It is not that surprising that snoring is affects a large number of people, mostly males. What is less well known (except perhaps by those affected) is that snoring is responsible for relationship difficulties for many couples and is in fact frequently quoted as a factor in divorce.

If your partner snores then you will be familiar with the problems; particularly that you lay awake for hours at listening to your partner snoring when all you want to do is sleep. Your lack of sleep will obviously lead to irritability and mean that arguments are more likely. You know that your partner does not mean to snore, but you cannot help feel resentment towards them when you are deprived of precious sleep by the incessant sound of snoring. Poking your partner brings brief respite, but it is not long before that dreaded sound starts again.

It is not surprising then that many couples in this situation resort to sleeping separately. However, this does not really solve the problem as this can lead to a lack of intimacy and the couple gradually drifting apart.

So, how do you address your partner's snoring and rescue your relationship? The first place to start is to acknowledge that there is a problem and to talk to your partner about it. You should choose your time carefully - do not try and do this in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning when you are feeling tired and frustrated about your lack of sleep.

Once you and your partner have come to an understanding that "something needs to be done", then you can start investigating solutions. The type of solution you need depends on the type of snoring your partner exhibits. For example, if your partner's snoring is caused by collapsing nostrils then nasal dilators might help, if your partner's snoring is caused by their mouth falling open during sleeping, then a chinstrap to hold the mouth closed could help.

Alternatively, hypnosis may help both your partner's snoring and may help you to sleep through the sound of the snoring. The hypnosis may be administered by a trained hypnotherapist or self-administered. Also there are CDs and MP3 downloads available which use the same principles. Hypnosis works on the snorer essentially by training them to breathe differently while they are asleep. In the case of the non snoring partner it works by training them ignore the sound of the snoring.

If this is picture that you recognize and you value your relationship then you need to take action. Do you really want your relationship to be ruined by snoring? Contrary to the belief of many snorers there are solutions available to cure snoring and with a little effort your relationship can be restored to how it was before snoring became an issue.