1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here with a classic 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: episode from the Vault. Snoring can be so annoying that 4 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,079 Speaker 1: it seems like a simple fix is too good to 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: be true. But most of the time, getting a sleeper 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: to rest on their side instead of on their back 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: camp stop their snores. Today's episode explores why Hey brain 8 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogel bom here, almost half of all adults snore. 9 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: Loud and persistent snoring may be a symptom of sleep apnea, 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: a serious sleep condition that requires medical attention. But is 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,639 Speaker 1: it true that most snoring problems can be fixed just 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: by sleeping on your side first? A quick snoring primer. 13 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Snoring is the result of an obstruction of the breathing 14 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: pathways during sleep. As you drift off to sleep, your mouth, tongue, 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,959 Speaker 1: and throat relax. The soft tissue in your throat can 16 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: relax to the point that it partially blocks your airway. 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: If air passes through this restricted space, it causes the 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: tissue to vibrate, producing detail tale rumble. The narrower that 19 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: your airway is, the more forceful the flow of air 20 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: will be, which increases the vibration of the tissue and 21 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: makes your snoring sound even louder. The root causes of 22 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,919 Speaker 1: snoring vary from person to person. Obesity is a common 23 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: underlying reason for storing because excess weight on the neck 24 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: and chest compresses breathing pathways. Other causes can include allergies 25 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: they cause congestion and inflammation that tighten airways in the 26 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: nose and throat, and drinking alcohol before sleep, which relaxes 27 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: the throat muscles. And some people are just born with 28 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: an extra thick soft palette or a low hanging uvula 29 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: that obstructs air flow to the throat. So where does 30 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: sleep position come into all of this? Sleep experts agree 31 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: that sleeping on your back exacerbates snoring. That's because when 32 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: you're asleep, your tongue, soft palate, and throat muscles automatically relax, 33 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: and if you're sleeping on your back, those relaxed muscles 34 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: will sag downward and backward, increasing the odds of an 35 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: structed airway. Sleeping on your side is most effective on 36 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: true tongue snoreres where the chief cause of the obstruction 37 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: is a relaxed tongue blocking your airway, but turning on 38 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: your side won't necessarily solved the snoring problem if it's 39 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: an allergy or obesity issue. The trouble beside sleeping is 40 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: a cure is that unconscious people are terrible at following directions. 41 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: If your bed partner has a hard time maintaining a 42 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: side sleeping position, you might try using pillows to prop 43 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,119 Speaker 1: them up, or place a tennis ball under their shirt 44 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: in the middle of their back to remind them to 45 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 1: turn over with their permission. Of course, today's episode is 46 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: based on the article thus sleeping on your side stop 47 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: Snoring on how stuff works dot com, written by Dave Rhodes. 48 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership 49 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. 50 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, 51 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.