When the divorce comes through snoring is blamed

Denise Knowles, of Relate

Adverse effects

According to the survey, a massive 80% of couples resorted to sleeping separately to escape the noise.

Four out of 10 couples said they thought that snoring had adversely affected the quality of their relationship.

Alan Myatt - the 'World's Loudest Man' has been cured of his snoring

And Denise Knowles from the relationship counselling service Relate, said that snoring was an issue that needed to be taken very seriously.

"If it gets to the stage when the snorer ignores pleas from their partner to do something about the problem, then it shows a lack of consideration and this will often start to permeate into other areas of the relationship.

"It's often that serious and when the divorce comes through snoring is blamed."

But it is not just the partner of a snorer who can suffer - the snorers themselves often have broken sleep and are too exhausted to get through the day.

Ms Knowles said: "When people are deprived of sleep they suffer physically and emotionally.

"They can't think straight or listen to people properly and are less able to deal with problems. This can also lead to the intimate relationship being affected because sex is the last thing you want if you're shattered.

"If a couple is getting to the stage when they are sleeping in different rooms then it's time that they start talking to each other very seriously."

Snoring celebrities

One couple who suffered dreadfully because of snoring were the Myatt's from Gloucester.

Alan Myatt, a town cryer, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest man because of his strident tones.

But as well as his loud voice, which registered at 112.8 decibels, the same as a jet engine, Mr Myatt also snored.

Although his problem has now been cured his wife Jackie said the snore had given her earache for years.

And the snoring problem doesn't stop at the doors of ordinary people. Newly wed Friends star Courtney Cox recently announced that her husband David Arquette snores terribly and Rosanne is reported to make her husband Ben Thomas sleep in another room because of the noise.

The census, which involved habitual snorers and their partners, was conducted by the manufacturers of the snoring remedy Snoreeze.