Why does a person snore when intoxicated? Ensuring an elevated position of the head. The airways are significantly narrowed

Almost every person has at least once in his life heard his roommate, relative, or overnight guest snoring. And this is not surprising, according to statistics, 30% of the entire world population suffers from snoring.

Approximately 60% of US residents snore in their sleep, and in our country - every fifth Russian. But why does a person snore, and is it dangerous for his health? How to deal with this feature? Many questions arise.

What is snoring and how does it occur?

Let's consider the mechanism of the occurrence of loud, intrusive sounds that a person makes during sleep. When we go to bed, we don't stop breathing. The air passes through the nasal passages, then through the pharynx, after which it enters the trachea or bronchi.

Snoring sounds appear in the throat. In order for a person’s pharynx and larynx to function normally and maintain respiratory function, the muscles, soft palate and its uvula must work in a coordinated manner. If a malfunction occurs, the person makes snoring sounds. This often occurs due to narrowing of the upper airways or decreased tone of the pharyngeal muscles.

When a person snores, the walls of the breathing tube collapse and become partially obstructed. Vibration of the soft tissues of the pharynx and soft palate occurs. Simply put, the airways narrow and soft fabrics, which are present in the pharynx, beat against each other under the stream of inhaled and exhaled air.

Causes of snoring in men and women

We have analyzed the mechanism of snoring. But what factors cause these changes in the body? Let's look at the main reasons why a person may snore.

Narrowing of the airways

Snoring is often caused by narrowing of the airways. These changes occur due to a number of diseases or birth defects, but sometimes bad habits can also be the cause:

trauma to the nose, which resulted in a deviated nasal septum;
the appearance of polyps. This benign formations, which appear inside the nasal passages;
swelling of the nasal mucosa as a consequence of rhinitis, ARVI and other diseases. Sometimes swelling of the mucous membrane occurs due to the fact that a person inhales smoke from cigarettes, which is why smokers snore quite often;
swelling of the oropharynx caused by tonsillitis or tonsillitis;

inflammation of the adenoids. Most often, babies snore because of this;
overweight. If a person has grade 2 or 3 obesity, the lumen of the breathing tube decreases;
congenital narrow breathing tube or deviated nasal septum. It happens that a person is born with narrow nasal passages, a deviated septum inside the nose, or he has an inappropriate length of the uvula.
malocclusion, the lower jaw is smaller than the upper and seems to be pressed into the neck.

Decreased muscle tone of the pharynx

When a person goes to bed, his muscle tone decreases. However, these changes are minor, so their presence alone cannot cause snoring. Snoring sounds are caused by additional factors which cause excessive relaxation of the pharyngeal muscles.

These include:

sleeping pills (a person took medications that have a sleeping pill or sedative effect before going to bed);
fatigue. Both physical and psycho-emotional stress can cause snoring;
alcohol. Most often from this addiction Men suffer, but sometimes women also drink before bed. Alcohol relaxes all muscle groups, including the respiratory tract;
endocrine diseases. If a person suffers from hypothyroidism, that is, he does not produce enough hormones thyroid gland, happens general decline muscle tone of the body.

Hormonal changes in women: pregnancy and menopause

All of the above reasons occur in both men and women. At the same time, the fair half of humanity has another reason that can cause snoring - hormonal changes.

Thus, during pregnancy, women often begin to make characteristic sounds during sleep. Even more often, women who are over 50 suffer from snoring, since at this time they enter menopause.

Is snoring dangerous to your health?

The fact that a snoring person interferes with the sleep of those who are in the same room with him is no secret. And for the sake of the peace of mind of your loved ones, you should get rid of it, but this is not the main reason for which you need to be treated.

Stopping breathing (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome)

Often snoring is the only sign of this dangerous disease as obstructive syndrome sleep apnea. Its other signs: a headache, a person gets tired, his attention decreases, problems begin in intimate life, - are not as noticeable as intrusive “night” sounds that prevent others from sleeping.

When the disease develops in a person, a short-term cessation of breathing occurs during sleep, due to which the level of oxygen in the blood sharply decreases, which means that all organs and tissues of the body begin to suffer from hypoxia - lack of oxygen.

If this light form illness, then there are few such stops (from 2 to 3). In severe cases, there are up to 500 pauses in breathing during sleep - this means that a person holds his breath for 4 hours a night.

All this affects your well-being. A person cannot get enough sleep, wakes up in the morning exhausted and tired, then all day long he complains of fatigue, drowsiness, and headaches. It is difficult for him to concentrate, he begins to forget everything. If the disease is diagnosed in a man, it often affects potency.

