Apnoea & Snoring

Snoring & Sleep Apnoea: Signs of Dysfunctional Breathing

Snoring and sleep apnoea are often treated as isolated sleep issues—but in reality, they're symptoms of a deeper problem: dysfunctional breathing.

If your daytime breathing is irregular, shallow, or excessive, it will continue through the night. This can lead to a variety of sleep-related symptoms, including:

• Snoring

• Sleep apnoea (O(btrusctive) SA or C(entral) SA)

• Insomnia

• Restless legs

• Frequent nighttime urination

• Bruxism (teeth grinding)

• Waking with a dry mouth or thirst

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Snoring: A Sign You’re Over-Breathing

If you snore, you may be breathing 2 to 3 times more air than your body actually needs—also known as chronic over-breathing.

While many sleep professionals focus solely on the apnoea phase (when breathing stops), the real issue often starts earlier—with excessive breathing. Over-breathing causes your blood CO₂ levels to drop, which can reduce oxygen delivery to the brain and body tissues, leading to fatigue, grogginess, and poor sleep quality.

💡 Loud snorers have been shown to breathe more than 10 litres of air per minute during sleep—far above the normal range.
(Radwan et al., Eur Resp J 1995)

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Functional MRI scan (Litchfield, 1999): Brain Oxygen Levels During Sleep

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How Over-Breathing Affects Your Brain

In the brain scan above:

• The left image shows normal oxygen levels during healthy breathing.

• The right image shows how snoring and over-breathing can cause a dramatic drop in oxygen supply to the brain. This person was asked to hyperventilate on purpose for just 1 minute.

This pattern repeats night after night—affecting cognition, memory, and long-term brain health. It may also explain why chronic snorers and those with sleep apnoea are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

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Why Standard Treatments Can Miss the Mark

Common treatments for snoring and sleep apnoea include:

• CPAP and BiPAP machines

• Mandibular advancement devices (mouth splints)

• Surgery

These devices aim to keep the airways open—but they do not address the root cause: dysfunctional breathing. Many people find them uncomfortable, disruptive, or even painful—often abandoning them altogether.

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Natural Relief from Snoring & Sleep Apnoea

We’ve found that nearly all clients who present with snoring or sleep apnoea also show signs of dysfunctional breathing during the day. Addressing this root cause can lead to rapid improvements in sleep.

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Our breathing retraining program helps to:

• Reduce or eliminate snoring

• Restore natural sleep rhythms

• Improve oxygen delivery to the brain

• Increase daytime energy and mental clarity

Many clients notice improvements within the first few sessions.

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Take the First Step Toward Better Sleep

Restoring a natural breathing pattern can transform your nights—and your days and help your reliance on machines, devices, or surgery.