Does snoring mean deep sleep?

Snoring doesn't mean someone is in deep sleep, although there's a grain of truth behind the idea. Sleep studies show snoring is more common, minute for minute, in deep non-REM sleep than in REM sleep. But people snore in light sleep too, and a snore tells you more about the airway than about how well someone is sleeping.

Does snoring mean deep sleep?

Snoring does not reliably mean deep sleep. Research using overnight sleep studies finds snoring happens in light and deep non-REM sleep, and less often in REM. So a snorer could be in deep sleep, but they could just as easily be in light stage 2 sleep, which takes up the biggest share of the night.

The myth probably comes from the fact that snorers often seem hard to disturb, and from the real link between snoring and deeper non-REM sleep. The full picture is a little more interesting, and it matters for anyone lying awake next to a snorer.

What are the stages of sleep?

Sleep is divided into REM sleep and three stages of non-REM sleep. Cleveland Clinic describes stage 1 as the lightest, making up about 5% of sleep time. Stage 2 is still light sleep and makes up about 45%, the most of any stage. Stage 3 is the deepest stage, at about 25% in adults, and REM, when most dreaming happens, makes up roughly another 25%.

You cycle through these stages four or five times a night, in cycles of about 90 to 120 minutes. Cleveland Clinic notes that the body tries to fit in as much stage 3 sleep as possible early in the night, and that stage 3 is the hardest stage to wake someone from.

Stage shares are from Cleveland Clinic. Snoring patterns are from the 1987, 2003 and 2024 studies described next.

In which sleep stage does snoring happen?

Snoring happens mostly in non-REM sleep, in both light stage 2 and deep stage 3. Three sleep lab studies, spread across nearly 40 years, found the same basic pattern: snoring is more frequent in deeper non-REM sleep and less frequent in REM sleep.

A 1987 study in the journal Sleep followed nine young adults who were light snorers with no symptoms. Most of their snoring happened during stage 2, mainly because stage 2 is the longest stage. When the researchers adjusted for how long each stage lasted, snoring was most common in stages 3 and 4 (the deep sleep stages under the older scoring system) and low in REM.

A 2003 study of 72 people who complained of habitual snoring found the same thing. Within a given sleeping position, snoring increased in deeper non-REM sleep and decreased in REM.

The largest of the three, a 2024 study in PLOS One, looked at 93 adults and 47 children who snored for at least 10% of the night and had no more than mild sleep apnea. Snoring time was greatest in N3 and N2 sleep and lower in REM, in both adults and children.

So the honest answer to "when snoring, are you in a deep sleep?" is: possibly, and deep sleep is where snoring is most concentrated, but most of the snoring you hear across a whole night is likely coming from light stage 2 sleep, because there's so much more of it.

Why do snorers seem so hard to wake?

Snorers can seem hard to wake because some of their snoring happens in deep stage 3 sleep, the hardest stage to wake from. Cleveland Clinic says that when people are woken from stage 3, they'll probably have sleep inertia, a state of confusion or mental fog that lasts about 30 minutes.

That's likely part of where the deep sleep idea comes from. If you nudge a snorer and they grumble, roll over and remember nothing in the morning, it feels like proof they were deeply asleep. Sometimes they were. But a snorer in light stage 2 sleep can also be slow to respond, and the snore itself sounds the same in either stage. If you're deciding whether to wake someone, our guide on whether to wake someone who is snoring covers the gentlest approach.

Why is snoring less common in REM sleep?

The studies above report the pattern rather than fully explaining it, so we won't overstate the reason. One detail is worth knowing, though. The 1987 study found that apneas and hypopneas, the breathing pauses and shallow breaths of sleep apnea, followed the opposite pattern and were more common in REM sleep.

That means a quiet stretch in the middle of the night isn't always a sign of easy breathing. If a snorer goes silent and then gasps or snorts, that's a different thing from simply moving into REM.

Does snoring disrupt the snorer's sleep?

