Snoring Linked to Pressure on Mid-Back?

I don’t suffer from snoring and also don’t suffer from sleeping with someone who suffers from snoring, but I am a massage therapist and have noticed something interesting - some clients tend to snore when I put pressure on their mid-thoracic. This doesn’t happen for the majority of clients, but for the ones that it does happen to one of two things happens:

1) if the client isn’t already snoring, when I put pressure on their mid-back they start snoring a little, or

2) if the client is already snoring, when I put pressure on their mid-back they start snoring louder

This makes me think that there’s a link to snoring and pressure on the mid-back, especially since the main nerves that run out of this area (T3, T4 and T5) go into the chest and assist with breathing. Does anyone know if there has been any research linking the two? Is there any research on if snoring happens most often in certain sleeping positions (back, side or stomach)? If you do snore, what position do you usually sleep in and/or if you sleep with someone who snores, what position do they usually sleep in?

Hi POUUER

It's an interesting observation and one that could have profound implications.

I have no medical qualifications, only general observations and I have not heard of nor as yet read up on this potential.

There can be no doubt that snoring is worse when lying supine on the back but general consensus would have us believe that this is caused by a simple act of gravity on the throat and jaw.

If there is a compounding or contributing factor involving pressure points impacting directly on lung and chest function that could prove quite interesting.

This article is careful to not draw any conclusions but it does touch on a number of possibilities although they are generally in the reverse direction to what you describe.

sleep-apnea-and-back-pain

I wonder if there might be a simpler explanation like pressure on the lower back transferring pressure to, or shifting the position of, the jaw or throat?

Thanks for the responses! I've noticed that only pressure on the mid-back triggers snoring, and after I pass over that area to the upper back/shoulders it doesn't cause the same response. Pressing downward on a client's upper back has a greater chance of shifting their jaw or throat, and since that doesn't cause snoring I'm not so sure that pressure on the mid-back would cause any noticeable shift in the jaw or throat either.

Anyway, I thought I'd just throw out this observation for anyone who might be reading and may know how to properly test it. It would be cool to see if there's any kind of link!

I am intrigued by this conversation. I am a side sleeper. I am wondering if pressure in that area could cause a shift in the upper airway. Hopefully a research team will look at the possibilities which could lead to new treatment options.