Health: Seeking anti-snoring recommendations

[PerditaPickle]

This may be a long shot, but here goes nonetheless...

I'm seeking recommendations for anti-snoring devices.  I actually speculate that I may possibly suffer from sleep apnoea, but it's not diagnosed.  So devices which may help with both snoring and with sleep apnoea would be ideal.

There's obviously lots on Amazon but (as is usually the way) the reviews vary greatly, and some of the devices can be very pricey so I'd love to have something recommended before I make a purchase.

Here's hoping some of you have tried such devices and can make a recommendation (feel free to PM me if you'd rather not share info about your snoring issues publicly!)

Cheers.

Edit: fixed a missing letter typo.

[Jenett]

I'm seeking recommendations or anti-snoring devices.  I actually speculate that I may possibly suffer from sleep apnoea, but it's not diagnosed.  So devices which may help with both snoring and with sleep apnoea would be ideal.

My ex-husband used the Breathe-Rite strips, and found them pretty helpful (the strips that go across the bridge of your nose and help hold the airway open).

I only snore intermittently, but I'm a recent CPAP user (started in October) and it's made a huge difference in my day to day stamina. (I did a home sleep study, per my health insurance, and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea.) I'd also started allergy shots in May, and the combination means my nose is behaving a lot better (one of the side benefits of a CPAP machine is that you spend the night sending humidified air straight into your nose which does tend to keep everything working better even before you get to the pressure itself.)

There are current machines that will basically self-calibrate based on your reactions and some very basic parameter settings, but in the US it's tricky to get a machine without a doctor's prescription. There are a couple of great forums out there for sleep apnea, which have people from various locations, and may be able to suggest particular ideas. (Positional sleep apnea is a thing, and sometimes easier to fix, or at least test, for example.)

The two forums I've been reading (there are others, and like all forums, take advice with a grain of salt) are CPAPtalk.com and the Apnea Board. Both tend to advocate individual control of treatment (a number of doctors and a lot of durable medical equipment suppliers tend to favour one-size-fits-all, which ... well, doesn't work well.)

[ehbowen]

I'm seeking recommendations for anti-snoring devices.  I actually speculate that I may possibly suffer from sleep apnoea, but it's not diagnosed.  So devices which may help with both snoring and with sleep apnoea would be ideal.

You might give the Breathe-right strips or their UK equivalent a try, but the only thing which worked for me was a CPAP machine. Fortunately, as a US veteran, my diagnosis and the machine were provided by the Veteran's Administration and they've been very good about providing supplies and an annual verification visit (you bring in the SD card, they plug it in and see whether you've been using the machine and how well it's working) for a very reasonable co-pay.

This may not apply to you in the UK, but I understand that in the US the vultures are swooping in for those under private insurance (as usual). Here's an article that came up under "CPAP insurance horror stories". Basically, one gentleman's insurance told him that he could either pay $2400 up front, or $104/month "rental fees". He had a $5000 deductible (annually), so it would all come out of his pocket. He found the machine was available new for $500 cash...but he couldn't legally buy it without a doctor's prescription outside of his insurance coverage. He sued...and finally the insurance company let him buy the machine for $600, "only" a $100 markup. Sigh. Your Mileage May Vary, of course.

Bottom line is, the machine does make a big difference. If you don't like the mask at first, don't worry; there are several types that you can try on from nasal-only to full-face. The combo which works best for me is a nose mask with an elastic chin strap to help me keep my mouth closed. I've worn it on an Amtrak train where the power was cut in the middle of the night (changing locomotives); no problem, I just awakened with a feeling of being hard to breathe and took the mask off for a few minutes until the power came back on.

Good luck!

[Aisling]

This may be a long shot, but here goes nonetheless...

I'm seeking recommendations for anti-snoring devices.  I actually speculate that I may possibly suffer from sleep apnoea, but it's not diagnosed.  So devices which may help with both snoring and with sleep apnoea would be ideal.

There's obviously lots on Amazon but (as is usually the way) the reviews vary greatly, and some of the devices can be very pricey so I'd love to have something recommended before I make a purchase.

Here's hoping some of you have tried such devices and can make a recommendation (feel free to PM me if you'd rather not share info about your snoring issues publicly!)

