Unhealthy snoring sounds loud, erratic, and harsh, often in a pattern of loud snoring followed by silence (when breathing stops), then a sudden, startling snort or gasp as breathing restarts, unlike steady, rhythmic, normal snoring, and is a key sign of sleep apnea.
Snoring is a common condition and it's usually harmless. But if you have loud, chronic snoring that interferes with sleep, it could indicate a more serious issue. Additional symptoms like daytime fatigue, irritability, headaches or gasping for air in your sleep might point to sleep apnea.
If your child snores once in a while, you can help them get some relief with these home remedies:
Yes, snoring is very common in pregnancy, affecting up to half of expectant mothers, especially in the second and third trimesters, due to hormonal changes, increased blood flow causing nasal swelling, fluid retention, and weight gain, all of which narrow the airway, making it more likely for noise to occur. While often temporary and manageable, severe snoring can signal sleep apnea, which should be discussed with a doctor as it can impact oxygen supply to the baby.
In the largest prospective study to date, we have recently shown that snoring, specifically new-onset snoring during pregnancy, is independently associated with gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia even after accounting for other contributing factors.
Loud, disruptive snoring, especially when accompanied by gasping, choking, pauses in breathing, or extreme daytime tiredness, is a major red flag for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a serious condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, significantly increasing risks for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cognitive/mood issues. It signals the need for evaluation by a sleep specialist to prevent severe health complications from poor sleep quality and oxygen deprivation.
The "3 rule" for sleep apnea refers to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) recommended way to score hypopneas (partial breathing pauses) in a sleep study, defining them as a ≥30% airflow reduction lasting 10+ seconds, coupled with either a ≥3% drop in blood oxygen saturation (desaturation) or an arousal from sleep, capturing more clinically significant events than the older 4% rule. This updated guideline helps diagnose more patients, especially women and those with milder cases, who experience subtle but impactful breathing disruptions that the stricter 4% rule might miss, improving identification of those who benefit from treatment.
With SleepWatch Snore Tracking, all SleepWatch users are able to record, listen to, and track their snoring from their Apple Watch or iPhone.
Catathrenia and snoring are both noises you can make during sleep. Snoring happens as you inhale. Catathrenia happens as you exhale. Groaning with catathrenia comes from your larynx (voice box), while the snoring sound comes from your pharynx (throat).
When we breathe, we push air out of our nose, mouth, and throat. If any of those airways become blocked — due to some of the conditions we list below — the airway's tissues may vibrate against each other resulting in the rumbling, snorting, or chainsaw-esque sounds that are produced when a person snores.
Snoring is often associated with a sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Not all snorers have OSA, but if snoring is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, it may be an indication to see a doctor for further evaluation for OSA: Witnessed breathing pauses during sleep. Excessive daytime sleepiness.
Sleep apnea symptoms like daytime fatigue, poor concentration, and irritability are often mistaken for conditions such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, hypothyroidism, GERD, or COPD, while its nighttime breathing pauses can mimic other sleep disturbances like narcolepsy, UARS (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome), or restless legs syndrome, leading to misdiagnosis because the underlying sleep fragmentation is overlooked.
See a GP if:
your snoring is having a big impact on your or your partner's life. you feel sleepy during the day, your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, or you make gasping or choking noises while you sleep – you may have sleep apnoea, which can be serious if not treated.
To stop snoring naturally, try changing to a side sleeping position, elevating your head, losing weight, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, as these lifestyle changes clear airways and reduce tissue relaxation that causes vibrations. You can also use nasal strips to improve airflow, try nasal rinses, or do throat exercises to strengthen muscles, but see a doctor if snoring persists to rule out sleep apnea.
Half of adults occasionally snore and it turns out, fit and healthy folks are not immune. A quick physiology primer: When you fall asleep, the muscles in your neck and throat relax and tissue falls back, closing down on your airway.
A sleep apnea self-test isn't an over-the-counter tool for diagnosis, but rather a doctor-prescribed Home Sleep Apnea Test (HST), which involves wearing sensors at home overnight to monitor breathing, airflow, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels (SpO2) using devices like nasal cannulas, chest/abdomen belts, and finger probes, providing data for your doctor to diagnose sleep apnea. While convenient and less costly than in-lab studies, these tests are for typical cases, not complex conditions like central sleep apnea or severe heart/lung issues, and require physician oversight for proper interpretation and treatment.
Poor sleep hygiene could be contributing to excessive snoring and poor airflow during sleep. Irregular sleep schedules, excessive screen time before bed, and consuming alcohol or heavy meals late at night can all negatively affect the quality of rest and relaxation in the throat muscles.
But for some women, there could be a silent health problem that's deadly serious: postpartum preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia happens when a woman's blood pressure goes above 140/90 after childbirth. It can happen within the first few days or up to six weeks following delivery after giving birth.
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Snoring may also be an indication of high blood pressure and lead to poor sleep quality, thus increasing the risk of hypertension. Researchers have raised concerns about using self-reported data or short-term observations to assess health risks associated with snoring.