How do Cigarettes and Alcohol Contribute to Snoring?

For some decades now, you must have seen one or more campaigns against smoking and why it is bad for your health. Most cigarette packs always have the caveat, “Smokers are liable to die young” but a lot of people are focused on the effects of the smoke on the lungs. However, smoking is related to snoring and sleep apnea. How do you think smoking cigars, cigarettes or pipes affect your sleep? Let us check out some facts on this below.

What is the connection between smoking and snoring?
It makes a lot of sense that smoking can increase your risk of snoring because the smoke from cigars, cigarettes, and pipe can be inflammatory to the tissues along your airway. This may cause a lot of problems such as swelling, narrowing of the air passage and post-nasal drip. The narrowing of the air passage is what leads to snoring because it will be difficult for air to flow freely.

This disruption of the free flow of air in your air passage may have other effects. It may lead to congestion of your airway thereby making air flow through the passage turbulently. This, then, leads to a vibration of the airway which brings about the loud and unpleasant snoring sound. This is quite common among smokers and those who have once smoked at one point in their lives.

In a study carried out involving 811 adults, current smokers had the risk of snoring 2.3 times than non-smokers. This means smokers stand more than double the risk of snoring that people who do not smoke. In a much larger study that involved 15,555 people, snoring was more common among 24 percent of current smokers while 20 percent of former smokers snored too and 14 percent of non-smokers snored. This implies that one out of four smokers snored compared to one of seven non-smokers. Although no study has been carried out on this, it is possible that mere (secondhand) exposure to smoking also increases the risk of snoring.

How does smoking increase the risk of snoring?
It would seem that the more you smoke, the higher your risk of snoring. A person who smokes three packs of cigarettes every day is more at risk of snoring than someone who only smokes a few cigarette sticks during the weekend. However, research has proven that smoking, no matter how little, is dangerous to your health and increases the risk of heart diseases and stroke.

It is not clear how the clogged or turbulent airway that causes snoring can make the airway collapse which leads to sleep apnea. It is, however, possible that it is a major contributor even though there may be other factors involved. But the most lesson to learn here is that, if you smoke, snoring is a good reason for you to quit this habit.

What is the impact of alcohol on snoring?
Alcohol may be the perfect way to bond with friends and loved ones on a chilly evening, but it can be the only thing coming in between you and a good sleep. The impact of the alcohol on your body will make you snore, and if you have an existing condition of sleep apnea, well, it gets worse with alcohol in your system.

Alcohol is a depressant, and it makes the muscles in the body including those in the throat overly relaxed. When sleeping, the air passage in the esophagus constricts because the muscles that keep the passage clear relax. The body needs oxygen and to achieve this, it inhales air forcefully. So, as the air goes over the soft skin of the esophagus, it vibrates and gives off the disruptive snoring sounds.

Furthermore, alcohol has a profound effect on sleep. For the body to sleep and wake up feeling refreshed, the body must attain the REM sleep phase which is the dream-state sleep phase. Alcohol only causes drowsiness, it slows down the transition to REM sleep, and the result is the groggy, disoriented and tired feeling a person feels even after they have slept for the required 8 hours. For frequent consumers of alcohol, they are constantly sleep-deprived, and this affects the normal functioning of their body so, when they sleep, they snore.

This does not mean you cannot enjoy alcohol responsibly. We are only cautioning against excessive intake which can impact your ability to get a restful sleep at night.

The relationship between Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
Even without a diagnosis for sleep apnea, sleep apnea is directly linked to alcohol. According to studies, heavy drinking can induce OSA in people who do not have it, and if you are already an alcoholic who snores, you stand a higher risk of developing OSA. For a person living with OSA already, drinking alcohol makes the effects of sleep apnea more pronounced. This is because alcohol increases the time between when the person stops breathing and when they wake up to breathe.
The symptoms getting severe, causes severe desaturations which is the reduction in the oxygen levels of the blood. This may also lead to hypercapnia, a fatal condition where there are increased levels of carbon dioxide in the body.

Best ways to consume alcohol
All hope is not lost for you if you cannot do without your alcohol. There are various anti-snore products available ranging from mouthpieces to mouth guards. These products help position the jaw and mouth in a way that keeps the air passage open while you sleep. Go to a sleep specialist for consultation to know more about these anti-snore products to know which one will work for you. If you cannot do without ending your day with a tall beer, make sure you finish your last drink four hours before you will go to bed. By the time it is your bedtime, most of the alcohol would have found its way out of your system. Never let the booze get in the way of your sleep. You need good sleep and cheers to that.

Resources:
https://snoremagazine.com/
https://dailysleep.org/how-to-prevent-insomnia/