There are three common methods of snoring diagnosis:

- Personal control: waking yourself up snoring.
- Complaints from other people: as it often happens the bed partners or roommates suffer more sleep deprivation than the snorers do.
- Sleep study: it includes tests for snoring, which also helps to diagnose sleep apnea. 

In fact, you can be even ignorant of your snoring, but your bed partner likely can. That’s why if you or your roommates have noticed any snoring sounds you should visit your doctor.

Your visit to the doctor may be very important if you are doing any of the following things:

- Falling asleep during the day
- Losing your focusing 
- Experiencing depressed
- Becoming irritable
 

Your doctor will make a general physical examination, and will pay particular attention to your nose and throat.

An ear, nose, and throat doctor (an otolaryngologist) will examine carefully your airway with the help of a fiber optic device to determine if the nasal passages are open or partly blocked or if there are any tumors present in your nose, throat, or upper airway that may be causing the snoring.

- Your blood pressure and weight will be calculated. Also your blood may be tested for thyroid function.
- In serious cases, you will be referred for a sleep laboratory test. This overnight test observes up to 16 different functions of the body while you sleep. This test will help to define the level of sleep apnea if it is present. 

Diagnostic Workup

The patient or his or her spouse should keep the dairy. It will be also very helpful to record a tape during sleep.

A patient interview, and maybe an interview with the patient's spouse or anyone else in the household who has noticed the snoring, is usually enough for a diagnosis of snoring.

Then medical history that includes questions about alcohol or tranquilizer use; past ear, nose, and throat problems; and the pattern and degree of snoring will be followed, and a physical examination will be performed to identify the cause of the problem. This will typically include examination of the throat to look for narrowing, obstruction, or malformations.