Snoring disrupts some snorers' sleep more than others. Simple, light snoring can be fairly harmless: in the 1987 study, snoring caused no change in average oxygen levels, heart rate or breathing rate compared with quiet periods in the same sleep stage. Cleveland Clinic says occasional snoring is usually nothing to worry about.

Louder or more frequent snoring is a different matter. Cleveland Clinic says snoring can make you toss and turn during sleep and wake up with a dry or sore throat. It also says snoring that keeps you or your partner from a good night's sleep, leaving you tired and cranky during the day, is a reason to talk to a healthcare provider. If you wake up unrefreshed most days, our article on waking up tired looks at other causes too.

Does snoring disrupt a partner's sleep?

Snoring often disrupts a bed partner's sleep, sometimes more than the snorer's own. A 1999 Mayo Clinic study put 10 married couples through simultaneous overnight sleep studies. Each husband was being assessed for suspected sleep apnea, and halfway through the night he was given CPAP to stop the snoring and breathing problems.

Once the snoring stopped, the wives' arousals fell from a median of 21 to 12 an hour, and their sleep efficiency rose from 74% to 87%. The researchers estimated that works out to about an extra hour of sleep a night for the spouse. These were snorers with sleep apnea, so the effect for simple snoring may be smaller, but it shows how much a partner's noise can cost. Our guide to sleeping next to a snorer has practical ideas for the person lying awake.

When is snoring a sign of sleep apnea?

Snoring is a sign of possible sleep apnea when it comes with breathing that stops and starts, gasping, snorting or choking noises, frequent waking, or heavy daytime tiredness. The NHS lists these as the main symptoms and advises seeing a doctor if you have them.

The NHS also says sleep apnea can be hard to spot yourself, and that it can help to have someone stay with you while you sleep to check for the symptoms. That makes a bed partner one of the best early warning systems. Other daytime signs it lists include trouble concentrating, mood swings and headaches on waking.

Sleep apnea needs proper assessment and treatment, often with a CPAP machine. Nothing in this article, including the products below, is a treatment for it. Our guides to snoring vs sleep apnea and sleep apnea warning signs explain what to look for and what a check involves.

What can make snoring quieter?

For snoring without sleep apnea, a few simple changes are worth trying. The NHS suggests losing weight if you're overweight, sleeping on your side, not smoking, cutting back on alcohol and avoiding sleeping pills. Its tip for staying on your side is to tape or stitch a tennis ball to the back of your sleepwear, or use a special pillow or bed wedge.

Side sleeping has decent evidence behind it. In the 2003 study of habitual snorers, most of those without sleep apnea snored less on their side, both in time and loudness. Our article on sleep position and snoring covers how to make the switch.

The NHS also lists nasal dilators or strips that hold the nose open for snoring caused by blocked or narrow nasal airways, and a chin strap or mouth device for snoring caused by the mouth falling open during sleep. If your snoring is linked to mouth breathing, nasal strips and mouth tape can work together: the strip helps air move through your nose, and the tape helps keep your lips closed so you keep using it. Mouth tape is only for people who can breathe comfortably through the nose and don't have signs of sleep apnea. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

If you want to try nasal strips and mouth tape together, our pick is the Titan Sleep System. Titan says it combines TitanAir Nasal Strips and Titan Mouth Tape as one nightly system. Titan describes the strips as drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, and the tape as a bamboo silk strip worn across the lips.

Titan says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and that it refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights. We haven't tested or ranked these products ourselves; this is our recommendation. It's meant for ordinary snoring with a clear nose, not for anyone with signs of sleep apnea.

So is a snorer sleeping well?

A snorer isn't necessarily sleeping well or badly, and the snore alone can't tell you which. Snoring tends to cluster in non-REM sleep, especially the deep stage, but it's a sound made by a narrowed airway rather than a measure of sleep quality. Quiet, occasional snoring is usually harmless. Loud snoring with pauses, gasps or daytime exhaustion deserves a doctor's look. For more on what snoring does and doesn't mean, see is snoring bad for you? and our roundup of snoring myths.

Read next

• Should you wake someone who is snoring?
• Snoring vs sleep apnea
• Sleep position and snoring

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.