Sleeping is obviously a natural part of everyone's life. Children have sleepovers, teenagers have vacations and adults have road trips. All of which involve sleeping in front of people. But, it's not because of a common emotion; it's actually because I snore.

Ever since I was a child, I snored at sleepovers, and my friends would continuously ask their parents, "Why is Matthew snoring?"

Well, actually I have a medical condition. I was born with a cleft palate, meaning that I was basically born with a hole in the roof of my mouth, if you want a detailed explanation click here. Basically, I had speech problems, ear problems and occasionally nose trouble. I spent a lot of my childhood getting surgeries to "fix" my problems. Eventually, my mouth was healed, and I got to have a pretty average childhood.

Except, I would always snore, and it made me feel scared, embarrassed and self-conscious at many sleepovers, vacations and road trips.

Imagine you're at a sleepover with your best friends, and you fall asleep. Then suddenly you're awoken by people screaming your name just to tell you, "You're snoring." I mean, what are you supposed to do? Not go to bed?

Everyone would tell me, "Have you ever used those nose strips?"

Yes I have, but they don't work for me because mine is a medical issue and not an allergy issue. I have tried many things in order to fix my issue, but as of right now, I haven't found anything that helps me.

I have grown increasingly self-conscious because I have been spending a lot more time with coworkers and professionals in my field, and it becomes very difficult when you're always worried that you'll be snoring or breathing too loudly again. It's an ongoing struggle to make sure others are happy, and you don't draw too much attention to yourself.

It has also affected my everyday life. It has become very common to hear me breathe, and my family, friends and coworkers would always look at me funny, laugh or just feel sorry for me.

Yes, I have a medical condition that makes me snore, but that isn't all of who I am. It's only a part of me.