Snoring is one of the most common problems in the world today! Sure, it’s not a disease or anything, but it’s something that causes daily discomfort to a lot of people, not only to the person that snores, but also to the person who has to listen to it!
Many people say that surgery is a sure shot way to stop snoring, what they don’t know is that even with surgical techniques in the picture, the so called ‘cure’ rate is under 50 percent. The cream on the cake is that it’s expensive! Health plans consider this kind of surgery elective or even cosmetic in some cases, and pay to cover very little of the total cost if any at all.
A combination of or either one of two factors can cause snoring. The tongue relaxing and falling back into the throat against the uvula and obstructing the airway most often causes snoring. A blocked nasal passage is another factor that may cause snoring.
Unfortunately there aren’t any products in the market that cure snoring, but the good news is that there are several snoring aids available to give you and your family some relief and good night’s sleep. Sure, there are plenty of controversies over whether these aids actually work or whether they’re just a waste of your cash, but no one has been able to prove anything completely ineffective yet so what’s the harm is giving yourself a shot at recovery.
After plenty of research, and going through a whole lot of reviews; listed below are the relatively effective and popular snoring aids.
First, let’s talk about external aids that don’t have to be inserted anywhere in the body to cause discomfort and don’t involve drugs of any kind.
- Chin Up Strips
Yeah, it does sound a little funny, doesn’t it? Contrary to what they may sound like, chin up strips are one of the most efficient snoring aids out there. Nothing fancy and nothing extravagant, they’re just a type of u-shaped sticky strip that get tucked in under your mouth. What these strips basically do is re-direct your breathing through the nose instead of from the mouth. Simple, isn’t it? In implementation it’s easier said than done. Changing from mouth breathing to nasal breathing isn’t as easy as it sounds. Mouth breathers find it awkward and difficult to get used to the change immediately. But once the change has been made, you can go back to sleeping without anything around your face and your spouse will probably shower you with love for finally making the effort to get rid of snoring.
- Chin Strap and Chin Cushion
Vaguely similar to the previous solution, chin straps are simple and very helpful in reducing or maybe even completely stopping your snoring. The similarity in both the aids lies in the fact they promote nose breathing rather than breathing from the mouth. The added benefit of chin straps are that they will keep working even after you fall asleep, while a chin up strip might fall off.
The plus point of chin straps and chin cushions are that they both support the jaw forwards, which stops the tongue from falling back towards the throat resulting in blockage of the airway. Chin cushions have the edge over chin straps because they don’t let the head fall forward completely. What they basically do is, hold the head up opening the airways to a greater degree and increasing the ease of breathing. But chin cushions have been labeled more annoying than chin straps by people who’ve used both, especially if they’re restless sleepers.
- Medical Tape
This method isn’t as popular as the methods already mentioned but it has been proven successful and is relatively cheaper, all you have to do is tape your mouth shut! Medical tape applies the same method of forcing the person to breathe through the nose rather than mouth by giving no alternative all together. There are two conditions that you have to meet for this method to work at its best. First, overcome the urge to take gulps of air using your mouth and two, making sure your nose is cleaned out so that enough air can flow through. The negative aspect of this aid is that it makes the user feel very claustrophobic, especially if you’re a victim of a stuffy nose.
All in all, all the methods above are correctional. After a point of time, you’re not going to need them anymore and you can sleep peacefully.
Next, you have nasal breathing aids. Instead of correcting the way that you breathe though force, they aim at keeping your nose clear so that you automatically switch your breathing style.
- Nasal strips
This is the most commonly used method in this particular category. Nasal strips are like band aids with plastic ends. The strip opens up the nose to make breathing easier.
- Nasal Brace
Sounds kind of scary, doesn’t it? But honestly they’re just tiny devices that are put into your nose internally to hold the nasal passage open. It’s not all that bad and feels like it’s hardly even there.
- Nose Clips
Nose clips, like the name claims, are clips similar to the ones you use on the washing line except that they don’t hurt one bit when you attach them to the bit that separates your two nostrils. The purpose that the clip serves is to put pressure on the nerve in that area, causing the nose to open up. Simple, easy, and pain less. The clip sometimes comes with magnets to give energy to the tissue in the nose to increase blood flow.
Next in line are oral products. These are basically drug oriented products that make sever snoring go away.
- Anti-snoring pills
Anti-snoring pills are little pieces of peace that you take every night before sleeping off. There is a general agreement about the way they work, claiming that they reduce the swelling of the airways and reduce any congestion that may be there making it easier to breathe. Some of the most popular choices are Baywood’s Dr.Harris Original Snore Formula, SnorEase by Natures Sunshine and Qnexa by Vivus.
The first pill is a patented all natural product. All natural because they use plant enzymes like protease, amylase and cellulose that have the capability of breaking down a wide range of substances. If you take the pill on an empty stomach then the enzymes mentioned before dissolve in the mucous in your body, allowing the body to reabsorb it to increase the airflow.
SnorEase is also a pill that’s completely organic. It has three major ingredients, namely, extract of immature bitter orange, bromelain and coenzyme Q10. The bitter orange has synephrine that relieves congestion and reduce overall mucous in the airways. It also contains histamine that narrows the airways to better the air flow. Bromelain also helps in reducing congestions, while the last ingredient, coenzyme Q10, works in the circulatory system to induce normal breathing during the night.
Qnexa is one of the more recent pills that have come into the market. It contains phentermine and an anti-epilepsy drug called topiramate. The pill is extremely effective but you should be warned that there have been a couple of reports of patients with complaints of kidney stones and gall stones as result of using this pill and the pill has yet to approve by the FD.
- CPAP Machines
The first question that will probably pop into your head is “what on earth is CPAP?” CPAP is a simple abbreviation that stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. To put it very simply, CPAP is an air blower. The basic function of this machine is to keep your nose open while you’re asleep. It’s a little more expensive than the other methods mentioned in the article but it’s a sure shot way of putting an end to your snoring days. The coolest feature some of the machines have is that the CPAP could breathe for you even if you stopped breathing!
Getting used to a CPAP takes time and patience. You have to figure out the correct setting that will suit your particular needs as well as the usual suspects like claustrophobic feeling, irritation in the nose, dryness and maybe even pressure sores on the nose caused by the use of the mask. But it has been observed, that people who overcome these problems and gain acceptance claim that the machine is well worth its price.
- Snoring Spray
The snoring spray is a bit of a wild throw. It works for some people, and is an utter failure for others. This aid applies an approach that’s different from all the others. The manufactures claim that the snoring spray lubricates and tightens the muscles in the throat and mouth area, resulting in reduction of the level of vibration and in turn the snoring. It’s a convenient piece of equipment to keep with you if you experience seasonal snoring but otherwise it would advisable to go for any of the other methods.
When it comes to severe snoring, it’s recommended that you use a combination of the products mentioned so that you don’t leave any base untouched. Hopefully, at least one aid will come to your rescue and save your partner the sleepless nights. If nothing else is works, just gift your family member’s a pair of ear plugs each and the issue will be resolved.