Why Snoring Gets Worse With Age and What You Can Do About It

We’ve explained before that the percentage of adults who snore increases with age, jumping up from 41.5% of the total population to 43.75% of the middle-aged adult population. It is also said that men, specifically, will only begin to snore in their late 20’s and 30’s, with the problem intensifying significantly after 50 years of age.

So, what’s the explanation for the progressive worsening of this nighttime nuisance? Researchers have a number of responses to that question, and as it turns out, there may be more than one right answer.

So, if your spouse or significant other has mentioned that your snoring problem seems to be getting louder and louder, don’t simply write them off as being a pest.

In order to understand why your snoring is worsening with age, you should first understand the underlying cause of the problem. Chronic snoring is almost always a result of structural problems in the nasal passages and back of your throat. When those structural issues become worse, the snoring will also become more noticeable.  Here are four reasons for why this happens:

1. As we age, our muscles lose their tone, as well as the ability to rebuild.  For the majority of our bodies, this means that our muscles will not “bulk up” after exercise the way that they did when we were younger.  For our upper airways, however, this means that the muscles in the back of the throat become lax, allowing them to vibrate more dramatically than they did a decade ago.  So, you guessed it:  the result of this is an even louder snore. As a solution, try vocal exercises or singing lessons to strengthen those muscles just a bit.
2. It’s commonly understood that the aging process comes with a considerable change in body composition, which is true for both men and woman.  For so many people, this means that getting older unfortunately involves some amount of weight gain. It’s been determined that obesity is a major contributor in a variety of bad health conditions, and chronic snoring happens to be on that list.
3. If this pertains to your situation, you can begin by adjusting your diet and activity level in order to achieve a healthier weight.  If you find that losing weight is more difficult than it should be, speak with your healthcare provider about other possible causes for your weight problem (such as hormonal imbalances, for example).
4. Medication is another reason why snoring often gets worse with age.  It’s a fact that older people tend to take more medications than their younger counterparts, and the vast majority of those medications are known to make an existing snoring problem worse.

Of course, you should never adjust or stop taking a medication without the supervision of your healthcare provider.  Speak with your doctor about whether or not your medications are making your snoring problem worse, and if so, what you can do about it.

If you or your partner have noticed that your snoring has gotten worse, consider the reasons that we have listed for you here and determine whether or not there is an easy solution that will help both of you get a better night’s rest.  In addition to some of the home remedies and snoring mouthpieces that we’ve suggested on our website and throughout the blog, try to address these three areas, in particular, and hopefully, you’ll be able to achieve a healthy sleep schedule in no time.