When you sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat, and soft palate (the roof of your mouth) all relax. Snoring is the hoarse or unmelodious sound that occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat, causing rattling and vibration of these tissues as you breathe, due to the obstructed air movement.
Of the 67 percent who snore, the majority is palatal flutter, or vibration of the soft palate.