Another CPAP user here, seconding the comments already made.  I've used one for several years with a nasal pillow style mask for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  It's made a huge difference not only in sleep quality, but in my ability to function during waking hours.

When a CPAP machine is impractical or not an option, I use Provent, which are little pads that affix over the nostrils like a band-aid to create pressure.  They do require a prescription in the States, but have worked really well for me for camping, travel, and power outages.  There's a lighter duty version that's available over-the-counter here called Theravent that's marketed specifically for snoring.  It's worth checking out if you're able to get them or an equivalent in the UK.

[PerditaPickle]

Thanks for the replies.

I worry about CPAP because I'm pretty sure it has to be prescribed by a doctor here in the UK, and that'd only happen after some sort of sleep study which would be problematic for me.  I can't sleep with anything on or attached to me (sleep-mask, clothing, towel-wrapped hair, jewellery I've left on, my husband, any cats etc) so there's no way I'd be able to go to sleep with electrodes attached to me.

I guess for now I'll start with attempting to get my weight down a bit and hope that helps a bit.

[Jenett]

I worry about CPAP because I'm pretty sure it has to be prescribed by a doctor here in the UK, and that'd only happen after some sort of sleep study which would be problematic for me.  I can't sleep with anything on or attached to me (sleep-mask, clothing, towel-wrapped hair, jewellery I've left on, my husband, any cats etc) so there's no way I'd be able to go to sleep with electrodes attached to me.

I guess for now I'll start with attempting to get my weight down a bit and hope that helps a bit.

The forum may still have some ideas (and the positional options can include some pillows or other things that might be worth poking at. Unfortunately, a lot of snoring and apnea issues have really basic physical causes, so they may need actual physical things to solve.

(that said, there's other people on the apnea forums with similar issues, and sometimes there's a specific thing that works for them from a long list...)

I will say the benefits have been huge - I'm moving this week, and pre-CPAP the amount of moving things and going to Ikea and such I've done this week would have wiped me out completely, and at the moment I'm at 'a bunch of me is gently aching, and I'm tired, and I still can't do more than one flight of stairs every 20-30 minutes (cranky lungs remain cranky) but I'm not actually exhausted' Which is novel for my past few years.

[ehbowen]

Thanks for the replies.

I worry about CPAP because I'm pretty sure it has to be prescribed by a doctor here in the UK, and that'd only happen after some sort of sleep study which would be problematic for me.  I can't sleep with anything on or attached to me (sleep-mask, clothing, towel-wrapped hair, jewellery I've left on, my husband, any cats etc) so there's no way I'd be able to go to sleep with electrodes attached to me.

I guess for now I'll start with attempting to get my weight down a bit and hope that helps a bit.

You might at least ask. I believe (at least I was told) that there is a small portable sensor machine which you can take home to your own bed which will let the doctor at least make a preliminary diagnosis as to whether the machine will help you. For the initial setup and calibration you would, yes, need to have a formal sleep study in a clinic or hospital...but perhaps the doctor could prescribe some professional-grade sleep aid to get you through that night.

I thought I would have difficulty adjusting to sleeping with a mask, but at least for me it turned out not to be much of a problem at all. The better sleep with it helped a lot.

[Jenett]

You might at least ask. I believe (at least I was told) that there is a small portable sensor machine which you can take home to your own bed which will let the doctor at least make a preliminary diagnosis as to whether the machine will help you. For the initial setup and calibration you would, yes, need to have a formal sleep study in a clinic or hospital...but perhaps the doctor could prescribe some professional-grade sleep aid to get you through that night.

I had a home sleep study (and then an office visit with my doctor and a home visit from the durable medical equipment supplier, no in-lab titration or anything). I was told the home sleep studies are imperfect: they'll diagnose more clear cut cases, but not everything.

More to the point, there are a number of pieces - mine had an elastic band at chest level (to measure movement of chest), tubes to nasal canulas with a (small) strap around the back of the head, and an oximeter (thing that goes on the end of the finger). The one I used had clips to clip it to clothing/etc. but if even sleeping with clothing is a problem (as Pickle said) then the home study equipment is still a fair number of straps and things touching (no electrodes, though!)

I gather they can get a lot of data out of just an hour or three of someone trying, especially in the full lab setup, but you do need to have some actual sleep taking place in there.