Anti-snoring Mouthpiece

plowjockey · #1 05/01/12, 03:17 PM

It's getting time to either get something to stop my snoring, or risk suffocation by pillow.

Many different one's other there, inlcuding Dentist-molded mouthpieces, starting at $800 cash, which is more than I can chew.

Any body ever use one, that works or does not work?

My life depends on it.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 05/01/12, 04:07 PM

Go get a test for sleep apnea. Your life MAY depend on it. If you are snoring that badly, it's likely you are stopping breathing and snoring when you begin again.

kimmom2five · #3 05/01/12, 04:19 PM

Yes get a sleep study. Before my DH got his machine I did not sleep at all at night. Now we both sleep and he is much less cranky!

madness · #4 05/01/12, 04:22 PM

My husband tried the 'z-quiet' and I think it was around $70. He choked and gagged on it. During sleep, he would spit it out. I even caught him snoring louder than usual with it in his mouth! Needless to say, it was a total waste of money.

He finally went in for a sleep study, had REALLY bad apnea (as I had been telling him...) and he got a CPAP. He went from needing 9-10 hours in bed to maybe 7. He's been using it for over a year and still has some issues but it's far better than before!

Home Harvest · #5 05/01/12, 04:23 PM

Can anyone explain how these sleep studies work, and how expensive they are? I'm not sure my insurance would cover that.

(My wife will be grateful for any assistance in this area. Frankly it doesn't bother me too much. I rarely wake myself up, but she complains bitterly.)

HeelSpur · #6 05/01/12, 04:51 PM

Isn't there some kind of neck brace to sleep with that keeps your chin pushed away from your chest? I know when I first start dozing off sometimes I'll let out a big snort then I'll cock my head back to keep from snoring.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 05/01/12, 04:57 PM

Your insurance should pay for it because sleep apnea can cause heart problems, not to mention falling asleep while driving.

Your doc has to prescribe it.

You go to the sleep center, get wired up with electrodes on your head, a heart monitor, and a breathing monitor. Bring whatever you need (books, your blankie, etc.) to approximate your bedtime routine. You go to sleep in a private room, and they monitor you. If you have really bad apnea, they will probably fit you with a CPAP during the night after an hour or two of monitoring.

You'll get a report of what your heart, breathing, and brain waves did during the night.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders...ng-sleep-apnea

arabian knight · #8 05/01/12, 05:10 PM

Yes I also vote highly in getting a sleep study done.
i have sleep apnea, took me YEARS before I went in.
You go in at night around 10PM at the hospital. They take you to a private room and put so many sensors on you a person looks like a zombi. Then in the early AM they wake you ask you to fill out a short questionnaire.
Like how long do you THINK you slept. Things like that.
I answered not very long I tossed and turned all night but maybe 2 hours.
Well they told me I SLEPT 5 Hours.
BUT in that 5 hour period I STOPPED Breathing 275 times~! So about once a minute I stopped breathing, and waking up with a LOUD Snort from SNORING. Things like that.
That is why I THOUGHT I did not sleep at all.
I have had my CPAP Machine now for close to 4 years and what Wonderful Nights sleep I now get. Even dream at night now.
Get A Sleep Test to MAKE sure it is not sleep apnea.

Or on a side note.
WHY I had the sleep test in the first place, was MY HEART. I was having irregular heart beats. MANY of them throughout the day and night. I Had a Heart Monitor on Halter Monitor. Even and untrained eye could see many heart beats real close together and Fast. 3 together 5 together and just a few minutes later more real close ones and so on.
Went for a Stress Test and that was fine.
I mention I THINK I have sleep apnea, BINGO then had the test done.
And so far 4 years later after using the machine each and every night my heart is back to a normal rhythm .

Get a Sleep Study.

Also one time I FELL ASLEEP at a RED LIGHT.
When I opened my eyes I noticed the cars in front of me were already across the intersection because the light had turned green and I did not even see it.
Dangerous to go on without knowing for sure. The sleep test will help either you have sleep apnea or you don't and then further action can be taken to help the snoring problem.

