What different snoring sounds mean: gurgling, whistling, wheezing and more

Most snoring is a rumbling, snorting or rattling sound from vibrating tissue in your nose, mouth and throat, sometimes a soft whistle. Some sounds point elsewhere. Snoring that stops, then ends in a snort or gasp, can mean sleep apnea. Wheezing usually comes from the chest, stridor from the throat or voice box, and groaning on the out-breath may be catathrenia. A doctor should hear anything unusual.

What does normal snoring sound like?

Cleveland Clinic describes snoring as the rumbling, snorting or harsh rattling sound some people make during sleep, caused by a partly blocked airway. It says the sound varies from person to person and can range from a quiet vibration or whistle to a loud rumble.

The sound comes from tissue moving. As you breathe, air passes through your nose, mouth and throat, and where the airway narrows, the tissues vibrate against each other. Cleveland Clinic says that narrowing can come from your anatomy, from swelling with a cold, or from mouth and throat muscles relaxing too much in sleep. If you want to know why it happens to you, start with reasons you snore.

What does it mean if your snoring is very loud?

Very loud snoring isn't a diagnosis on its own, but it's a useful clue to sleep apnea. A Cleveland Clinic sleep specialist says people who describe loud, disruptive snoring are more likely to have sleep apnea and should talk to a provider about a sleep study.

Research backs that up. A 2022 analysis pooled 13 studies with 3,153 adults who had both snoring measured and a sleep test. It found a high correlation between how severe the snoring was and how severe the sleep apnea was. Is snoring bad for you? covers what that means for your health.

What does snoring with pauses, snorts and gasps mean?

Snoring with pauses, snorts and gasps can mean sleep apnea, and this is the pattern to take most seriously. The NHS lists the main symptoms of sleep apnoea as breathing that stops and starts, gasping, snorting or choking noises, and waking up a lot. A Cleveland Clinic sleep specialist describes people making snoring or snorting sounds to open their airway again after it has closed on them, often without knowing it.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine lists snoring, choking or gasping during sleep and silent breathing pauses among its warning signs of sleep apnea, alongside daytime sleepiness, obesity and high blood pressure. If a partner hears loud snoring, then silence, then a gasp or snort, ask a doctor about a sleep test. Our guide to snoring vs. sleep apnea explains how the two differ.

Is whistling while you sleep snoring or wheezing?

Whistling while you sleep can be either snoring or wheezing. Cleveland Clinic says snoring can sound like a whistle. Wheezing is different. MedlinePlus describes it as a high-pitched whistling sound that happens when air moves through narrowed breathing tubes in the lungs. It's most noticeable when you breathe out, though it can be heard when breathing in too.

A few things help tell them apart. Wheezing usually comes from the small breathing tubes deep in the lungs, according to MedlinePlus, and Cleveland Clinic lists asthma as one of its most common causes, along with infections, allergies, COPD and heart failure. Those conditions affect your breathing whether you're asleep or awake, while snoring is a sound made during sleep.

Cleveland Clinic adds that the tone of a wheeze depends on where the narrowing is. Narrowing in the upper airway can sound hoarser, while narrowing lower down can sound more musical, like a clarinet. MedlinePlus says to contact a provider if wheezing keeps happening without explanation, and to go to an emergency department if it's severe or comes with severe shortness of breath.

What is stridor, and how is it different from snoring?

Stridor is a sound to act on quickly. MedlinePlus describes it as an abnormal, high-pitched, musical breathing sound caused by a blockage in the throat or voice box. It's most often heard when breathing in.

Its causes are different from snoring. MedlinePlus lists swelling of the throat or voice box, croup, an inhaled object, secretions such as phlegm and smoke inhalation among them. It says stridor may be a sign of an emergency, and that you should contact a provider right away if there is unexplained stridor, especially in a child. In young children, it is a sign of airway blockage that must be treated right away. If your child's breathing sounds high-pitched and strained, don't wait to see if it passes. For ordinary snoring in kids, see snoring in children.

What does gurgling or rattling snoring mean?

Rattling snoring is within the normal range. Cleveland Clinic's own description of snoring includes a harsh rattling sound. We didn't find a medical source that defines gurgling snoring as its own type, so it's hard to say what a gurgle means for any one person.

What matters is the company it keeps. Cleveland Clinic describes wheezing as a whistle or coarse rattle from a partly blocked airway, often with a cold or another illness. A gurgling or rattling sound that also shows up when you're awake, or comes with trouble breathing, is a reason to see a doctor. So is any gurgling that comes with choking or gasping in your sleep.

Why do I make noise when I breathe out in my sleep?

Noise when you breathe out in your sleep may be catathrenia rather than snoring, since Cleveland Clinic says snoring happens as you breathe in. A long groan or moan as you breathe out may be catathrenia, a sleep-related breathing disorder. The noise is loud, lasts from a couple of seconds up to 40 seconds and can happen nightly.

Catathrenia is uncommon. Cleveland Clinic cites figures of 0.17% of people in a Japanese study and 0.4% in a Norwegian one, and says it may be mistaken for snoring. It isn't dangerous to your physical health, but it can affect sleep quality and relationships. Many people find their symptoms stop with a CPAP machine. Wheezing, which is also loudest on the out-breath, is the other thing to rule out.

Can the sound of your snoring tell you where it comes from?

The sound of your snoring can't tell you where it comes from with any certainty yet. A 2021 systematic review of 28 studies found that the pitch of snoring was linked to where the upper airway narrowed. Narrowing lower in the airway tended to produce higher-frequency sound components than narrowing higher up. Prediction models built on these sounds were 60% to 92% accurate.

The reviewers concluded that snoring sound analysis is promising but isn't yet a viable way to choose treatment. Apps and recorders are useful for capturing the sound for a doctor, as our guide to snoring apps and sleep trackers explains, but they can't diagnose what's behind it.

When should you see a doctor about the sound of your snoring?

Before you see a doctor about the sound of your snoring, record it if you can. Cleveland Clinic suggests using an app or a noise-activated recorder, and says a doctor may ask what your snoring sounds like and whether you stop breathing or gasp. For catathrenia, it recommends recording yourself so a provider can listen back.

See a doctor if your snoring comes with pauses, gasping, snorting or choking, or if you feel very tired during the day, as the NHS advises. Get help right away for stridor, or for wheezing with severe shortness of breath. Our list of questions to ask your doctor about snoring can help you prepare, and sleep apnea warning signs covers the rest of the picture.

Read next

• Snoring vs. sleep apnea: how to tell the difference
• Is snoring bad for you?
• Sleep apnea warning signs

* 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.