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Common causes of noises during sleep
Airway relaxation and partial obstruction
As you transition into deeper sleep stages, the muscles in your throat and soft palate relax significantly. This relaxation can narrow your airway, causing air to vibrate soft tissue as it passes through. The result can be anything from a light hum to a full snore, depending on how much the airway narrows. This is the single most common cause of sleep noises and affects people of all ages.
Factors that increase airway narrowing include sleeping on your back, nasal congestion, alcohol consumption, and carrying extra weight around the neck. If your noises are limited to light sounds without breathing pauses, they are typically harmless.
Normal sleep stage transitions
Your body cycles through light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep multiple times per night. During transitions between stages, brief vocalizations, twitches, and position changes are common. These hypnic jerks and sounds are a normal part of sleep architecture and rarely indicate a problem.
Breathing pattern changes
During REM sleep, your breathing becomes more irregular. The rate and depth of breaths can vary significantly, and this variability can produce sounds, especially if your airway is already partially narrowed. These sounds tend to be intermittent and clustered during REM-heavy periods in the second half of the night.
Why do I make humming noises in my sleep?
Catathrenia connection
If you specifically make humming or droning noises during sleep, catathrenia is one of the most likely explanations. Catathrenia involves producing a monotone sound, often described as humming, moaning, or groaning, during the exhale phase of breathing. The sound can last 2 to 50 seconds and may recur in clusters throughout the night. Unlike snoring, which occurs on the inhale, catathrenia sounds happen during exhalation.
A study in the European Journal of Neurology found that catathrenia episodes occur most frequently during REM sleep and lighter sleep stages. The exact mechanism is not fully understood, but researchers believe it involves a partial closure of the vocal cords combined with a prolonged, controlled exhale.
Other causes of humming sounds
Not all humming during sleep is catathrenia. Other possibilities include:
- Nasal congestion creating a resonant vibration
- Mild snoring that sounds more tonal than typical snoring
- Sleep talking in the form of wordless vocalizations
- Bruxism (teeth grinding) producing a low-frequency hum
Catathrenia: Sleep-related groaning
What it is
Catathrenia is classified as a parasomnia, a category that includes sleepwalking, sleep talking, and night terrors. It typically involves a deep breath in, followed by a slow, audible exhale with a groaning or moaning sound. The person making the sound is completely unaware of it and does not experience discomfort or sleep disruption themselves. The primary impact is on bed partners, who may find the sounds disturbing or alarming.
Is it harmful?
Catathrenia itself is not considered medically dangerous. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with catathrenia generally have normal sleep architecture and do not show the oxygen desaturation patterns seen in sleep apnea. However, because some catathrenia sounds can superficially resemble the groaning associated with obstructive sleep events, a sleep study may be recommended to rule out sleep apnea if there is any doubt.
Sleep talking and other vocalizations
Sleep talking (somniloquy)
Sleep talking ranges from mumbled nonsense to clear sentences. It can occur during any sleep stage, but the content tends to be more coherent during lighter stages and more fragmented during deep sleep. Sleep talking is extremely common (about 66% of people have done it at some point) and is generally harmless. Stress, sleep deprivation, and alcohol can increase its frequency.
Sleep-related vocalizations in REM
During REM sleep, your body normally enters a state of muscle atonia (temporary paralysis) that prevents you from acting out dreams. In some people, this mechanism is incomplete, allowing vocalizations, limb movements, or both. Isolated vocalizations during REM are common and usually benign. Persistent, aggressive vocalizations with physical movement may indicate REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which warrants medical attention.
Exploding head syndrome
Despite its dramatic name, exploding head syndrome is a parasomnia involving the perception of a loud bang, crash, or explosion when falling asleep or waking up. The person experiencing it may cry out or vocalize in response. It is not dangerous but can be startling and may contribute to sleep anxiety.
