Gosh falcon, I just don't agree that this issue is a "one size fits all."
I'm pretty sure weary pilgrims will continue to complain about rustling bags, headlamps, and cellphone abusers as long as inconsiderate pilgrims continue to be inconsiderate. Pilgrims will also continue to talk about snoring as long as there are people snoring. ::shrug:: While I realize there isn't much a snorer can do, that doesn't make it any easier to sleep.
You are lucky to be such a sound sleeper!
Perhaps you have hearing loss?
Those DC-3s are mighty loud!
Or perhaps my fellow travelers were noisier than yours? :lol:
You state, "Persons sensitive to snorers regularly get a good nights sleep if they fall asleep before the snorer, particularly if they have used ear plugs to beat the snorer to sleep."
That is simply not true. According to one Mayo Clinic study:
People who sleep next to a snorer have more pain, higher levels of fatigue and sleepiness and may even be at higher risk for hearing loss, according to two recent studies. Complaints of snoring and apnea have risen sharply in recent years along with the general increase in obesity, a risk factor for sleep problems. Research shows:
People who sleep next to snorers may wake up as often during the night as people with documented sleep disorders.
One Mayo Clinic study found that spouses of snorers woke at least partially an average of 21 times an hour, nearly as often as the 27 times the snorers were awakened by their documented sleep problem.
Spouses of snorers and people with sleep apnea complain of excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue, which can affect relationships at both work and home.
Researchers at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, found that the bed partners of snorers all showed a significant amount of noise-induced hearing loss. In all four patients, who had slept next to a snorer for 15 to 39 years, the damage was limited to the one ear that was most exposed to the snoring.
Source: Tara Parker-Pope, "Dangers of Second-Hand Snoring: When Bedtime Is a Health Hazard," Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2003
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/19 ... 075441.htm
Another study states:
After monitoring 140 sleeping volunteers at their homes near Heathrow and other major airports, scientists at London’s Imperial College concluded that sounds louder than 35 decibels – including planes flying overhead, traffic passing outside, and yes, snoring – spiked blood pressure at a rate of 0.66 mm Hg for every five-decibel increase. To give you some perspective, 90 decibels – a level some snorers can surprisingly reach – can be compared to the volume of a jackhammer.
If there is an affordable lightweight pair of comfortable earplugs that "eliminates virtually every noise," and that is light enough to carry on the Camino, I don't know about them. Do you have a brand name? I would pay a lot for such gear!
Regarding light, If you want to test your theory, you might walk into a dark dorm at 2 am, turn on the bright lights and see how the people respond?! I do take a sleepmask, however, and that works really nicely.
I never said "everything needed to be just so."
I simply wish people would be considerate of their fellow pilgrims.
I realize people who snore cannot help it.
I don't expect them to do anything different.
But common courtesy with lights, noise, and littering is not expensive.
Anyone can offer it.
As I said before, we'll just have to agree to disagree.