Bedtime should be a blissful part of any happy couple’s day, the bedroom a safe haven where partners snuggle up before drifting into a peaceful night’s sleep.
But for many couples, the bed has become a battleground, the site of a nightly war with a single cause: snoring.
A new study has found that 41 per cent of snorers engage in regular night-time tussles with their partners.
Noisy: Some 41 per cent of snorers engage in regular night-time tussles with their partners (file picture)
Woken up by an annoying whistle, wheeze or snort, the annoyed party will attempt to shift their partner from their back to their side to help ease the noise.
Others find even a shove or dig in the ribs does not work, with 28 per cent regularly resorting to sleeping in another room to get some sleep.
The survey of 1,134 snorers and their partners, conducted by researchers at pharmaceutical brand Nytol to mark National Stop Snoring Week, found that 27 per cent are regularly left feeling grouchy, 21 per cent constantly feel tired, and 16 per cent are less productive as a result of snoring.
Feeling frustrated: Around a quarter of women and four in ten men are frequent snorers (file picture)
More than a half of respondents said they had never tried anything to tackle the problem.
Around a quarter of women and four in ten men are frequent snorers, although nearly half of people snore occasionally.
Snoring can be caused by a number of factors, including a nasal blockage or a floppy soft palate which vibrates as the air passes.
Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: ‘Snoring can greatly impact sleep quality which may eventually lead to more serious health problems.
‘To ensure couples maintain the intimacy of their relationship and prevent snoring from getting in the way of a good night’s sleep, it is important that both the snorer and the partner work together to find a solution.
‘If you or your partner snore then there’s a variety of simple things you can do to manage the condition such as sleeping on your front or side, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding alcohol late at night.
‘While there is no cure for snoring, it can be controlled so it may also be worth discussing options such as anti snoring sprays, humidifiers, mouth guards and nasal passage plasters.’
Research published in January suggested that snoring could be the early warning sign of life-threatening health problems.
Academics at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit said the condition may cause a thickening of the arteries which can lead to brain haemorrhages, strokes and heart attacks.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2312724/Four-snorers-argue-partner-noise-quarter-dont-share-bed.html#ixzz2RCwLAlhb
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