Alice In TX/MO · #9 05/01/12, 05:20 PM

Zombies wear sensors?

arabian knight · #10 05/01/12, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Zombies wear sensors?

They do from the planet Zombieland, which is on the other side of Jupiter, hidden behind the many moons. LOL

Cliff · #11 05/02/12, 07:09 AM

People joke about snoring but sleep apnea is serious. People's oxygen levels often fall really really low with it. That's what causes heart damage - all those hours per day of oxygen deprivation. I knew a nurse who got severe cardiomyopathy before she finally gave in and got a sleep study done. Once the damage is done it's done, and it's really not that uncommon.

I hate it when we get a patient with sleep apnea who hasn't been evaluated yet so doesn't have a cpap machine. Sometimes by the time they finally do that loud snort snore and start breathing again I'm freaking out at how low their O2 is. And of course the monitor dings ALL night long because of it.

Rosepath · #12 05/02/12, 07:24 AM

I had the same problem, not sleeping well, snoring, etc. Had a sleep study, when it was over in the morning, the technician said I had apnea and my doc would call me on what to do next. He didn't call, so I called his office, they said, "he says you don't have apnea."
OK, so now years later I still don't get any sleep and am always so freaking tired when I get up in the morning it's ridiculous. Irregular heart beat too.
What to do??

Cliff · #13 05/02/12, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosepath

I had the same problem, not sleeping well, snoring, etc. Had a sleep study, when it was over in the morning, the technician said I had apnea and my doc would call me on what to do next. He didn't call, so I called his office, they said, "he says you don't have apnea."
OK, so now years later I still don't get any sleep and am always so freaking tired when I get up in the morning it's ridiculous. Irregular heart beat too.
What to do??

Change doctors.

If you won't do that you need to insist on another sleep study. Your doctor should be listening to you and respecting your concerns.

Does he know you have an irregular heart beat??

painterswife · #14 05/02/12, 08:02 AM

There is a new solution. It was on the news on a Utah station. Here is the link.

Military medical procedure helps stop snoring | FOX13Now.com

"WEST JORDAN — A procedure first developed by medics in the military is now helping one local doctor stop people from snoring.
Before Sharon Taufer’s husband received the new treatment, she says the snoring made it impossible to sleep next to him. But after a simple medical procedure, she says she can finally sleep in the same bed as her husband after the snoring stopped.
“I really can’t hear out of my left ear well. It was loud enough that even when If I slept on my good ear, I could still hear it very well. I mean it was that loud,” said Taufer.
Dr. Brian Peterson says there is a soft area in the palate that vibrates and causes snoring. To stop snoring, doctors make a quick injection of about half a teaspoon of solution in the back of the snorer’s palate to deaden the skin.
“Over a period of four to six weeks (the injection) causes damage to the tissue and eventually stiffening and hardening of the palate so it doesn’t vibrate so much,” said Peterson.
Peterson says the procedure, known as snoreplasty, takes less than five minutes, but the injection does create a canker sore that can be painful for up to two weeks."

Cliff · #15 05/02/12, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by painterswife

There is a new solution. It was on the news on a Utah station. Here is the link.

Military medical procedure helps stop snoring | FOX13Now.com

"WEST JORDAN — A procedure first developed by medics in the military is now helping one local doctor stop people from snoring.
Before Sharon Taufer’s husband received the new treatment, she says the snoring made it impossible to sleep next to him. But after a simple medical procedure, she says she can finally sleep in the same bed as her husband after the snoring stopped.
“I really can’t hear out of my left ear well. It was loud enough that even when If I slept on my good ear, I could still hear it very well. I mean it was that loud,” said Taufer.
Dr. Brian Peterson says there is a soft area in the palate that vibrates and causes snoring. To stop snoring, doctors make a quick injection of about half a teaspoon of solution in the back of the snorer’s palate to deaden the skin.
“Over a period of four to six weeks (the injection) causes damage to the tissue and eventually stiffening and hardening of the palate so it doesn’t vibrate so much,” said Peterson.
Peterson says the procedure, known as snoreplasty, takes less than five minutes, but the injection does create a canker sore that can be painful for up to two weeks."