It is very important to identify the development of apnea in time and begin treatment, otherwise the patient increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension, arrhythmia may develop, and sometimes the disease causes a stroke or heart attack. Even death in a dream is not excluded.

Normal snoring

Snoring is not always a sign of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. At the same time, the reasons that cause simple snoring and the development of this dangerous disease are similar.

In a patient who snores without stopping breathing, the walls of the respiratory tract do not block the access of oxygen, but only vibrate, which is why air still passes through. However, much less is supplied than needed, which cannot but affect one’s well-being.

If it’s hard for you to get up in the morning, you constantly have a headache, you have no strength, you can’t get enough sleep, even if you go to bed on time, it’s possible that this is because your body is weakened because it couldn’t rest well at night.

Scientists from Italy have found that constant snoring causes destructive changes, which reduces a person’s mental abilities.

How to treat snoring: what should you do?

Snoring is not the norm. You need to fight him. It is especially important to make a timely diagnosis for those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Visit to the doctor

If a number of signs appear (snoring, which is sometimes interrupted, headaches in the morning, fatigue, problems with memory and attention, increased blood pressure, and others), you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. He will confirm or refute the diagnosis by performing a polysomnography.

Even if the diagnosis of apnea is not confirmed, you should not refuse to let the situation take its course. How to deal with snoring in this case?

Quitting bad habits and sleeping pills, normalizing weight

There is no universal remedy for treating snoring, since much depends on what disease, pathology or habit caused it.

The simplest way that helps many patients is to reset excess weight, since it may be the cause of annoying “rattling” sounds during sleep.
Giving up bad habits is also useful: you should not abuse alcohol, and it is better to quit smoking.
In addition, it is worth gradually weaning off sleeping pills if you are taking them.

If snoring is caused by congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, you should consult a doctor to treat the disease that caused the problem: allergies, rhinitis, tonsillitis. In some cases, to improve nasal breathing have to resort to rhinoplasty.

How to deal with snoring at home?

What should a person who snores in their sleep do? The first step, definitely, is to visit a doctor and follow all his recommendations. But is there any other way to help yourself and give those around you the opportunity to get enough sleep before too much sleep? the weight will go away(usually this does not happen quickly), or while waiting in line for surgery?

To prevent snoring during sleep, you can take the following simple measures:

Take care of correct body position

Buy an orthopedic pillow. She will raise her head and hold it in correct position during sleep. Or simply raise your head in another way. Then not only will the tongue not sink, but the swelling of the pharyngeal mucosa will also subside, as the liquid will flow down.

Perform special gymnastics

Performing special exercises helps strengthen the muscles of the pharynx:

Don't sleep on your back

Those who sleep in this position most often suffer from snoring. It is while sleeping on the back that a person’s tongue can become stuck. So try to sleep on your side.

To prevent you from turning over in your sleep, attach a pocket to the back of your pajamas and place a tennis ball or Walnut, which will prevent you from taking an unwanted pose. In just a month bad habit sleeping on your back will disappear.

Buy an anti-snoring device

Buy an intraoral device that can help prevent snoring. It looks like a pacifier, and thanks to its shape it helps to fix the tongue in the desired position. The device is worn before bed and helps in cases where a person snores due to a malocclusion.

Medicines

On doctor's recommendation, purchase medications anti-snoring (spray, drops), which contain essential oils. They help tone the muscles of the pharynx and reduce swelling of the mucous membrane.

When you eliminate the cause of snoring, you will get rid of it. However, if it was caused by senile changes in the body, you will have to come to terms with it. Old age, unfortunately, cannot be treated.

For some reason, people often write on blogs about the benefits of beer and the yeast it contains, but few people write about the dangers of beer and beer alcoholism.

Someone will say that beer is not alcohol, they say, how many degrees are there in it?... But regardless of the strength, even low alcohol drinks are very harmful and lead to harmful consequences and death.

Diseased heart

You may already know the term “Bavarian heart” - this is a consequence beer alcoholism– expansion of the cavities of the heart, thickening of its walls, which manifests itself in necrosis in the heart muscle. These changes are associated with the presence of a harmful element in beer - cobalt. The content of this toxic element in the heart muscle of beer alcoholics exceeds the norm by 10 times! But that’s not all, if you want to learn more about what diseases alcohol will give you, read our article on the dangers of alcohol.

