Snoring is costing people nearly three weeks of sleep per year

As Stop Snoring Week comes around again, a whopping 87 percent of Irish people have admitted that their partner’s snoring stops them from enjoying a wellearned rest at night, leaving them feeling annoyed (46%), frustrated (45%) and even stressed out (28%).

The notorious nocturnal nuisance is a widespread problem, with 91% of Irish people in a survey saying that they or their partner regularly snores, with most saying their noisy partner wakes them at least twice a night. As a result, nearly a quarter (24%) of the sleepless people polled said their partner’s snoring leaves them unable to concentrate at work the following day.

The effects of snoring to both snorer and their partner are wide ranging and could be much more common than we thought. According to the data the average Irish person can lose up to a staggering 414 hours of sleep every year (17 days!) – 68 minutes of lost sleep per night of the most unwelcome of sleep sounds.

It’s no surprise that almost half (48 percent) of Irish people believe that their hearing may have even been damaged by snoring. As a result, a fifth (22 percent) say they are going to wear earplugs in the future or get a hearing test (21 percent), with Specsavers saying it’s a ‘great way to block out any noise’.

Many of those kept awake take matters into their own hands and try to combat snoring, with 49% admitting to elbowing their partner, 44% rolling them over, and 42% giving them a gentle kick to make them stop.

The noises can be irritatingly varied too. A third (37%) described their partner’s snoring as a low rumble, while 14% said their partners snoring sounds like a lawn mower.