Sleeping next to someone who snores can be really bad for your health, study finds

Living with a snorer can be a huge test of your patience – but it’s also been found to be damaging to your health.

As well as the obvious lack of sleep it often brings, it’s proven to affect both your mental and physical health in a number of ways.

Having a fractured sleeping pattern increases the risk of anxiety and depression, as well as our chances of developing obesity or suffering a stroke, so you’ve got science on your side next time you want to give a not-so-gentle prod to the person next to you.

Losing sleep can have a huge impact on our body’s ability to recover and fulfill biological functions, like memory consolidation and regulating metabolism , as reported by Bright Side .

Those who don’t get enough rest are prone to make more mistakes, think slowly and have a lower level of productivity.

And it should give cause for concern to the snorer too, as the problem is associated with constant irritability, which is likely to have an affect on your relationship.

Your partner’s snoring often interferes with your sleep and waking them up to make it stop will often upset them too, chipping away at your relationship little by little.

A negative atmosphere at home can result in stress, inflammation, changes in appetite and even a weakened immune system causes by the constant arguing.

Queen’s University in Canada carried out a study to find the affects of snoring on hearing, using four couples in which one person in the relationship had severe sleep apnea.

It found the sound didn’t affect snorers much, but 100% of their partners suffered hearing damage equivalent to sleeping next to an industrial machine, especially in the ear closest to the snores.

Loud noises can also raise blood pressure , as found in a study by the Imperial College of Science in London.

It found the greater the level of noise, the higher the risk of hypertension which can lead to kidney problems, dementia and heart disease.

Ear plugs, headphones or even sleeping in another room may help you cope with the problem – or you could get a big buzzer that sticks to your partner’s head .

The device, called Somnibel, is worn on the forehead and gently vibrates until the snoring stops. Perfect.