Why do we wake other people up when we snore but not ourselves?

We wake other people up when we snore because, while we sleep, our brain filters out familiar sounds, categorizing them as low priority, which allows us to continue resting. This process, managed by a part of the brain called the thalamus, means that loud snorers may experience brief awakenings, known as micro-arousals, but often do not remember them upon waking^[3][4].

In contrast, those nearby are unable to filter out the snoring noise and find it disruptive, leading to their awakening^[6]. Consequently, this difference in auditory processing explains why snorers can remain oblivious to their own noise while it disturbs others^[2][1].