Did you know that the average sound of a snore ranges between 50 and 80 decibels — roughly as loud as normal conversation (on the low end) to the drone of a vacuum cleaner (on the high end)?
However, if you or your sleep partner are really unlucky, a snore can sound as cacophonous as a low-flying airplane. It’s true — a British grandmother was diagnosed several years ago with snoring at 111.6 decibels, which is not great news for her husband … or anyone within earshot.
The good news is that the pitch of your snore doesn’t necessarily correlate with the severity of your condition. Nose snoring vs mouth snoring vs. tongue snoring vs. throat snoring. All four types of snoring can rattle some serious windows.
But there are some major differences between the four types of snoring and how to treat them, including the fact that one type of snoring is worse than the rest.
Though snoring sounds are always generated from vibrations of the soft palate (at the back of your throat), other areas will impact snoring by causing more narrowing. This means more resistance to airflow, which means more flutter—and more snoring.
Nose Blockage
Nose snoring is caused by a deviated septum or another obstruction in your nose blocking your airway. New pets could also be a culprit. Pet and dust allergies, colds, chronic nasal congestion, and medications can also lead to nose snoring.
As you breathe in at night through your narrowed nasal passage, the soft tissues and the mucosal wall surface vibrate and make sounds. Your snoring may sound soft and nasally, like a whistle, or on the loud side, like a grunt or rumble.
Doctors often prescribe nasal steroids to reduce swelling and congestion—and potentially the snoring. However, this treatment doesn’t always stop the snoring.
How to know if you’re a nose snorer:
• Congestion: Persistent nasal congestion or blockage could indicate that you rely heavily on your nose while sleeping.
• Dry Mouth in the Morning: If your mouth isn’t dry, it’s a sign you breathe predominantly through your nose.
• Whistling Sounds: Nasal snorers often whistle due to restricted airflow through the nostrils.
The Blocked Nose Test
1. Close your mouth and try breathing only through your nose.
2. Block one nostril and breathe through the other, then switch.
3. If you notice difficulty in airflow, nasal obstruction could contribute to snoring.
Change Position
• Lie on your back and close your mouth. If snoring persists, it’s likely nasal snoring.
Treatment of nose snoring can vary depending on the cause.
If you have a deviated septum, surgery is likely your best bet. If you have allergies, try keeping your home free from dust and dander, quitting smoking, using nasal strips or moisturizing sprays, taking antihistamines, and using a room humidifier to clear your congestion and open up your nasal airway.
Mouth Snoring
Mouth snoring happens when you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose when you sleep — usually due to a blocked nasal passage, enlarged tonsils or weak palatal tissue.
Sometimes, a former nose snorer can turn into a mouth snorer if their nose becomes blocked. While this seems like it shouldn’t be an issue, air should ideally be filtered through the nose to avoid viruses and other bacteria from entering the body.
How to know if you’re a mouth snorer:
• Dry Mouth or Throat in the Morning: A key indicator as mouth breathing dries out oral tissues.
• Loud, Guttural Sounds: Mouth snoring usually creates deeper, throat-based sounds instead of the higher-pitched whistling associated with nasal snoring.
• Jaw Position: Sleeping with an open mouth is a common sign of mouth snoring.
The Closed-Mouth Test
1. Close your mouth and attempt to simulate snoring.
2. If it’s difficult or impossible to snore with your mouth closed, your snoring is likely mouth-based.
To treat this type of snoring, you can use tape designed to keep your mouth shut or mouth guards that help do the same.
Additionally, you can adjust your sleeping position. Try sewing a tennis ball in the back of your shirt to encourage you to avoid sleeping on your back. Reducing nasal congestion with breathing strips can help, too.
Tongue Snoring
Tongue snoring occurs when the tongue gets too relaxed and blocks the airway to the lungs, most notably when sleeping on your back.
You could also become a tongue snorer if you have a low, thick soft palate, are overweight with extra thickness around your throat, or drink alcohol and use sleep medication.
Tongue snoring typically consists of inconsistent, high-pitched sounds.
How to know if you’re a mouth snorer?
Some ways to work on your tongue snoring include using an oral appliance/mouthguard that moves your jaw (and tongue) forward and anti-snoring pillows and backpacks that can stop you from turning to your back. You can also try raising the head of the bed a few inches to improve your sleep position.
• Dry Mouth or Throat in the Morning: Waking up with a dry mouth usually indicates that you were breathing through your mouth while sleeping.
• Loud Snoring: Mouth snoring usually produces louder and deeper sounds compared to nasal snoring.g.
• Open Mouth Sleeping: Individuals who snore through their mouths typically sleep with their mouths open.
• Drooling: Frequent drooling on your pillow is a sign of sleeping with your mouth open.
Maintaining a healthy weight can also help reduce your odds of tongue snoring.
Throat Snoring
Throat snoring can be the loudest — and the worst of all. It’s caused by sleep apnea, which means you stop breathing several times during the night, followed by periods of loud snoring and gasping for air.
This condition happens when the muscles and soft tissue in the throat are too relaxed, leading to throat blockage and a lack of oxygen to the lungs. Throat snoring appears in every sleeping position and follows no pattern.
Sleep apnea has been linked to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.
If you have this condition, you are likely unaware you stop breathing. You simply wake up feeling unrested and moody. Or you wake up several times during the night due to lack of oxygen. Because of this, your heart races and secretes a protein that tells the body to get rid of sodium and water, hence signaling you to use the restroom.
How to know if you’re a throat snorer:
- You snore no matter which sleep position you’re in
- You have morning headaches, dry mouth and daytime sleepiness
- You wake up frequently to use the bathroom
- If someone tells you that you pause breathing while you sleep, take shallow breaths, gasp or choke, are restless in sleep, or snore extremely loud
Throat snoring requires medical attention from an otolaryngologist such as Dr. Marc Kayem. With 25 years of experience treating sinus and snoring issues, he can help you develop a treatment plan right away—and the answer doesn’t always have to be CPAP!
Treatments include:
- SnorEX is a non-invasive snoring procedure that stiffens the soft palate and raises the uvula so they no longer vibrate excessively when you breathe.
- Radiofrequency tissue ablation (somnoplasty), stiffens loose tissue in and around the throat and tongue.
- Radiofrequency tongue coblation, targets tongue tissue to scar and eventually contract, allowing the airway to open.
- Turbinate reduction, which shrinks and removes the tissue, causing nasal turbinate hypertrophy.
