Sleeping on your back can make snoring worse
More than a third of Britons are losing two years of sleep in a lifetime because of their partner's snoring, a survey suggests.

Slumbering next to a snorer robs a person of about two hours sleep per night, according to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association (BSSAA).

With an average relationship lasting 24 years, this would equate to a loss of two years' sleep for 15 million Brits.

Half of 2,000 adults polled said snoring affected their sex lives.

You need to get the right amount of sleep, so each night that is disturbed is going to have a profound effect

And 85% said their relationship would be better if their partner's snoring problem was resolved.

Relationship breaker

Marianne Davey, co-founder of the BSSAA, said: "Snoring can have a very negative impact on the people who have to live with it."

A spokesman from the British Sleep Society said: "You need to get the right amount of sleep, so each night that is disturbed is going to have a profound effect.


SNORING FACTS
Four in every 10 (about 15 million in total) UK adults snore, according to estimates
10.4 million are males and 4.5 million females
Men are perceived to be louder snorers than women
58% of snorers are between 50-59 years of age
Source: BSSAA

"Lack of sleep can have a negative consequence on your physical, mental and emotional health. Poor sleep is linked with poor academic performance, increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, divorce, suicide - the list goes on and on."

Snoring is a coarse sound made by vibrations of the soft palate and other tissues of the mouth, nose and throat (upper airway). It is caused by a partial blockage of the upper airway.

At night, the muscles that help keep your airways open relax and become floppy. This causes the airways to narrow and vibrate more, making snoring more likely.

There are a number of factors that can make snoring worse, including alcohol, being overweight or having a cold.

Sleeping on your side rather than back can help.

BBC News