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Snoring Can Hurt Your Sex Life

DW staff (sms)September 13, 2004

People in bed with someone who snores don't only suffer when their partner is sleeping: They also don't have as much sex as silent sleepers and when it happens it's not as good.

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They look happy now, but what's it like when they're asleep?Image: AP

All the problems snorers, especially middle-aged men, have in bed come down to sleep apnea. It's the condition that causes people to stop breathing for a short time and wake up. The drugs used to treat the problem also do their part in taking the fun out of sex.

People suffering from sleep apnea are often tired, which drives down their desire for sex. While the side effects of drugs available to treat the condition often lead to declines in sexual performance.

"More than half of sleep apnea patients complain of loss of libido," Martin Konermann, a medical professor at the University of Kassel told the Senioren Ratgeber, a magazine given out free in Germany's pharmacies. "That's 10 times more than in the rest of the population."

Tired, unsatisfied partners still have one recourse: A breathing mask that can help get a good night's sleep, which in turn drives the libido back up. The easy-to-remove headgear is not known to influence the libido.