The prevalence of snoring - and indeed its 'comedy' connotations - make it easy to forget that this condition is the cause of sleeping disorders both for the sleeper and potentially their partners too.
While almost all of us will snore at some time or another, for those who suffer this condition acutely the effects can be significant.
This article looks at how sleeping leads to disturbed sleep and suggests some widely accepted treatments.
Snoring is actually caused by restriction of the air-passages which in turn can be caused by a variety of factors.
The key reason that snoring is associated with insomnia is that this is accompanied by constant short episodes of waking.
These can reach 20 per hour in extreme cases and are often so short that the individual has no real memory of them.
This constant disruption leads to a significant reduction in sleeping quality - resulting in tiredness and irritable behavior the next day.
Restriction of the airway is caused by factors ranging from posture to lifestyle and include some medical reasons - for example too much tissue around the throat area, or larger than usual amounts of relaxation in the throat muscles.
The biggest single influencing factor is obesity - with more than half of all chronic snorers also being overweight.
Alcohol and allergies (or illnesses) can also contribute to snoring behavior.
Cures for the insomnia symptoms of snoring are wide-ranging.
The 'classic' solution involves sewing a tennis ball into the back of the snorers pajamas.
This forces 'side-sleep' which can reduce snoring when compared to sleeping on your back.
Posture in bed is very important in preventing snoring, in many cases simply increasing pillow height by 4 inches can reduce these symptoms.
In extreme cases surgery can be the only viable cure for snoring, this usually removes excess tissue from the throat area and can include tonsil or adenoid removal.
A less extreme alternative is the use of 'jaw positioning devices' which keep the airway open by pushing forward the lower jaw.
While these are considered safe, they are often deemed uncomfortable.