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Good Question: Why Don't We Wake Up From Our Own Snores?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- You've been there. It's 2 a.m. You're wide awake, and your partner is sawing logs so loudly that you're pretty sure the neighbors can hear it.

Audrey from Alexandria wants to know: Why don't snorers wake up from the sound of their own snoring?

Snoring
(credit: CBS)

Our sleep expert says our bodies are smart. They want to sleep and they want to breathe – so they know not to fully wake us up when we're doing both.

Different people have different arousal thresholds, which means what wakes up one person won't wake up someone else. Moms with babies know this well.

And if the snorer does wake up from hearing their own snore, they're not awake long enough to even remember.

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