What is snoring, exactly?
When you fall asleep, the muscles around your throat, tongue and soft palate relax. If the airway narrows, the air you breathe has to push past these soft tissues, making them vibrate — and that vibration is the snoring sound. The narrower or more blocked the airway, the louder and rougher the noise tends to be.
Almost everyone snores occasionally, particularly after a late night, a few drinks, or with a head cold. Snoring becomes worth paying attention to when it's loud, happens most nights, and disturbs your sleep or your partner's.
Is snoring a problem, or just a noise?
For many people, snoring is simply an annoyance — for the person beside them more than themselves. But chronic snoring can fragment your sleep without you realising, leaving you tired and unrefreshed during the day.
Common signs that your snoring may be affecting your sleep quality include:
- Waking up feeling unrested, even after a full night in bed
- Daytime fatigue, low energy or irritability
- A dry or sore throat in the morning
- A partner noticing loud snoring, gasping, choking or pauses in your breathing
That last point matters most. When snoring is interrupted by pauses in breathing, gasping or choking, it can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea — a condition where the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. This is more than a noise issue and is worth a proper assessment.
The main types of snoring
Snoring happens because of a restriction or blockage somewhere along the airway — the nose, mouth or throat — and sometimes simply because of your sleeping position. Working out where your snoring comes from is the first step to quietening it.
Nasal or mouth snoring
This occurs when you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose, often because your nose is congested or you simply sleep with your mouth open. A blocked nose from allergies, hay fever, a cold or chronic sinus issues can all play a part.
Simple measures that may help include treating nasal congestion, trying nasal strips or saline rinses, and addressing mouth-open sleeping. Speak to a pharmacist or GP about ongoing congestion.
Tongue-based snoring
This tends to happen when you sleep on your back and the tongue falls backwards, partly blocking the airway. The sound is often deeper and more irregular. Sleeping on your side is a well-known, no-cost first step that helps many people, as it stops the tongue and soft tissues from dropping back.
Throat snoring and sleep apnoea
Throat snoring is usually the loudest type and the one most often linked with obstructive sleep apnoea. It happens when the throat muscles and soft tissues relax so much that they narrow or briefly close the airway. If breathing stops, your body may rouse you with a gasp, choke or cough to reopen the airway — often without you fully waking.
This kind of snoring can occur in any sleeping position. Because untreated sleep apnoea is associated with other health concerns, it's the type that most warrants a clinical assessment rather than home remedies alone. A common, well-established treatment for diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea is CPAP therapy, which uses a machine and mask to deliver a gentle, steady stream of air that keeps the airway open while you sleep.
What makes snoring more likely?
Several everyday factors can make snoring louder or more frequent:
- Sleeping on your back — gravity lets relaxed muscles and the tongue fall backwards, narrowing the airway.
- Nasal congestion — allergies, hay fever, colds, flu or chronic sinus problems block airflow through the nose.
- Alcohol in the evening — relaxes the muscles at the back of the throat.
- Some sleep medications and sedatives — can have a similar throat-relaxing effect (always follow your prescriber's advice).
- Not getting enough sleep — overtiredness can deepen muscle relaxation during sleep.
- Anatomy — features such as enlarged tonsils or a longer soft palate can leave less room for air to pass.
How to reduce snoring
The right approach depends on what's causing your snoring. It's worth starting with simple changes before considering anything more involved:
- Try sleeping on your side rather than your back
- Treat nasal congestion and allergies
- Limit alcohol in the hours before bed
- Keep a regular sleep routine so you're less overtired
If self-help measures don't make a difference — or if there are pauses or gasping in your breathing — the next step is a chat with a healthcare professional. They may suggest an oral appliance to hold the airway open, a sleep study to check for sleep apnoea, or, where apnoea is diagnosed, CPAP or auto-CPAP therapy. Surgery is occasionally considered for specific anatomical causes.
When to seek advice
Consider speaking to a GP or sleep clinician if your snoring is loud and most nights, if a partner notices you stop breathing, gasp or choke in your sleep, or if you feel persistently tired despite enough hours in bed. A sleep study is the usual way to check for obstructive sleep apnoea. Our independent clinical partner, CLM Sleep, offers sleep studies and clinical support, and our team in store can talk you through the practical side once you have a diagnosis.
How CPAP Discount Warehouse can help
If you've been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and have a prescription, we make getting set up straightforward. CDW is an Adelaide-based, authorised dealer of genuine, TGA-regulated devices from ResMed, Fisher & Paykel, Philips Respironics and Löwenstein, shipping Australia-wide.
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This page is general information only and isn't medical advice or a diagnosis. Snoring and sleep apnoea can have many causes — please speak to your GP or a sleep clinician about your own situation. Our partner CLM Sleep offers sleep studies if you'd like to be assessed.
