We’ve all been woken up by a snorer. There is nothing more frustrating than struggling to sleep while the snorer in question snorts, wheezes, snuffles, and grunts beside you – before the thundering crescendo that makes your blood boil. But what can you do? A sharp poke in the ribs never works, neither does forcing them to roll over onto their side, and throwing a pillow on the culprit’s face could end badly…
I don’t want to point fingers, but it does tend to be men who snore – and there is data to prove it. According to the American Academy of Sleep Education, 40% of adult men are habitual snorers compared to 24% of women. Furthermore, a study by the app Sleep Cycle found that 52% of American women are woken up by a snoring partner. The reason men are more likely to snore is simply down to biology. Men have larger upper airways than women, which means when they go to sleep and their tongue falls back into that gap they snore – the larger the gap, the larger the snore. It’s almost like a speaker amplifying the sound. The result? A loss of precious zzzs for the unfortunate co-sleeper (most likely, a woman). It’s no surprise a study found that almost half of women surveyed would rather sleep alone than with their partner.
But research has found that this is a lot more dangerous than just feeling a bit tired and grumpy the next day. The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association recently revealed that a whopping 20 million Brits are sleep-deprived because their partner snores. Not only does a lack of shut-eye increase the risk of anxiety and depression, but it also impacts your body’s ability to recover and perform essential bodily functions, such as regulating metabolism. Poor sleep, according to the NHS website, also puts you at risk of developing serious medical conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. So, a disrupted sleep pattern can potentially take years off your life. That should be enough of a wake up call (pardon the pun). But that’s not all: a lack of quality sleep also impacts your libido.
Unfortunately for us, women are more susceptible to the negative effects of poor sleep. Why? It comes down to hormones. A study looking at gender disparity in sleep found that testosterone levels increase in men who’ve had a bad sleep, and because this has an anti-inflammatory effect, it keeps men’s stress hormones lower. But women’s hormones, like progesterone, don’t work in the same way. Sigh. That explains why the day after a bad night’s sleep feels particularly painful. Contrary to a number of recent headlines, this doesn’t mean that women need more sleep than men. It’s recommended that around 8 hours is a healthy amount of sleep for both sexes.
But what if that isn’t possible due to the snore monster lying next to you? Solutions to this problem (apart from dumping him, which seems a bit extreme considering they’re not doing it on purpose) include making your partner lose weight – fatty tissue around the neck squeezes the airway and prevents air flowing in and out freely. Other options are stopping them having alcohol before bed, making them quit or cut down on smoking, or getting an over-the-counter snoring device such as nasal strips. If that doesn’t work then encourage him to see a GP as it could be sleep apnoea, which is a serious condition where you stop breathing in your sleep.
The ball is most certainly in the court of the snorer. Don’t put up with wearing ear plugs every night – do they ever stay in? No. Sleep is vital. And if he doesn’t make the effort, then… adiós sēnor! Or, you know, relegate him to the sofa.
