# Is it physically possible to hear yourself snore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291 "2003-04-22T12:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/1 "2003-04-22T12:11:06Z")
Case in point: I snore, as do millions of other humans on the planet, if not everyone at one time or another. I was wondering if it is physically possible to hear yourself snore. Mrs.Phlosphr usually asked me too roll over or to just **STOP SNORING HONEY!!**. I hear her say “_stop snoring honey_” but I do not hear myself snoring when she asks me to stop. Why is that? Any ideas? Do you hear yourself snore? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/2 "2003-04-22T12:26:07Z")
Yes, I have heard myself snore - starts off as some other noise in a dream; maybe a dog barking, maybe a voice, then it changes gradually into the sound of me snoring as it wakes me up. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/3 "2003-04-22T12:34:10Z")
Yes, happened to me once or twice. :o ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/4 "2003-04-22T12:39:39Z")
Put me down as having heard myself snore many times. It usually manifests itself as a buzzing, until I am half awake and realize it’s snoring. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/5 "2003-04-22T12:44:22Z")
I find it decidedly quirky that I hear my wife say stop snoring, but don’t hear it myself. Usually I can detect the feeling of snoring before the auditory sensation hits… Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/6 "2003-04-22T13:01:27Z")
Sometimes when I wake up from a short nap I hear what sounds suspiciously like the tail end of a snore. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/7 "2003-04-22T13:50:22Z")
Yep, I also hear myself snore sometimes, and am sometimes startled by Mr cowgirl’s elbow and “Stop snoring!” whisper, when I (thought I was) awake and not snoring. Maybe there are different kinds of snores? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/8 "2003-04-22T13:52:47Z")
I’ve actually woken (sp?) myself up because I was snoring so loud! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/9 "2003-04-22T13:55:48Z")
I’ve heard myself snore, although I snore constantly… yet I only hear myself snore very rarely. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/10 "2003-04-22T13:56:05Z")
What **SirRay** , **tschild** , and **zoid** said. ---
**Author:** ![S\_Puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@S\_Puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S_Puppy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/11 "2003-04-22T13:57:04Z")
Sure I hear myself snore sometimes as I am just dozing off. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/12 "2003-04-22T14:02:48Z")
Like **S Puppy** , I can sometimes catch myself snoring either just as I drop off, or just upon waking up. I think it only happens when I’m relaxed enough to be asleep - when I’m controlling my muscles, I don’t breathe in a way that is a snore - but I also have to be awake to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/13 "2003-04-23T01:49:26Z")
Since I generally don’t snore, the few times I do (from falling asleep on my back, which is unusual for me), I do wake myself up and hear the tail end of that final chortle. Although, I think I’m waking up not so much from the sound of my own snore, but from lack of breathing properly. ## Peace. chchch…what?! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/14 "2003-04-23T02:28:17Z")
Wouldn’t situations where we hear our own snoring be related to that feeling of paralysis some people (like me) experience when we wake up from REM sleep? Presumably, we were snoring while we dreamed, then we woke up, but couldn’t move and then kept snoring until we could move our head to stop it? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/15 "2003-04-23T03:05:57Z")
Honest to god, not ten minutes ago, I was dozing while sitting here on the sofa, and in my half sleep was aware of a sort of growling sound in the background that stopped when I woke up. Me snoring. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/16 "2003-04-23T03:32:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zoid \* > \*\*I’ve actually woken (sp?) myself up because I was snoring so loud! \*\* Same here. According to my wife I don’t snore very often, but when I do it’s like an Earthquake! I’ve found that everytime she complains I’m snoring(or when I’ve woken myself up snoring) it was when I was drop dead exhausted tired. There must be a connection. Except…my wife almost snores every night. We’ve found that if I wake here up and she takes a sip of water, she doesn’t snore the rest of the night.😕 Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![MajorTom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@MajorTom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MajorTom)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/17 "2003-04-23T03:43:41Z")
“Majorette” Tom has awakened me to tell me to stop snoring. I’m sure it’s just a ruse to lower my self esteem or something. Obviously if I could hear her voice I could hear myself snoring! I can hear her snore sometimes and it’s not real loud. I know “denile is a river in Egypt” I can awaken myself from a bad dream, or just enjoy it until it gets too rough. I usually realize I’m dreaming when I am. Sure wish I could pick out the subject matter of the dream before I doze off. Anybody have a trick up their sleeve for this? ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/18 "2003-04-23T06:48:07Z")
I often wake myself by my snoring, often the very first ‘snore’. “sssshhhhh-SNNNNHHUGHHN…Huh? Whazzat!!!” Happens whenever I take a nap sitting up (in a car, on the sofa). I don’t snore normally (except when drunk) and am a light sleeper to boot. -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/19 "2003-04-23T09:43:59Z")
Mr bifar is going through a snoring patch right now. It’s driving me mad. One night in particular I was nudging him every five minutes or so, ‘cause that usually stops him for a while. After about an hour he gets up and asks ‘Why are you nudging me? I’m trying to get to sleep.’ He claimed he couldn’t have been snoring because he had been awake the whole time. My opinion, of course, was rather different. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291/20 "2003-04-23T13:23:10Z")
I’ve caught myself snoring, and was later intrigued by the sensation of knowing _why_ I was snoring. I could feel the soft part of the palate in my mouth had relaxed and was restricting air flow. This is also as good a time as any to mention that sleep apnea is a serious problem. Maybe it’s time to resurrect that old thread. I have no doubts that my CPAP machine saved my life. E3 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291.md?page=2)