Six months after their wedding, George Douglas, 33, and his new bride holidayed with her parents at a beachside campsite in Western Australia. They arrived at the crowded site at dusk, pitched their tent and sat around the campfire relaxing over a bottle of tawny port with their neighbours.
When Douglas woke the next morning, he was startled to find his parents-in-law gone, and their corner of the campsite quite empty. His family and neighbours had decamped in the middle of the night to the site's far end to escape his deafening snoring.
It might be a funny story, but for sufferers such as Douglas - and those who share beds with them - chronic snoring is a distressing problem. Severe snoring can reach 92 decibels, as loud as a bus' diesel engine.
Dentist Dr Patricia Siu Fung-yee says snoring is common. 'Statistics tell us about 40 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women snore, and this percentage increases with age, peaking between 50 and 59 years.' As people age they typically gain fat around the throat and jowls, and lose muscle tone, making them more likely to snore.
'Snoring is the result of partial blockage of the upper airway,' Siu says. 'When you fall asleep, your muscles relax, including those that control the tongue and throat. The soft tissue in the back of your throat can sag and narrow the airway. Incoming air then makes the tissue at the rear roof of the mouth [the soft palate], the flap of skin hanging from the palate [uvula] and the throat vibrate, making the sound we know as snoring.'
At its most benign, snoring can cause sleep deprivation for both partners and sufferers, as well as fatigue, irascibility, an inability to concentrate, and social embarrassment. 'It affects every aspect of my life,' Douglas says. 'Although I travel regularly for work, I never allow myself to sleep on planes. I watch movies and drink copious amount of coffee, even if I'm flying long-haul.