Have you recently gained some weight? Could this be the reason you have started snoring?
Could this be the reason you have started snoring?
When we gain weight, we put it on all over, including on our tongue and around the head and throat. This excess tissue narrows the airway, making it more likely that when you relax during sleep, the tongue and soft palate will collapse and constrict the flow of air leading to snoring.
Snoring could be responsible for your weight gain.
Snoring can lead to weight gain. Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity and it is now considered as much a risk factor for obesity as overeating and lack of exercise.
Hormones are to blame. When we sleep, the body secretes hormones that help to control appetite, energy, metabolism, and process glucose.
The result of too little sleep is simple: a lack of these hormones has a detrimental effect on the body’s ability to metabolise. In addition, too little sleep increases the product of other hormones – cortisol, the stress hormone, and insulin – both of which lead to the storage of fat.
We need a balance of hormones that regulate appetite, namely leptin and ghrelin. Too little sleep leads to an excess of ghrelin which stimulates appetite and not enough leptin, the hormone that helps your brain recognises when you are full. All of this leads to weight gain and, eventually, obesity.
Snoring all night also makes you tired, meaning you’re less motivated to exercise and you crave carbohydrates, sugar, and fatty foods to give you a quick energy boost – both of which lead to more weight gain.
- Excess fat can cause snoring
- Snoring can lead to weight gain
- Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity
- Exercise regularly
- Eat healthy food
- Sleep 8 hours a day