The cities with the biggest snoring problem in the UK and abroad

Snoring is a very common health issue that affects the quality of sleep of the snorer as well as that of their partner. Covering your ears with spare pillows often just won’t cut it, as snoring can be so disrupting at night that it can force people to sleep in separate rooms, and has even been known to put a strain on relationships. 

As snoring is such a widespread problem, we wondered if it was more common in some places than in others. To find out where people struggle with snoring the most, we’ve looked at how many snoring related searches were made in the last year in cities up and down the country. So, are you living in a snoring capital? 

The UK cities with the most snorers

We’ve looked at fifty of the UK’s biggest towns and cities, and calculated how many searches are related to snoring in each location per 1,000 residents. 

1. Cambridge - Searches per 1,000 people: 49.99

The city with the most snorers in the UK is Cambridge, where there were 7,450 snoring-related searches in the past year. This equates to 49.99 searches per 1,000 residents, the highest rate in the country.

2. Bournemouth - Searches per 1,000 people: 46.04

The town with the second-highest rate of snoring is Bournemouth. There were a total of 9,150 snoring searches made in the town over the last twelve months which, when measured against the local population, translates to a rate of 46.04 searches per 1000 people.

3. Warrington - Searches per 1,000 people: 45.27

In third place is Warrington, where there were 7,790 searches relating to snoring over the same time period, equating to a rate of 45.27 searches per 1000 people.

The UK cities with the quietest sleepers

Having looked at the cities with the biggest snoring problem, we also checked out the other end of the table. Here you can see the UK towns and cities that sleep the most peacefully, and don’t need to worry about the snoring menace.

1. Glasgow - Searches per 1,000 people: 5.29

The city with the most peaceful sleepers in the UK is Glasgow, which recorded only 3,240 snoring-related searches in the past year, giving it a rate of just 5.29 searches per 1,000 people.

2. Peterborough - Searches per 1,000 people: 6.66

Peterborough is the second soundest sleeping city in the country, having recorded as few as 1,170 snoring-related searches. This gives it a rate of 6.66 searches per 1,000 people, just missing out on a first-place finish.

3. Cardiff - Searches per 1,000 people: 14.09

In third place is Cardiff, where there were 4,940 searches over the last year, which equates to a rate of 14.09 searches per 1,000 people.

Snoring capitals from across the globe

We’ve also looked further afield to compare London with other capital cities across the world. As we were using English search terms, we only focused on countries where English is the predominant language. Here you can see which city is truly the global snoring capital.

1. Dublin - Searches per 1000 people: 37.9

The capital city of snoring is Dublin, where 45,510 snoring-related searches were made in the last year. The Irish capital is home to the most snorers, with a rate of 37.9 searches made per 1000 residents.

2. Canberra - Searches per 1000 people: 32.6

In a strong second place is the Australian capital of Canberra, where the local snorers caused 14,580 searches to be made. While seemingly low, Canberra is a relatively small capital city, resulting in a rate of 32.6 searches per 1000 people.

3. Singapore - Searches per 1000 people: 24.0

Taking third place is Singapore, whose population of almost 5.8 million people made 139,070 searches about snoring. This equates to a rate of 24.0 searches per 1000 people.

What causes snoring? 

There are a number of lifestyle factors that can increase your risk of snoring, some of which are easier to change than others. For example, people who are overweight are more likely to snore in their sleep, as are smokers and those who drink too much alcohol. 

The position in which you sleep can also have a big impact on whether or not you will snore. If you sleep on your back, then there is much greater pressure on your airways, causing them to narrow and increasing the chance of snoring. To counter this, try sleeping on either your front or side, depending on which position suits you better. If you can only sleep on your back, then try propping yourself up with a few extra pillows so that the weight of your body is not falling directly onto your chest and airways.

Sleep apnea 

While lifestyle choices can greatly impact your chance of snoring in the night, sometimes things are out of your control. This is the case with a condition called sleep apnea, sometimes spelt “apnoea”, which is another major cause of snoring. This refers to when your breathing stops and starts during sleep, and can be a dangerous condition if left unchecked. 

Common symptoms of sleep apnea include making gasping or choking noises in the night, frequently waking up, and loud snoring. You may also experience fatigue and mood swings during the day, headaches when you wake up, and you may also find it difficult to concentrate on day to day activities.

If you think you might have sleep apnea, you should consult your doctor to arrange for testing and potential treatment.

Snoring solutions

Snoring is such a common problem that there are now a plethora of different products available which are designed to alleviate snoring and provide a peaceful sleeping environment for you and your partner. 

Some of these, such as nighttime earplugs, are designed to help block out the sound of the sonorous slumberer next to you. Others, such as specially designed anti-snoring pillows, focus on alleviating the snoring symptoms of the offending sleeper by adjusting your resting pose to keep your airways open while you catch your fifty winks.

You can also counter snoring by cutting down on cigarettes and alcohol, as well as taking regular exercise. While losing weight will help to lessen the likelihood of snoring, the toning and strengthening of muscles that comes with exercise can help to tone your throat muscles, making them less susceptible to snoring.

Methodology

We wanted to find out which towns and cities in the UK have the most snorers. To do this, we first made a list of the 50 largest towns and cities in the country to use as our sample using population data acquired via The Geographist.

Next, we created a list of 50 search terms around the topic of snoring, using Answer The Public for inspiration and guidance on popular topics. Once we had our search terms, we then used Google Keyword Planner to find out how many times our terms were searched in each location over the last 12 months.

We then calculated the number of searches per 1,000 people in each location and ranked the towns and cities accordingly. This allowed us to reveal the towns and cities where snoring is the biggest problem, as well as those where it is the least.

To present a more global picture, we also calculated the rate of snoring in several capital cities across the world, focusing only on English-speaking capitals so as not to skew the results. We did this in the same way as for UK towns and cities, using population data from Our World in Data and calculating the rate per 1000 people.