It sounds like the sort of sexist stereotype dainty ladies were once told at finishing school, so it’s perhaps surprising that women really do – on the whole – snore less than men. Ryan Chin Taw Cheong, an ear, nose and throat consultant and sleep surgeon at University College London hospitals, says men are almost twice as likely as women to snore. “But that gap narrows at two particular points in women’s lives,” he says. “One is after menopause, typically between 45 and 55. The second is pregnancy, especially in the third trimester.”
Snoring happens when airflow is partly blocked through the upper airway, causing vibration in the back of the nose, the soft palate, the throat, tongue or epiglottis (the “lid” over your windpipe). This happens because the muscles of the airway relax while we’re sleeping and are dragged down by gravity when we lie in bed. Other factors can make us more likely to snore. Alcohol relaxes the muscles further. Extra body weight puts pressure on the throat. Allergies, nasal polyps, a deviated septum or simply a heavy cold can all block the airway.
