[Acoustic analyses of snoring sounds: the possibilities and outlook]

Acoustic analyses of snoring sounds have been performed for 30 years in the diagnostic procedure for sleep disordered breathing and can be categorized according to the frequency spectrum. Snoring with dominant deep frequencies below 500 Hz is predominately caused by velar vibrations without obstruction in simple snoring. High frequency snoring above 500 Hz is caused by partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway in patients with obstructive sleep-apnea syndrome. Combined snoring noises with deep and high frequency components are still a diagnostic challenge. The human hearing is still better in rating threatening characters of snoring noises than any acoustic analysis. New approaches by means of psychoacoustic analysis might contribute to decoding the acoustic fingerprint of snoring. By applying adequate analysis algorithms acoustic screening devices might be able to shed light on the extent of sleep disordered breathing in the future. Moreover an improved topodiagnostic approach in snoring might contribute to a better outcome in the treatment of snoring.