Hey everyone, it’s Medicine Mondays again. Today is kind of a light-hearted post about “Snoring and Me”.

Snoring and Me

So I’ve known I snore for a few years now. I don’t think it was the bad when I was in college or medical school, but I think it’s progressively become worse. This may have something to do with the weird hours I worked in residency and fellowship – and now I work evenings which also makes my sleep schedule a little weird.

I’ve previously considering using those Breathe Right Strips which attempts to keep your nostrils open. However, I never actually bought it.

A few years ago, I always wondered why they didn’t just create small tubes to keep your nostrils open in much the same way that ENTs put in tympanostomy tubes to equalize pressure. I had considered that it would be difficult because of differences in nostril size and angles of the nasal passages. Additionally, these might be uncomfortable because they would need to be stiff/rigid enough to not deform within the nostril.

Well, apparently there has been some work done on it. There is an anti-snoring device called:

Dortz® Anti Snoring Devices

These devices seemed to have addressed my above concerns by including 4 different sizes (as well as two different styles) in one package as well as being made of a stiff/rigid plastic. Reviews were pretty good overall, with some critical reviews saying it didn’t work at all or were too uncomfortable.

For $16, it was worth it to give them a shot to help my wife sleep better without having to deal with my snoring like a bear. Some of the reviews have even mentioned “saving their marriage”. ? My wife has even expressed some concerns that I may have sleep apnea, so I felt it was a good idea to give these things a try.

Here’s my short review:

It seems to work for me (so far).

I tried out all the 4 sizes with the idea that I wanted to use the largest caliber that was not uncomfortable. For me, that was the 2nd largest size. The largest size was simply too big to be comfortable (for me).

The plastic is stiff/rigid and does not contort while in your nostril. Also, the two cylinders are connected in the middle, which prevents you from pushing them too far back (or have a fear of losing them in your nose).

Long story short, my snoring is virtually gone.

However, because it helps snoring by keeping your nasopharyngeal airway open, I think it might not help as much if you have a runny nose or stuffed nose.

I will continue to use them for the time being. There are some reviews of people using them for a few weeks with good results and then it just abruptly has stopped working. However, I don’t notice any problems these last 2 weeks or so. I’ll let you guys know if it stops working.

TL;DR

I snore.

It’s become worse these last few years.

This product has helped so far.

It’s relatively inexpensive, so it might be worth a shot for you.

Happy Holidays!

-Sensei

Agree? Disagree? Questions, Comments and Suggestions are welcome.

You don’t need to fill out your email address, just write your name or nickname.

Like these posts? Make sure to subscribe to get email alerts!