British consumer publication debunks popular snoring cures   

The December edition of Health Which?, a British consumer magazine akin to  Consumer Reports in the U.S. (but not nearly as good!), has taken a look at clinical data supporting the claims of 8 over-the-counter snoring remedies.  Not too surprisingly, they find the validity of almost all claims severely lacking.  

The editors reviewed the clinical research proving the anti-snoring properties of Breathe Right nasal strips, Good Night Stop Snore mouthwash, Nozovent nasal insertion devices, Snoreeze nasal spray, Snore No More nose drops, SnoreStop chewable tablets, Somni Snore Guard and Y Snore nose drops (all products are listed on PutanEndtoSnoring -- use our Search facility to find them)..  

In all cases, the Which? panel was able to find flaws in the research. The samples are small; only one or two of the studies used "double blind" methodology.  And so on.  To our way of thinking, this would rate a "who cares?" if the various products actually work.  And for some people they do.  For many people they do not.  As Which? itself ultimately concludes, "snoring can be due to a variety of reasons, each of which might need a different approach."  Very few products tell you this, because they do not want to narrow their potential market.

The PutanEndtoSnoring questionnaire attempts to divide snorers into four types and suggests remedies appropriate to each type.  We don't claim perfection yet, but believe that we can at least steer you away from solutions that are likely to be of no value to you.  If you have nasal congestion, for example, and your snoring emanates from your nose, then nasal strips should help.  If you breathe freely through your nose at night and still snore loudly, then perhaps a throat spray or mouthpiece will work. 

The Which? report makes no attempt to guide readers along these lines, which, in our view, does a disservice to both the snoring sufferers and the manufacturers.  Instead, the article ends with a totally value-less side-bar relating the experiences of 8 couples, each using one of the remedies.  You're left with the impression that none of the products were particularly effective, which is what you'd expect by randomly assigning the products without attempting to match them to each type of snorer.

Note that PutanEndtoSnoring is not written by a medical professional. I'd welcome comments and supplementary research from any physician or sleep specialist reading this.

Is this information useful to you? Send us questions or feedback.  And remember, information provided by PutanEndtoSnoring does not substitute for the advice of your physician. 

  Snoring Profile: Nose It's A Problem
 

Poor Marsha.  It's pollen season again and she can barely function at work.  Her eyes stream, her nose is red from continual contact with tissues, and she's dead tired because her husband prodded her all night to stop her snoring.

She's long known that she snores when her nose is stuffed up, of course, but she never really considered it more than a minor embarrassment.  She'd gotten used to being teased by her roommates on those few occasions when she'd go on a church retreat.  But now that she's married, she's become aware that her husband is long past the stage of teasing her and has, to her dismay, taken to sleeping on the couch when her allergies are really playing up.

So that's why you'll find her at her desk today, box of tissues close at hand, searching the Internet.  She's become a snorer who Nose it's a Problem.

5 11 Check out our suggested remedies for Marsha and those like her. And Send us your own snoring/sleep story, we'll use it in this slot.

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This section features some interesting posting to our forum.  This issues relates reader Howard Massey's recent experience with injection snoreplasty -- add your own thoughts to this discussion!

I had it done two days ago. It's done under a local anaesthetic, so I didn't feel anything at the time, but 2 hours later when the local wore off, it really hurt a lot, and everything in my throat -- especially my uvula -- swelled up horrendously. I've been taking Advil every four hours, and now (2 days later), the pain is pretty much gone, but the swelling is still there (though a little better). It's still tough to talk and swallow, but the Dr. said things should improve in the next day or so. The Dr. also said my snoring would get much worse for the first week (it already has) but would then start improving, and reach maximum effect in 4 - 6 weeks time. If there is some improvement but not a complete cure, he'll do another injection 8 weeks from now; if it doesn't work, then -- at least according to him -- there should be no lasting negative effect.

Add your comments!

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