What is snoring?

What is snoring?

Irshaad Ebrahim (Medical Director of The London Sleep Centre) gives expert video advice on: What is snoring?; How can you stop snoring?; Can snoring cause other problems? and more...

Snoring refers to abnormal sound occurring in the airway during sleep. Snoring can be simple snoring, in other words, there's no real medical cause or complication of that particular type of snoring. That might be due to a deviated septum, or a large tongue base which does not obstruct the airway. The vast majority of people who've got snoring have this type of snoring. Snoring can also be associated with underlying medical conditions. The commonest association for snoring is with a condition called sleep apnea, where the snoring is associated with pauses and interruptions in breathing. Sleep apnea, because of this pausing in breathing, or obstruction of the airway, results in other complications in the long tem, including high blood pressure and diabetes.