Snoring and humiliation of loved ones

It has been noted that people evening drinkers beer, they snore more often than cause significant inconvenience to their loved ones. Snoring and the apnea that accompanies it lead to the brain not receiving enough oxygen. Snoring long time, risks getting serious breathing disorder– complete cessation of breathing during sleep. If you don't believe what beer alcoholism kills more and more more people, look at the statistics, they don’t lie!

One patient said: “I just have mental disorder because of chronic lack of sleep. My husband always drinks a bottle of beer at night. And then he snores with long pauses in breathing. At the same time, I push him half the night, turning him from side to side: I’m afraid that he will stop breathing... In the end, I can’t stand it and go to bed with the children. And in the morning I get up with bags under my eyes.”

Aggressiveness

A person addicted to daily use beer, shows aggression if he does not receive a portion of his “drug”. And the worst thing is that over time, the degree of beer is chosen higher, and the amount drunk also increases. As a result, both vodka and beer are equally evil. Aggression – a state of passion – irreversible consequences... Still think that beer alcoholism nonsense? Then let's move on to physiology.

Hormone struggle

When drinking beer, men produce female hormones, and for women - men's. What kind of full-fledged sex can we talk about if the desire may not arise? Beer mustaches are the lot of women who have stooped to beer. Huge belly and wide pelvis– this is the near future of beer lovers. Even if similar consequences of beer alcoholism You are not convinced, then you simply need, right now, to immediately contact our center for qualified help.

The only thing worse than vodka is beer

International studies indicate that chronic alcoholism develops 3-4 times faster from drinking beer than from drinking strong drinks alcoholic drinks. Beer alcoholics They end up in hospitals in an already advanced state, often with severe dementia and decreased self-esteem.

Before it’s too late, while you’re an individual, call the Dr. Guzhagin Center: 8-922-22-22-252. Get qualified

Not only is snoring unpleasant for others, it is also harmful. In addition, 75% of people who snore have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is interrupted during sleep. a short time, which increases the risk of developing heart disease. Try these harmless natural solutions that can help you stop snoring.

1. Change your sleeping position

Sleeping on your back causes the base of the tongue and soft palate to stick to back wall throat, resulting in a vibrating sound during sleep. Sleeping on your side helps prevent this phenomenon.

A full-length pillow that supports the body allows for easy correction. It allows you to maintain sleep on one side. Or you can lay your head back on the bed and stretch out, which opens up your nasal passages and airways and may help prevent snoring. However, this position can lead to neck pain. If snoring continues regardless of your sleep position, obstructive sleep apnea may be the cause. IN in this case consult a doctor.

2. Lose weight

Losing weight helps some people, but not everyone. Skinny people They also snore. If you've gained weight and started snoring but weren't snoring when you were thin, losing weight may help. "If you put weight on your neck, it compresses the inside diameter of your throat, which is more likely to cause snoring," says Daniel Slochter, MD, an otolaryngologist and snoring expert in Austin, Texas.

3. Avoid alcohol

Alcohol and sedatives Reduce muscle tone in the back of the throat, increasing the likelihood of snoring. Drinking alcohol four to five hours before bed makes snoring worse. People who do not normally snore will snore after drinking alcohol.

4. Practice sleep hygiene

Poor sleep habits (also known as poor sleep hygiene) can have effects similar to drinking alcohol. Working long hours without getting enough sleep leads to fatigue, which contributes to snoring.

5. Unblock your nasal passages

If snoring starts in the nose, clearing out the nasal passages may help. This allows air to move more slowly, says Dr. Slochter. Imagine a narrow garden hose filled with water. The narrower it is, the faster water rushes through it."

Your nasal passages are designed in a similar way. If your nose is clogged or the passages are narrowed due to a cold or other reasons, fast-moving air will likely lead to snoring.

Taking a hot shower before bed can help open up your nasal passages. In addition, rinse your nose with sea water, salt water or special saline solution(sold in a pharmacy) under the shower.

6. Change your pillow

Allergens in your bedroom and pillow can contribute to snoring. When was the last time you dusted off your ceiling fan? Have you replaced the pillows? Dust mites accumulate in pillows and can cause allergic reactions leading to snoring.

Replace your pillows frequently to keep dust mites and allergens away. And don't keep animals in the bedroom.

7. Hydration

Drink plenty of fluids. "Discharge in the nose and soft palate becomes sticky when the body is dehydrated," says Dr. Stochter. "This may lead to increased snoring."

Generally, sufficient sleep on your side, avoiding alcohol before bed and taking a hot shower if your nasal passages are clogged are simple methods, which may have great value in reducing snoring.

