Why listening to your partner’s snoring could save their life It keeps bed fellows awake, but noisy nighttime nostrils can mask something more sinister 21 December 2020 • 6:00am ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring – apart from my wife, sat bolt upright and fuming as my snoring hit new decibel levels. Silent night? Fat chance. We joke about my snoring, as most couples do, but it’s not really a laughing matter – especially not for my long-suffering bed mate. That’s why I’ve bought her a sleep mask for Christmas that not only blocks out all light but, crucially, covers her ears too. The festive season will just compound matters, after all – even if you can't see anyone else, you still eat and drink more than usual, your regular sleeping patterns are disturbed and you’re more sedentary than ever: the perfect conditions to guarantee a bad night’s snoring. A study of more than 166,000 users conducted by the Sleep Cycle app in the United States last year revealed that, on average, people snored for an extra 2.6 minutes in December than they did in the rest of the year (13.4 minutes compared with 10.8 minutes) and while that may not sound like a great deal, it’s proof that lifestyle choices have a major impact.