Answer: This is very common, and as one person stated already, as you gain weight, especially around the neck, the extra tissues tend to narrow the space in the throat. As you go to sleep and your muscles relax, your jaw tends to drop back, pushing your tongue and soft tissues back against the back of the throat, or closer to it. This significantly narrows the airway. Snoring is due to the air passing thru this narrowed passage and the soft tissues and the tongue vibrate. At times the airway will become completely blocked and you have apnea.Anyway, the more weight you gain, the larger your neck becomes, the more susceptible your are to this condition and one of the most effective ways to reduce snoring and apnea is to lose weight.