Snoring disturbs not only the person who snores but also everyone nearby. Researchers are still studying what specific features of airflow and tissue properties make snoring loud. New work has brought them closer to the answer. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm created a three-dimensional computer model of the upper airways. It took into account several factors: airflow, soft tissue movement, and sound generation.
The scientists focused on the soft palate — the area at the back of the oral cavity. Unlike the hard palate, which feels like a dense bony surface, the soft palate consists of elastic tissues and can move during breathing.
The researchers observed what happens to air as it passes through the airways and what tissue movements are accompanied by sound.
The loudest sounds occurred when an unstable airflow passed through soft tissues and caused them to vibrate.
The issue may be that the airflow can create a load on the soft palate, causing it to oscillate, and these oscillations form the sound of snoring.
According to the scientists, the results may help better evaluate methods that alter the properties of soft palate tissues, for example, making them stiffer and less mobile.
If the soft palate vibrates less, theoretically the loudness of snoring could also decrease. However, the researchers do not yet propose a specific treatment method.
The 3D model was primarily created to study the mechanism of snoring. It is still too simplified to recommend treatments to patients based on it.
The next step will be modeling how different stiffness of the soft palate affects its vibrations and the sound of snoring.
Earlier, Kursiv Health wrote that snoring is not dangerous in most cases and is just a feature of the body. But sometimes it can signal a serious condition — sleep apnea.
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