Is snoring a disease or normal? There is a lot of controversy regarding snoring. Previously, there was an opinion that if a person snores, it means he has excellent, “heroic” health. Now some people continue to say that there is nothing wrong with this and there is no need to treat it; the latter insist that snoring can be some kind of signal, meaning that a person urgently needs to see a doctor. But, you see, this is not very pleasant, especially for those who sleep next to you. Why do people snore? Is it dangerous? How to deal with snoring? And is there effective ways treatment? Let's look at this topic in more detail.

What is the cause of snoring?

Before starting treatment, the cause must be found, as is the case with all other diseases. It is known that every person has snored at least once in his life. There are many reasons for this, but among them we can highlight the simplest and most harmless one - an uncomfortable head position. If it does not go away when you change position, then the reason is something else.

Snoring occurs when the muscles in the walls of the throat become too relaxed. This relaxation causes the muscles to constrict, making it difficult for air to pass in, both inhaled and exhaled. In other words, a person simply cannot breathe normally while sleeping. He has to make an effort to inhale air, and this, in turn, provokes soft tissues to vibrate. This is how snoring appears.

Why do people snore on their back?

In addition to an uncomfortable head position, snoring can be caused by incorrect position body - on the back. As a rule, it stops if you roll over onto your stomach or side.
Obesity: due to fat deposited in the intermuscular spaces.
Any diseases, for example, colds, sinusitis, nasopharyngeal tumors, enlarged tonsils or allergies.
If uvula longer than usual, it can adhere to the tongue, causing a variety of sounds to appear.
If the nasal septum is deviated or damaged, the passage of air may also be difficult, resulting in snoring.
Why do people snore in their sleep in any body position? This may be the case with malocclusion. This is bad for respiratory system, so be sure to consult a doctor.
Smoking often leads to the development of diseases of the pharynx and trachea, and it can also become one of the causes of snoring.
Alcohol and food immediately before bed. Why do drunk people snore, although when sober they do not make a sound in their sleep? It's very simple, alcohol reduces muscle tone, including in the pharynx, and relaxes the muscles in general.

Is there any danger?

It should be noted that snoring can be deadly. A good example - apnea syndrome(apnea - stop breathing movements). This can happen when soft tissues completely block the supply of oxygen, and due to the cessation of respiratory movements, the body experiences severe stress. The heartbeat is disrupted, blood pressure rises, the concentration of oxygen in the blood decreases, brain function is disrupted, which does not contribute to good sleep. This leads to exhaustion of the body, because it cannot be filled with energy when it should be - at night. One can say even more - 30% of accidents on the roads occur due to lack of sleep, which accompanies people in this case.

Can we get rid of snoring ourselves?

Why do people snore and how can snoring be treated if there is no way to see a specialist? Going to the doctor in itself can be an impossible task various reasons. And then the question arises: “Can I cope with my problem myself?” Fortunately, there is a solution. ethnoscience suggests trying a number of exercises that will help you say goodbye to snoring. They help strengthen the muscles of the larynx, and if you do the exercises regularly, the disappearance of snoring will not take long.

Effective exercises

Pronunciation of vowel sounds: A, E, I, O, U.

Exercise before going to bed: tightly squeeze a wooden stick with your teeth and sit like that for about five minutes.

The exercise must be done 30 times in the morning and evening time: pressing firmly on the chin, move the lower jaw back and forth; Extend your tongue evenly and as far forward as possible and in this position lower it along with your lower jaw down. The tongue must be held extended for about five seconds. Regularly performing such simple manipulations will make the question of why people snore irrelevant.

Treatment of snoring in traditional medicine

You can also go to the clinic overnight and sleep with connected equipment that will take into account the state of the body during sleep. This the best option determine why people snore. Electronic sensors recording all the readings will help you find out the cause of snoring, after which it will be easier for the doctor to prescribe treatment.

Among the reasons was an incorrect bite. In this case, the somnologist will make a special mouthguard. Pre-immersed in boiling water, it will soften, and after installing it on lower jaw(which must first be pushed forward) will take the required shape and relieve the patient from snoring.

Another device is a nasal strip. Using an adhesive base, it is fixed on the nose, spreads in different sides wings of the nose, thereby simplifying breathing. This is the most common treatment option if we do not know the exact reason why people snore in their sleep. There are also masks that are connected to an air compressor with a tube and provide unobstructed air flow throughout the night.

