What Causes Snoring in Females?

The physiology of what causes snoring in females is very much the same way as it is in males. When the tissue of the airway collapses, snoring occurs as air is forced out. Snoring is the sound emitted by people as they struggle to unblock their away to allow air to go out and then come back in.

Snoring is very closely related to sleep apnea. With obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea, people who snore may gasp and choke for air many times throughout the night as their airway becomes blocked. Sometimes these breathing cessations will take place several hundred times per night, causing sleep that is interrupted and not restful. When someone stops breathing for ten seconds or more hundreds of times per night, OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) is usually the culprit. However, even though the physiology of how men and women snore is the same, the actual causes of snoring in females are different and need to be examined.

Snoring in Men and Women

If you live in Des Moines, Iowa, and are looking for a snoring cure, you’ve come to the right place. Sleep apnea and snoring in Des Moines are common problems faced by both genders and faced by people of all ages. While middle-aged men are more prone to snoring than females, there are a large number of American women who snore but who just don’t report it to their doctors or dentists because they feel embarrassed or ashamed that they snore.

Snoring is as natural a medical phenomenon as a sneeze, and the good news is that if constant snoring is disrupting your life (or the life of your partner), there are Des Moines snoring and sleep apnea dentists who can treat your snoring and get you sleeping restfully again or maybe for the first time ever.

The very first step is to be diagnosed with sleep apnea or snoring by a sleep study done at home or in a medical setting. Once you’ve got a confirmed diagnosis of a treatable sleep disorder, your Des Moines snoring dentist can step in and stop the snoring.

What Are Some Causes of Snoring in Females?

According to the Mayo Clinic, “one in ten middle-aged women have OSA, and it’s more likely to occur after menopause (the risk increases by 4% for each subsequent year)… the reason is thought to be a combination of the post-menopausal loss of the protective hormonal effect (progesterone may prevent the relaxation of the upper airways associated with OSA) and weight gain.” In addition to menopause being a cause of snoring in females, here are some of the most common causes of snoring in females:

• Being overweight can lead to an excess of tissue around the belly and neck, leading to a smaller air passage from which to breathe through at night.
• Pregnancy—snoring is common during a woman’s pregnancy because of the hormonal changes taking effect in her body. The changes in hormone levels increase the amount of blood in the pregnant woman’s body and cause the blood vessels to expand. The expansion of the blood vessels may lead to swollen nasal passages, forcing her to breathe through her mouth and snore while doing so.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may cause a higher incidence of snoring and sleep apnea due to an excessive amount of male hormones, which is also linked to snoring and sleep apnea.
• Fatigue—when women feel exhausted, the muscles in and around the throat and larynx relax, causing louder-than-usual snoring.