If you snore and your partner or spouse is enduring sleepless nights from the late night noise, chances are you are sleeping alone or even worse; your relationship is on the brink.
Sleep specialists say men snore more than women by a two to one margin and the sleepless nights can wear down even the most loving of partners.
Dr. Andrew Veale, a sleep disorder specialist, told Softpedia.com that "Snoring is more than noise; it can lead to broken marriages and incompatibilities."
Kristy and Ben Lamoreau of Apopka admit they have been sleeping in separate rooms for two years because of Ben's snoring problem.
The couple has been together for 13 years but Kristy says the snoring was getting worse.
"It was really taking a toll on my mental health and my physical health, and I decided I just can't keep going like this," she said. "I mean, you can only do it for so long before it really effects you."
Despite the unusual sleeping arrangement, the couple is happily married, just recently exchanging marriage vows.
Dr. Tabarak Qureshi, a pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist ,says many patients are usually in denial when they sign-up for a sleep study.
"That's when it comes out they have been sleeping in separate bedrooms for the last five to seven years, because the snoring has become unbearable," Qureshi said.
Qureshi has been giving his snoring patients a non-prescription device called Theravent. The company says the "MicroValve technology" has been successful in clinical tests and it is offering a free 14 day supply of the nasal device.
According to Qureshi , the limited study found that out of 46 patients half saw their snoring drop by 50 decibels.
"The softer the snore the more they can sleep in the same room with their spouse," he said.
Don Mcelvain agreed to participate in a sleep study after his wife, Susan, told him she couldn't take his snoring anymore.
On the first night of using the device Susan Mcelvain says she kept checking to see if her husband "was still breathing."
"It's a blessing." she said. "We both have a better quality of sleep because Don doesn't snore like he did."
Snoring sends couples to separate bedrooms