Australian women say their partners' night time wheezing, gasping and snorting is choking their sex lives according to a survey quoted by China's Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

The women, aged between 18 and 65, also said that they were so annoyed by the condition that they would rather sleep to the sound of a dripping tap, mating possums or neighbourhood construction.

Their complaints were captured in a national survey commissioned by Fisher and Paykel Healthcare which quizzed 500 women across the nation who sleep alongside snorers.

Fifty per cent of respondents said snoring had damaged their romantic relationship, while 40% admitted to sleeping in a different room to spare themselves the torture.

More than 30% said their partner's snoring caused arguments and 6% revealed it contributed to a relationship breakup.

According to Australia Associated Press, the snoring has also had physical side effects on women.

Half of the women said they were woken up at least once a night by their lover's snoring, with 15% of them reporting being woken up a number of times.

But despite 79% admitting resorting to violence by kicking or elbowing their breathless bedfellows, only 13% of respondents made their partner seek help from a doctor.

Fewer (9%) reported their man had visited a sleep clinic.

According to Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, heavy snoring is often a symptom of the common yet serious obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

About 5% of Australians suffer from the condition, Fisher and Paykel's OSA Clinical Research Manager Emma Duckworth said.

"However, given that many people are hesitant to seek help for their snoring, it should come as no surprise that the majority of Australians with OSA remain undiagnosed," Duckworth told Australia Associated Press on Thursday.

"Trying to manage sleep apnea is often uncomfortable for many people because of the stigma associated with seeking help and treatments available."