Dr Mark Elliott of the Sleep Disorder Clinic at Killingbeck & St. James’ University Hospital says about the consequences of excessive snoring and sleep deprivation “it can seriously damage health, work and marriage, and affects 1 in 8 people”.

He explained: "I have seen patients involved in accidents, who have fallen asleep doing 70 mph on the motorway or while operating dangerous machinery" and added that "people have been close to losing their lives, their jobs and their marriages. When we fall asleep, the upper airway relaxes along with the rest of the body, but when the throat relaxes beyond a certain point there is a partial obstruction and the throat vibrates causing a snoring noise. In some cases the throat obstructs completely and the patient wakes up. This can happen many times in an hour causing serious sleep fragmentation and the victim becomes chronically deprived of sleep."

Snoring is a very common problem that can affect anyone from children to pensioners. In a small number of cases however, the condition can become dangerous. It causes marital discord to the extent that it is often the partner who insists on finding a remedy.