Can an Air Purifier Help with Snoring?

When you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your mouth, tongue and throat relax. As they relax, the tissues in your throat may partially block your airway, vibrating as the airflow passes through and creating a snoring sound. The obstruction may be caused by a variety of factors:

• Anatomy: Having a low or thick soft palate, a big tongue, an elongated uvula or large tonsils means more tissue in your throat that may cause a blockage as it relaxes.
• Obesity: People who are overweight are more likely to have an increased amount of tissue in the throat.
• Sleep position: Lying on your back allows gravity to pull your tongue back towards your throat as your muscles relax.
• Substances: Alcohol and sleeping pills can cause your muscles to relax more than they would otherwise.
• Airway irritation: Allergens and other airborne contaminants can irritate your airways and inflame your throat tissues. This is where having an air purifier in the house can help!

Obstructive sleep apnea

Note that severe snoring may be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder where the airways become blocked enough to deprive the body of oxygen. If you suspect that you might have obstructive sleep apnea, symptoms of which include loud snoring, gasping for breath while asleep and daytime fatigue, talk to a medical professional.

Air purifiers can help you sleep better and ease your snoring if you suffer from airway inflammation caused by airborne contaminants. Air purifiers are designed to remove allergens such as pollen, dust, and pet dander from the surrounding air. Some types of residential air purifier systems are also effective against other irritants such as chemicals and cigarette smoke.

Air purifiers work by pulling contaminated air in, passing it through a fine mesh filter and/or other purification systems to eliminate the contaminants, and returning clean air to the room. The improved air quality should help alleviate the inflammation and consequently, the snoring. The devices are exceptionally quiet but emit a low level of background white noise, which may help partners disturbed by the sound of snoring.

If snoring is disrupting your sleep or your partner’s, it’s best to get to the bottom of what is causing your airway obstruction. If airway inflammation is the culprit, using an air purifier to reduce airborne contaminants may provide some relief.

Sanuvox is a global leader in UV air purification systems. Our patented UV purification process effectively destroys airborne pathogens and degrades chemicals and odours that may be irritating your airways. We also offer devices that include HEPA and activated carbon filters for additional particle and chemical filtration. Contact us today for air purifiers that truly make a difference!