IS it true that snoring is not normal?

[FreemasonCyclist]

Is it true that snoring is not normal and if someone snores when they sleep there is some sort of a problem? Doesn't snoring mean the airway is constricted, even if just slightly?

[Debjax]

Although I am not a doctor, nurse or other medical professional, I'm pretty sure that snoring is NOT normal, and in many, if not most people who snore, it is probably indicative of OSA.

[BeanMeScot]

There is such a thing as nuisance snoring. I know a guy on another board who did a sleep study because of snoring and they decided he didn't have Apnea. They probably do still have some OSA but it could be mild enough that they can't diagnose it as OSA.

[WearyOne]

I tend to agree with Debjax, that it's probably not normal. If it's pretty constant, there's probably some breathing problem going on, even if it's not severe enough to be classified as OSA. But I also think that if one only snores at certain times--after drinking too much alcohol, when taking medications that have a sedative effect, when you have a cold or allergies--that those issues might be causing it instead of being true sleeping issue. All these issues (and maybe others) can make you sleep differently than you normally would.

[Wulfman]

I think it depends on what your definitions of "snoring" and "normal" are.
There are probably alot of people who make some level of sound when the breathe while they're sleeping......everything from a little "purr" to "rattling the rafters". If the majority of people have varying degrees of snoring, does that make it "normal"?

Enlarged turbinates and deviated septums can have an effect on nasal breathing. Snoring could be nasal snoring or through the mouth while mouth-breathing if the nasal passages are too restricted.


Den