i feel i must comment as someone from the other side of the fence. I'm not fat and sweaty, i'm 1.90m and thin as a rake, but I snore so loudly i can wake myself up. Once, I fell asleep by the banks of Lake Michigan and apparently people passing by on hte boats were looking to see where the noise was coming from. I feel terrible about this, but i'm not quite sure what i can do. Sleeping on my stomach works, until i inevitably turn over. bell around the neck and warning sign is a possibility, bu when camping with friends i will considerately move to another dip a 100m away, and they are still complaining the next morning. what more can i do?

cyanide bunny, wuchang, china

So you're a tolerant individual then?

About 4 million people in the UK are prone to snoring according to the Lancet (approx 8%), extrapolate that figure worldwide!! Then add in the fact that another 4 million in the UK use their music headphones on public transort; 4 million believe that shouting is the normal level for conversation, especially when under the influence of booze at night; 3% of adults being semi-illiterate "like yeah, dontcha juss luv lissning ta they talkies Matteee, like" just add to the fray; 30 million vehicles are on UK roads with approx 10% of them having annoying or faulty alarm signals; 15 million people have house alarms of which another 8% are deemed faulty and prone to occasionally sounding in the middle of the night and so on and on and on ad infinitum......

Isolation in a top security prison wing should sound pretty good to you then Mr Parris; let's start with the house alarms and work backwards through the list; want to borrow my AK47???

Ned Kelly, London, UK

Matthew, the problem is that you weren't tired. Had you crossed the Pyranees another time or two that day you wouldn't have noticed those noisy barbarians. But commenting on such things is rather a slippery slope: perhaps you too snore but your friends are too polite ever to mention it!

Kevin Johansen, San Francisco, CA

William Thomson & Adam, trekking across the Pyrenees isn't exactly all about luxury resort hotels, in fact I doubt there are many hotels, let alone luxury ones, in such remote areas! I believe the fact Matthew chose to do this instead of some 'All-inclusive beach resort' more than outweighs your snidey cries of 'cheapskate' in my eyes.

D, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Hilarious - but do not berate lepers, will you?! Maybe they should abolish dorms at hostels and turn them into smaller units or provide one special room for snorers.
(Having said that - W. Thomson also has a point.)

A. Schelberg, Germany,

Having suffered a similar fate on asimilar journey traversing the Pyrenees from west to east I have sympathy. The way to avoid the problem is to take your own tent and pitch it a minimum of 100 metres from other offenders using the refuges solely as remote restaurants. Alternatively your doctor will help with a pill of sufficient strenth to deaden sound.

David Barclay, Newmarket,

Recently I took a train trip between Croyde and London. My seat was in the Quiet Zone. I took out my bar of chocolate to go with my coffee. The woman opposite took out her cous cous and banana - healthy of what. After her solid meal she fell asleep and at one point she snored so loudly she gave me a fright and woke herself UP. In her woken sleepy state she caught me looking at her and we had this weird moment of an intimate sharing of body function.

Bev Clark, Harare, Zimbabwe

I would throw something. If I'm paying some absurd amount of euros for somewhere to sleep, I intend to get some sleep there. People who know they snore and choose communal domitories over private rooms are selfish and obnoxious. If they're disturbing my sleep -- and that of everyone else in the room -- I'll happily disturb theirs til they learn to roll over. Or sleep somewhere else.

Caitlin, Glasgow,

Medicated, are we Matt?

Michael, Milton Freewater, U.S.A. / Oregon

Have to say this has never really been a problem for me. As somebody who spent most of his mid twenties living in youth hostels across the globe, I can safely say that if you're tired enough, you'll sleep through any episode of snoring. Now if you'd written an article complaining about the nocturnal liaisons on the bunk above you, I'd have been full of sympathy. That is an uncomfortable evening, trying to sleep as two (invariably German) backpackers are going at it hammer and tongs above you.

However, I find myself agreeing with William Thomson. You can't seriously tell me that you can't afford more than a youth hostel. You must be minted so get over it.

Adam, London,

Spot-on about the Chindamo case. What a pathetic argument.

Mind you, Jack Straw does have previous when it comes to cooking up judicious-sounding arguments for doing the wrong thing: remember the Pinochet case, and Straw's repeated statements about what he was "minded" to do?

John Halton, Orpington,

I have a lot of time for Matthew's views and always look forward to reading his opinions. This time he's really hit on a rich stream of irritation that deserves more publicity - although I would argue that those of us in partnerships also deserve some sympathy for our suffering at the hands of ...les ronfleurs! Line 'em for laser treatment, I say.

Rach, Kent, UK

Youth Hostel? What youth?

Mark Lyndon, London, UK

So what did you do? Did you let the snorers enjoy their sleep while they ruined yours? This had the makings of a great justice-delivered story, but you wimped out. I say, the snorers know that people are to icky-poo-polite to do anything about it, so take the attitude, "It must not bother you that much."

For heaven's sake, man, show some gumption!!

JimBob, Encino, CA, USA

I would suggest the old soap bar in a sock trick, (only a small bar of soap mind), could be the answer.....

Ewan , sherborne,

At school we used to put a small sliver of soap into snorers' mouths. Worked a treat.

Rassendyll, Cambridge, UK

Oh how I agree with you, I had to endure an overnight flight in the same row as an overweight snorer. Even my trusty earplugs could not drown out the noise.
The most irritating part was that he paid and got upgraded from economy, now surely he should have been screened for drinking too much and then snoring all night and don't get me started on his dress sense!

Beryl Austoni, Cambridge, UK

I went on holiday with my friends. They said I snored and teased me horribly. I haven't spoken to them since let alone go on holiday. Atleast I thought I had a (virtual) friend in you, Matthew. And now even you have abandoned me. (Sniff. Snorers of the world - Unite. Sniff. Zzzzz).

Robert Grundy, London,

Dude, you are pretty rich. Why not stay in a proper hotel room and stop being such a crybaby. If you are going to be a cheapskate and stay in shared accomodation then snoring is something you are going to have to learn to live with

William Thomson, London, England