There are four common mechanisms in sound production. Essentially, anything that causes air molecules to vibrate produces sound. The most common to the human body is by vibrating a membrane while there is airflow which produces our voice. The rate of vibration determines the frequency and intensity of sound produced that can be regulated by the muscles of our throat. Aside from using our throats to produce voice when awake, sound production also happens when we sleep in the form of snoring.

Snoring is a sound that is produced by the vibrations of the respiratory structures due to a partially obstructed airway during breathing while sleeping. It varies in intensity from a soft sound to a loud unpleasant sound that can be annoying. There are times when snoring supersedes the volume of alarms from smartphones that causes others to suffer from sleep deprivation. Unlucky are the ones who have to deal with snoring roommates because they are at risk to a number of health problems. Know the factors leading to snoring by reading what's below.

• Age. As one ages, usually upon reaching middle age and beyond, a person's airway specifically the throat becomes narrower, and muscle tone in the throat decreases. This in effect causes breathing during sleep to produce strong vibrations that result to snoring.
• Gender. Men generally have narrower air passages than women, hence the former are more likely to snore.
• Weight. Fat people are more likely to snore because they usually have fatty tissues behind their throat that results to a narrower airway than with slimmer people. Additionally, the muscle tone in the throat of overweight people is poor, thus keeping an unobstructed airway can be a difficult task for the throat muscles that often turn out as a loud snore.
• Airway problems. Conditions such as a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, and other physical nasal and sinus problems create a negative pressure in the throat that causes snoring.
• Alcohol, smoking, and medications. Alcohol and certain medications promote muscle relaxation which decreases the muscle strength temporarily. Smoking, on the other hand, irritates the airway which causes the throat to constrict. Both phenomena lead to snoring.
• Sleep posture. Sleeping in a supine position causes the tongue to fall back that tends to block the airway leading to snoring due to gravity. This is the most common cause of snoring.

There are always ways to make snoring less annoying by putting on your mobile earphones while playing a soft music while you sleep to mask that annoying sound. If ever your simple trick won't work, work on how you plan on communicating with snoring roommates about their snoring. Never talk to them about that topic in the middle of the night or early morning, and avoid lashing out just because you are deprived of a sound sleep. Keep in mind, snoring is unintentional. Falling victim to a snoring roommate may happen to anyone; remember that they are not keeping you awake on purpose.