Surgical treatment of snoring

In addition to devices, the doctor may suggest surgery. Laser or liquid nitrogen leads to inflammation of the soft palate. When it passes soft sky is compacted and vibration is no longer possible. If the cause of snoring is an elongated uvula or tonsils, you can undergo surgery to remove them, and if the cause is a deformed nasal septum, you need to undergo a procedure for its correction. As you can see, the treatment is not at all complicated, but after it the snoring will stop, night sleep things will get better, which means life will improve!

Is it possible to prevent snoring?

Why do people snore when they are healthy? Healthy image life, proper nutrition, playing sports, regularly visiting the doctor and getting tested - this is what will help us always feel good and be in good shape, and this will also prevent snoring. It is important to monitor your weight as much as possible, do morning exercises, go to bed in a comfortable position and on convenient location, do not take sleeping pills frequently, and do not drink alcohol or overeat before going to bed. Remember that you have absolutely healthy person there can be no snoring, which means do everything possible to be healthy!

Why do I snore so loudly? This question is asked by every sixth girl aged 25 to 35 years and every fifth young man aged 20 to 35 years. After the age of 35, the statistics are even more impressive: about a quarter of women and about a third of men over 45 snore while sleeping. Why does this happen and what does alcohol have to do with it?

Alcohol fumes and snoring

By and large, alcohol has an indirect effect here. It's all about the peculiarities of the respiratory act, which we will consider in more detail.

Everyone knows the mechanism of air entering the lungs: through the nasopharynx, through the respiratory tract, then into the bronchi and lungs, and from there, in a “processed” form, into the blood and brain.

Ideally, there should be no obstacles along this path. But almost everyone has it. Some people are crooked from birth nasal septum, someone catches a virus and suffers from a runny nose, someone suffers from cardiovascular diseases, someone drinks before bed (alcohol, of course) - the list of factors that influence the intensity of the respiratory act can be listed endlessly. Any, even minimal failure, leads to people snoring - at first occasionally, but gradually the sound becomes louder, and snoring develops from a temporary condition into a permanent condition. And the amount of alcohol consumed has a direct bearing on this. Let's consider the mechanism of its influence.

Does alcohol affect breathing?

Yes, alcohol definitely has an effect. Main danger alcohol consumed from time to time has a relaxing effect on the body. Under normal conditions, even when a person is sleeping, a certain number of muscles and ligaments remain toned (i.e., tense). To a greater extent, this concerns the muscles and ligaments that support vital important organs. Under the influence of alcohol, muscles relax even more. True, after returning to normal state, when alcohol is completely removed from the body, all processes return to normal. Of course, with the systematic consumption of alcohol, the tone of the muscles and ligaments remains reduced, and with each libation this becomes more and more evident.

Effect of decreased muscle tone

When sleeping, many people prefer to sleep on their back. If there are no problems with the muscles involved in the respiratory act, there will be no snoring. But not everyone can boast of this, especially older people. Their ligaments and muscles lose their elasticity and cease to support internal organs V ideal position. First of all, this concerns the muscles and ligaments surrounding the vocal apparatus. It turns out that in horizontal position the larynx is slightly compressed (the muscles and ligaments, as we remember, do not fully cope with their task), this causes the soft palate to lower, and its vibration during inhalation / exhalation leads to the appearance of a sound of different sizes, i.e. snoring occurs.

The situation is aggravated under the influence of alcohol. The muscles and ligaments are already somewhat weakened, so there are minimal problems with breathing. And alcohol relaxes them even more. This is why people who snore periodically when alcohol takes effect become record snorers.

Drinking is the first step to holding your breath during sleep

Why is snoring dangerous? Regular failures of the respiratory act (and snoring is one of them) lead to the fact that a person does not receive the required amount of oxygen. At first, he does not feel a surge of strength after waking up, then his reactions become slow, his memory, concentration, and subsequently coordination of movements deteriorate. Gradually, when people snore all night, the brain and other vital organs do not receive the required amount of oxygen. IN severe cases this can even lead to the death of nerve cells.

In people who regularly drink alcohol, this scenario occurs quite often. This is further aggravated by the fact that in a state of intoxication a person rarely pays attention to any discomfort. This is why a common runny nose, coupled with weakened muscles and ligaments of the larynx, can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Drunk people snore because alcohol has a relaxing effect on the body. If a person already has reduced muscle tone, then he is able to alcohol intoxication the situation is getting even worse. main reason snoring in drunk people - partial blockage of the airways due to compression of the larynx (the muscles and ligaments that surround it cannot cope with their functions).