Those of us who are light sleepers know how difficult it is to fall asleep and, most importantly, stay asleep without the slightest hint of noise waking us up from our short-lived slumber.

But you certainly don't have to be a light sleeper to be affected by surrounding noises - if the person you are sleeping next to happens to be a particularly loud snorer. I mean, most people snore from time to time - some, however, snore from the moment their head hits the pillow, and at an intolerable volume.

If your partner happens to be a loud snorer, you'll be pleased to hear that a device has been developed - by a team of scientists, no less - which promises to bring an end to all the insufferable sleepless nights.

According to scientists from Araba University in Spain, a new battery-powered buzzer, known as the Somnibel, is designed to help people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially dangerous condition which causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep.

The Somnibel is worn on the snorer's forehead and sends out vibrations the moment they roll onto their back, and continues to do so until they go back on their side. The Daily Mail reports that the device also suppresses snoring in one in three snorers.

Their website states that it "reduces the incidence of sleep apnea and/or positional snoring".

It adds: "It consists of a small and light device attached to the forehead that applies a soft vibration while the patient sleeps supine (on their back) to induce him to change position, thus reducing the incidence of sleep breathing events, whether apneas or positional snoring."

Professor Jaydip Ray, an ear, nose and throat consultant at Sheffield University, told the Daily Mail: "Simple snoring is a common social and medical problem that adversely affects many people. Easy to use, unobtrusive wearable devices using miniaturised accelerometers are a welcome solution for many of them. This initial study is encouraging."

The Somnibel is not yet available to buy but will be soon, according to Sibelmed, the company that is producing the device.

Those of us who are light sleepers know how difficult it is to fall asleep and, most importantly, stay asleep without the slightest hint of noise waking us up from our short-lived slumber.

But you certainly don't have to be a light sleeper to be affected by surrounding noises - if the person you are sleeping next to happens to be a particularly loud snorer. I mean, most people snore from time to time - some, however, snore from the moment their head hits the pillow, and at an intolerable volume.

If your partner happens to be a loud snorer, you'll be pleased to hear that a device has been developed - by a team of scientists, no less - which promises to bring an end to all the insufferable sleepless nights.

According to scientists from Araba University in Spain, a new battery-powered buzzer, known as the Somnibel, is designed to help people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially dangerous condition which causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep.

The Somnibel is worn on the snorer's forehead and sends out vibrations the moment they roll onto their back, and continues to do so until they go back on their side. The Daily Mail reports that the device also suppresses snoring in one in three snorers.

Their website states that it "reduces the incidence of sleep apnea and/or positional snoring".

It adds: "It consists of a small and light device attached to the forehead that applies a soft vibration while the patient sleeps supine (on their back) to induce him to change position, thus reducing the incidence of sleep breathing events, whether apneas or positional snoring."

Professor Jaydip Ray, an ear, nose and throat consultant at Sheffield University, told the Daily Mail: "Simple snoring is a common social and medical problem that adversely affects many people. Easy to use, unobtrusive wearable devices using miniaturised accelerometers are a welcome solution for many of them. This initial study is encouraging."

The Somnibel is not yet available to buy but will be soon, according to Sibelmed, the company that is producing the device.