Snoring is very common and is more likely the older you are. Snoring may be a sign of disturbed sleep, meaning you are less alert during the day. Lots of couples row about snoring, and often sleep in separate rooms because of it. Sharing a bed with a snorer can seriously affect the partner’s sleep; this was proved by a study in America (reported in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1999;74:939–966), which showed that when snoring was eliminated, the bed partners got an extra hour of sleep each night.
Fascinating Facts
- 41.5% of the UK population snore (British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association)
- A study (Sleep 1999;22:205–209) at the University of Erlangen, Germany, found that many young people snore; 61% of medical students (both male and female) have been told so by their partners
- Churchill and Mussolini were both famous snorers
- A doctor at the University of Minnesota, USA, found that the snores of 12% of people referred to his clinic exceeded 55 decibels – the maximum legal outdoor night-time noise in Minnesota. “They could get arrested for disturbing the peace – that’s how loud the noise is,” he said (The Lancet 1999;353:P989)
First published on embarrassingproblems.com
Reviewed and edited by Dr Anna Cantlay
Last updated: June 2025 by Dr Chin Whybrew
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