Sleep / Series · How snoring happens, part 2

The difference between snoring and sleep apnea

Intermediate · 4 min read · ■■■□ moderate evidence

Snoring and sleep apnea often come up in the same sentence. Both start in the same place: the throat that narrows during sleep, which we described in the first part. But what happens in the throat is different.

Snoring: vibration

In snoring, air passes through an airway that is narrowed but still open. The soft palate and the tissues around it vibrate with the airflow and make a sound¹. Breathing continues; air keeps reaching the lungs.

Sleep apnea: blockage

In sleep apnea the throat narrows further or closes completely. This happens again and again through the night. The oxygen level in the blood can drop and sleep is broken up².

If no air gets through at all, this is called an apnea. If air gets through but is clearly reduced, it is called a hypopnea (a partial reduction in breathing). Both have to last at least 10 seconds³. In a sleep test these events are counted, and the number per hour is calculated.

How are the two linked?

Snoring and pauses in breathing are different points on the same range⁴. But snoring does not mean you have apnea.

In Australia, snoring and breathing were measured at home in 294 men aged 40 to 65⁵. 81% of the participants snored for more than a tenth of the night⁵. Those with 5 or more breathing events per hour made up 26%⁵. So most of the snorers in this group did not have apnea.

On the other hand, snoring is one of the best-known signs of sleep apnea². In a large US study, moderate and severe apnea was found 3 to 4 times more often in people who said they snored regularly or loudly⁶. Someone who snores little can also have apnea⁵. In short, snoring is a clue, not proof.

Why does telling them apart matter?

Snoring is very common and is usually not a sign of anything serious⁷. Its biggest effect may be on the sleep of the person next to you. Sleep apnea is different. Broken sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness and raise the risk of accidents while driving; it is also probably linked to high blood pressure². That is why telling the two apart matters more than how loud the snoring is.

Can you tell from the sound?

The sound of snoring can say something, but it is not enough. In one study, snoring got louder as apnea became more severe⁸. Even so, experts do not consider sound alone enough to judge how serious snoring is⁹.

Diagnosing sleep apnea requires a sleep test. Questionnaires and examination alone are not used for diagnosis¹⁰.

When should you pay attention?

If some signs come with the snoring, it is a good idea to see a doctor. These are excessive daytime sleepiness, someone seeing your breathing stop or you gasping in your sleep, and high blood pressure¹⁰. More in When to see a doctor? Bringing someone who has heard you snore to the appointment can also help; they can describe what happens at night⁷.

In the last part of the series we look at what makes snoring better or worse: What affects snoring.

@misc{nefesly2026thedifferencebetweensnoringandsleepapnea,
  author = {{Nefesly}},
  title = {The difference between snoring and sleep apnea},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://nefesly.com/en/guide/the-difference-between-snoring-and-sleep-apnea/}},
  note = {Last updated 2026-10-29; accessed 2026-10-30}
}