When sleep noises signal a problem
Signs of obstructive sleep apnea
Not all sleep noises are harmless. If your noises include any of the following, medical evaluation is important:
- Loud snoring followed by periods of silence (breathing pauses)
- Gasping or choking sounds
- Snoring loud enough to disturb others from another room
- Daytime fatigue despite adequate sleep duration
Obstructive sleep apnea involves repeated airway collapse during sleep, reducing oxygen levels and fragmenting sleep architecture. A study in the journal Sleep estimated that the large majority of moderate to severe sleep apnea cases remain undiagnosed. If your bed partner reports breathing pauses along with noises, a sleep study can provide clarity.
Other red flags
Sleep noises accompanied by crying, screaming, or violent physical movements may indicate REM sleep behavior disorder, night terrors, or other parasomnias that benefit from clinical evaluation. Changes in sleep sounds that develop suddenly, especially in older adults, should also prompt a conversation with a healthcare provider.
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What noises help you sleep?
White noise and sound masking
While we have been discussing the noises you make, it is worth addressing the noises that can help you sleep. White noise creates a consistent sound that masks sudden environmental disruptions. Your brain's auditory system never fully shuts off during sleep, and sudden sounds (a door, a car, a neighbor) can trigger arousal responses. A steady background sound raises the threshold for those disruptions.
Choosing the right sleep sound
Different noise "colors" suit different preferences:
- White noise: Equal energy across all frequencies, good for masking a wide range of sounds
- Pink noise: Deeper, more bass-heavy than white noise, similar to steady rainfall
- Brown noise: Very low-frequency, like a deep ocean rumble
- Nature sounds: Running water, wind, or forest ambiance can feel more natural and less synthetic
If you share a bed with someone who makes noises in their sleep, consistent background sound can help mask the disruption without requiring them to address a condition that may not be medically significant. For people with tinnitus, pink or brown noise may be particularly helpful.
How to reduce unwanted sleep sounds
Positional changes
Many sleep noises, including snoring and some catathrenia sounds, are worse when sleeping on your back. Side sleeping keeps the airway more open and reduces soft tissue vibration. A body pillow or positional therapy device can help maintain a side-sleeping position through the night.
Addressing contributing factors
Several modifiable factors can reduce sleep noises:
- Treat nasal congestion (stuffy nose increases mouth breathing and airway turbulence)
- Avoid alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime (alcohol relaxes airway muscles further)
- Maintain a healthy weight (weight loss reduces tissue crowding in the airway)
- Stay well-hydrated (dry airways produce more friction and noise)
- Elevate your head slightly with an extra pillow to improve airway positioning
When to see a specialist
If your sleep noises are accompanied by breathing pauses, excessive daytime sleepiness, or morning headaches, talk to your doctor about a sleep study. These symptoms suggest that the noise is a symptom of a condition affecting your breathing and sleep quality, not just a cosmetic issue.
Understanding what is driving your sleep disruptions starts with data. Superpower's at-home blood panel covers over 100 biomarkers, including thyroid markers, cortisol, inflammatory markers, and metabolic indicators that influence sleep quality and airway function. If lifestyle adjustments are not reducing your symptoms, your blood work may reveal what is going on beneath the surface. Start with Superpower and get the answers you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
- Vetrugno R, Lugaresi E, Plazzi G, Provini F, D'Angelo R, Montagna P (2007). Catathrenia (nocturnal groaning): an abnormal respiratory pattern during sleep. *European journal of neurology*, *14*(11), 1236-43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2007.01954.x
- Alonso J, Camacho M, Chhetri DK, Guilleminault C, Zaghi S (2017). Catathrenia (Nocturnal Groaning): A Social Media Survey and State-of-the-Art Review. *Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine*, *13*(4), 613-622. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6556
- Sixel-Döring F, Trautmann E, Mollenhauer B, Trenkwalder C (2014). Rapid eye movement sleep behavioral events: a new marker for neurodegeneration in early Parkinson disease?. *Sleep*, *37*(3), 431-8. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.3468
- Bjorvatn B, Grønli J, Pallesen S (2010). Prevalence of different parasomnias in the general population. *Sleep Medicine*, *11*(10), 1031-1034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2010.07.011
- Young T, Evans L, Finn L, Palta M (1997). Estimation of the clinically diagnosed proportion of sleep apnea syndrome in middle-aged men and women. *Sleep*, *20*(9), 705-706. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/20.9.705
