tongue falls back and causes stertor. This needs urgent attention to the airway
• Neurological conditions that weaken throat muscles

A gurgling or bubbling sound comes from fluid or mucus. In the chest, it may mean a chest infection or fluid in the lungs. In the throat of someone very ill or near the end of life, it reflects secretions they cannot clear.

Snoring in children

About 10% of children snore regularly. Snoring 3 or more nights a week deserves a check with a pediatrician, because 1 to 5% of children have sleep apnea, usually from large tonsils and adenoids. It can cause bedwetting, poor growth, daytime behavior and attention problems. Removing the tonsils and adenoids often cures it.

How snoring is assessed

A doctor will ask about snoring frequency, pauses, daytime sleepiness, alcohol use and medicines, and examine the nose, mouth, throat, neck size and weight. If sleep apnea is possible, a sleep study is arranged, either at home or overnight in a sleep lab. An ENT specialist may look at the nose and throat with a small camera.

What helps

• Sleep on your side. A pillow behind your back, or a tennis ball sewn into a pajama back, can help.
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives within 3 to 4 hours of bed.
• Lose weight if you are overweight; even 10% can reduce snoring.
• Treat nasal congestion: saline rinses, a steroid nasal spray for allergies, or nasal strips.
• Raise the head of the bed slightly.
• Stop smoking.

For long-term snoring treatment options, including mouth devices and surgery, see snoring as a condition.

Frequently asked questions

What is a breath sound that sounds like snoring?

A snoring-like breath sound is called stertor. It is a low-pitched sound from partial blockage in the nose or throat. During sleep it is ordinary snoring. While awake, it may come from a blocked nose, swollen tonsils or reduced consciousness, and needs assessment.

Is snoring a sign of sleep apnea?

Not always. Many people snore without sleep apnea. Snoring is more likely to be sleep apnea when it is loud and nightly, and comes with pauses in breathing, choking or gasping, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches or high blood pressure. A sleep study confirms it.

Why do I snore when lying on my back?

Lying on your back lets gravity pull the tongue and soft palate toward the back of the throat, narrowing the airway. Many people snore much less on their side. Positional devices or pillows help keep you off your back.

What does gurgling breathing mean?

Gurgling usually means fluid or mucus in the throat or airways. It can occur with chest infections, fluid in the lungs from heart failure, or in very ill people who cannot clear secretions. Gurgling with breathlessness or drowsiness needs urgent medical assessment.

Should I worry if my child snores?

Occasional snoring with a cold is normal. Regular snoring 3 or more nights a week, especially with pauses, mouth breathing, restless sleep, bedwetting or daytime behavior problems, should be checked by a doctor, because it may be sleep apnea from enlarged tonsils or adenoids.