Snoring in women can often be an embarrassing dilemma. After all, snoring is an act that's more associated with men, making women who snore appear more masculine than desired. Although most causes of snoring apply to both genders, there may be specific conditions that lead to snoring in women. Some of the causes of snoring in women include pregnancy, hormones, menopause, genetics, lifestyle habits and possibly medical conditions.

There are three theories about why some women snore more often when pregnant: increased body weight, altered sleeping positions and hormones. Increased body weight leads to snoring in women if excess fat accumulates in the neck area. This constricts the body's airways, making it more likely for the uvula and the soft palate to vibrate with every breath taken.

Pregnant women also tend to sleep in different positions because of their growing abdomens. In some cases, this leads to angles where the airways are squashed, causing the woman to snore. In these scenarios, it often is enough either to tilt the snorer's head or to lower the head's position to achieve snoring relief.

Hormones also might be responsible for snoring in women. The exact mechanisms have not been determined by research. Some women, however, have reported that hormonal therapy has drastically decreased their snoring habits.

Menopause also is believed to cause snoring in women. In addition to weight gain and hormonal changes, menopause arrives at an age when the body's muscles are more relaxed. This includes the uvula and muscles that support the soft palate.

Genetics also might play a role in snoring. One reason that snoring in men occurs more than in women is because men tend to have narrower airways. It's highly possible that some women simply inherit this quality from their parents and end up snoring more than the average woman.

Certain lifestyle habits can lead to snoring in women, as well as in men. Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles around the throat, so heavy drinkers are more prone to snoring. The same is true for smoking cigarettes and for some drugs and medications. Many individuals find that avoiding these substances for a few hours before sleeping greatly reduces the odds of snoring.

Lastly, snoring might be a symptom or effect of some preexisting medical condition. A cleft palate, for example, can alter the flow of air within the mouth and throat and lead to snoring. In such a case, it actually is possible to get corrective surgery that will reduce or eliminate snoring.

Related wiseGEEK Articles

Discuss this Article

MrsPrammPost 3

@umbra21 - Honestly, I'm the one who wakes up feeling exhausted, because my partner snores so loudly some nights. I know some people can just sleep through it, but it always wakes me up and keeps me awake. If we could figure out a way to stop it, that would be awesome.

umbra21Post 2

@clintflint - Maybe you could use that to get her to go get it checked out? If it is some kind of sinus condition, there is every hope that the doctor can actually do something to fix it. And there are exercises that can be done if it's just a matter of the muscles in that area being out of condition. Apparently playing certain kinds of wind instruments can help people to reduce snoring because it exercises the throat.

Snoring can be a health hazard though, especially if it's accompanied by periods where people stop breathing. So it's always a good idea to get it checked at the doctor, particularly if the person snoring is waking up still feeling exhausted.

clintflintPost 1

My mother is so embarrassed by her snoring it is really inconvenient. She simply will not sleep at anyone's house when she visits them, which means she just doesn't go to visit very often. Whenever I've had to share a hotel room with her, she always tries to go to sleep after me, so that I don't have to "suffer" through her snoring.

I feel terrible about it, because I'm the one who told her that she snored in the first place. I only did it so that she would get it checked at the doctor, because if you suddenly start snoring, that could be a symptom of some kind of condition. But she has been so mortified by it that I really think it takes away from her quality of life.

Post your comments

Please enter the code:

Login

Register

Make changes/additions/deletions to the article below, and one of our editors will publish your suggestions if warranted.

Optional: Explanation of your recommended changes

Thank You!

One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted.
Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive,
this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!