Being overweight, out of shape, or lack of exercise

Causes of snoring and tips that can help you stop.

28 November 2005

2 min read.

Overeating and/or lack of exercise leads to an increase in fat around the throat. If you have a collar size of 16½ inches or greater, you may not have the muscle tone needed to keep the airway open sufficiently at night to allow normal breathing, and the narrow airway is more likely to vibrate. A person with a short fat neck is at an increased risk of snoring. Excess body fat seems to be more of a problem for men than women. Men tend to get fat around their necks and waists, whereas women seem to put on weight around the thighs. In women, the cross sectional area of the upper airway is greater and the airway walls may be more rigid and therefore less prone to yield to pressure. As a result, collapse of the airway is resisted when muscle tone falls during sleep. This means that women are less likely to snore than men. However, this situation very often changes for women following the menopause. Like men, as women get older their muscle tone tends to diminish and they put on more weight. By the time women have reached the age of 70 they are just as likely to be snorers as men of the same age. You may wish to consider consulting a GP, dietician or starting a fitness programme.

Being overweight by just a few kilograms can be the cause of your snoring. If you have fatty tissue around your neck you will find that during sleep it squeezes the airway and prevents air from flowing in and out freely.

Weight loss with accompanying fat reduction will certainly help to alleviate snoring. However, weight loss cannot be achieved by diet alone, it must be accompanied by a sensible exercise programme.