​ Everyone hates snoring. The person snoring in their sleep hates it because they never truly get the rest they need, and the person trying to live with someone who snores especially hates it because they get no sleep! In some cases, the snoring may be so loud that moving to another room doesn't even help. Snoring can cause such a rift in relations...

It seems like every sitcom about married life features a snoring man and an exasperated woman trying to get some sleep over all the noise. But how true is this stereotype that men are the ones who snore? 

It’s actually pretty accurate! According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, an estimated 40 percent of adult men in the United States snore, while only 24 percent of adult women snore on a regular basis. So, men aren’t the only ones who snore, but they certainly are more likely to snore than women. Let’s find out why. 

The snoring habits of middle-aged men have been the subject of sitcoms and comedy skits for decades. In fact it may seem like adult males are the only ones who snore. Unfortunately, women and children often suffer from chronic snoring too, and since the topic is much less talked about, it can leave them with more questions than answers.

Sleep studies in a lab have always been one of the most frustrating parts of diagnosing a sleep disorder for most patients. The environment is unfamiliar and it can be hard to relax enough to sleep like you would at home, not to mention the high cost of spending the night in a sleep-study facility.

Contrary to what every sitcom has tried to convince you, snoring isn't a laughing matter. Why? Because snoring is a breathing disorder that’s on a spectrum. On one end of this spectrum you have snoring, and on the other end you have severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Snoring is a sign that your breathing during sleep is not normal. It can even be a warning sign of a sometimes severe disorder called obstructive sleep apnea.

 When you picture the typical sleep apnea patient, what comes to mind? For many, it's an image of an overweight, middle-aged man snoring through the night. This is a common conception not only with the general population, but also with doctors, according to Dr. Amy Norman, DDS, a dentist in Everett, Washington, who treats many sleep apnea patients in her practice.  

"For years, men have been the poster children of sorts for sleep apnea," she said. "There are many reasons for this. Women are affected differently by sleep apnea in many cases and don’t always snore. They are often misdiagnosed since their symptoms don’t always align with a doctor’s idea of what a typical sleep apnea patient looks like."