You know your snoring is bad when a bedmate would rather listen to possums mating each night. According to a recent survey commissioned by Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, 23 percent of Australian women with snoring bedmates would prefer the sounds of marsupial trysts to nightly snoring.[1] Not surprisingly, their husbands’ snoring is killing their own love lives.
Fifty percent of respondents said snoring had damaged their romantic relationship, and 40 percent admitted to sleeping in different rooms. Six percent revealed it even contributed to a relationship break up. (Australians are not alone in this regard, for more information, see how snoring leads to divorce in America as well.
As comical (or perhaps disturbing) as the idea of mating possums may be, snoring on the other hand is a quite serious matter. Heavy and persistent snoring is often a symptom of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and can have serious consequences. Snoring, obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disordered breathing conditions are quite common, but many people often feel uncomfortable seeking treatment because of the stigma associated with it. In fact, of these surveyed women, only nine percent of their snoring partners had visited a sleep clinic.
Recently, the medical community has started taking the treatment of snoring much more seriously. Centers like Sereno, The Center for Snoring Solutions based in San Francisco, have opened to provide a variety of snoring and sleep apnea solutions that are minimally invasive, virtually painless and usually performed in less than 30 minutes. Which, incidentally, is even quicker than the average possum mating ritual.
[1] Australian Associated Press. "Snoring Kills Sex, Women Say." 6 Oct. 2010. Print