Common Reasons for Divorce: Fishing, the Internet…and Snoring

So what are the most common reasons married couples get divorced?

There was a time when the most likely answers to that question were financial problems, infidelity, or one partner’s drinking problem.

And those things are still to blame for the dissolution of some marriages.

However, some of the reasons given for divorce now days are a lot more unexpected.

Recently, a British study found that these are the top 15 reasons for divorce in the UK:

1. Illness.
2. Snoring.
3. One partner spending too much time at the gym.
4. One partner feeling unappreciated by the other.
5. One partner not knowing how to handle money.
6. Different political views.
7. One partner becoming vegetarian, or drastically changing their eating habits in some other way.
8. Fishing.
9. Sexual problems (like one partner losing interest in sex).
10. Suspicions of infidelity.
11. Disagreements about traveling (i.e. one partner wants to travel, but the other doesn’t).
12. One partner putting the needs and well being of their mother over their spouse.
13. One partner spending too much time on the phone or Internet.
14. One partner not doing enough to help raise and care for the children.
15. A partner who smokes refusing to give up cigarettes.

With most of these reasons for divorce, it seems like the problem could be resolved. The couple could talk things out and come to terms with their differing opinions.

One spouse could commit to changing their behavior (for example, the smoker could stop smoking). Or the couple could seek marriage counseling.

And then there is snoring, a problem much more difficult to resolve.

How Can Snoring Hurt Your Marriage?

It’s estimated that at least 1 out of every 3 people over the age of 30 snores. And many of those snorers are married.

The UK isn’t the only place where snoring is recognized as a common cause of divorce. In the US, it’s estimated that snoring is the second or third most common reason married couples split up.

And according to a study done by Rush University Medical Center’s Sleep Disorders Clinic , divorce rates are much higher among couples where one of the spouses snores.

So how can snoring lead to divorce?

·    The spouse of a snorer might be exhausted and stressed. Someone who doesn’t get enough sleep because their partner snores can suffer from sleep deprivation.

Those who are sleep deprived can feel moody, stressed, irritable, and even depressed, all of which can negatively impact a relationship.

·    The spouse of a snorer might feel angry and resentful. If someone’s snoring keeps their spouse awake at night, the spouse will start to feel anger and resentment towards their partner.

And, in a marriage, that anger and resentment can start to affect the relationship.

·    The couple could end up sleeping in separate beds. Classic advice given to the spouses of snorers is to sleep in another room. And since this seems like the only way they’ll get a good night’s sleep, many take this advice.

But, over time, sleeping in separate beds can hurt a marriage more than the snoring. When couples sleep in separate beds, their relationship begins to lose the intimacy that helps keep a marriage healthy and strong.

So snoring can definitely hurt a marriage.

The good news is that there are many ways to successfully deal with snoring, like:

• Home remedies.
• Lifestyle changes.
• Using snoring mouthpieces or other simple snoring devices.
• Getting treatment for underlying medical conditions that might be causing the snoring.

Of all of the causes of divorce, snoring seems like one of the hardest to overcome. But it can be beaten. And, for some, finding a cure for their snoring will save their marriage.