SNOREPLASTY lol!

Ardie/WI · #16 05/02/12, 08:07 AM

DH has a similar issue and he has has great success with:

Sleep Apnea Treatment : Stop Snoring Solutions : Snore Guard : Anti Snoring Devices : Chin Strap : Mouthpiece : Nose Strips for Snoring : Jaw Supporter : Zquiet : Products

culpeper · #17 05/02/12, 08:45 AM

If, after a sleep study, you have been diagnosed with sleep apnoea (or any of dozens of other sleep disorders), you should be asked to try out a CPAP machine. In Australia, these are freely provided by hospitals, but not all models will suit all individuals. You will need to try it out for several months, as it takes time to get used to wearing it - and you may need to test different masks, different machines, etc. It goes without saying that you'll be back and forth to the sleep disorders centre countless times while things are 'tweaked' to everybody's satisfaction.

Each machine is fitted with devices which store information - how often it's used, how long it's used, how often an apnoea occurs, how often the mask 'leaks', how long it takes to fall asleep, quality of sleep, how long it lasts, etc. With regular monitoring, optimum settings can be arrived at.

You need to persevere - it can take a long time to adjust to sleeping with something hard covering your face, and a noisy machine close to your ear!

CPAP works for about 75% of sleep apnoea sufferers. When it works, it works very well indeed.

A mouth device for sleep apnoea works by bringing the lower jaw forward, thus helping to keep the air passages in the throat open. It needs to be made to fit the individual by a dental technician, and should lock the jaw in place. Again, perseverence is necessary, because it can be difficult getting to sleep with what feels like a tennis ball in your mouth (!) - and until you adjust, your face and neck muscles might ache, because they're being 'pulled out of alignment'. Again - if it's going to work for you, it will work well, but these devices aren't widely successful (or popular!).

I cannot see that a 'one size fits all' mouth device would have any effect whatsoever, so don't waste your money. The configurations of your mouth and jaw are unique.

No prizes for guessing that I've tried both - each for longer than 6 months, so a fair trial. Both failed for me. NB I have other serious health issues which don't help the situation!

Two other things an individual can try - and both have high success rates in the treatment of sleep apnoea. One is to stop smoking. The other is to lose weight (if overweight).

Regular exercise also helps to keep up the oxygen supply to the brain.

fishhead · #18 05/02/12, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosepath

I had the same problem, not sleeping well, snoring, etc. Had a sleep study, when it was over in the morning, the technician said I had apnea and my doc would call me on what to do next. He didn't call, so I called his office, they said, "he says you don't have apnea."
OK, so now years later I still don't get any sleep and am always so freaking tired when I get up in the morning it's ridiculous. Irregular heart beat too.
What to do??

Go to a different doctor.

MichaelK! · #19 05/02/12, 09:21 AM

Both my wife an I use these.

How Does Wearing a Breathe Right Strip Help Snoring? | eHow.com

They are little bandaid style devices that you stick on you nose at night. Basicly, they are like a bandaid with a rigid plastic rib down the middle. After you apply it, the bandaid portion adheres to your skin, and the rib pulls the nose tissue open to improve the flow of air.

I like them personally, because not only does it reduce snoring, it also gives me more restfull sleep. The downside of restful sleep though is that I wake up in the morning with a very full bladder because snoring didn't wake me up in the middle of the night, prompting me to get up to go to the rest room.

ArmyDoc · #20 05/02/12, 10:09 AM

If you have insurance, generally it will cover a sleep study if you are referred for one by your primary doctor.

There are multiple factors that can cause snoring, ranging from weight gain, problems with the nasal passages, to loose/excess tissues in your soft palate and throat. The sleep study can help determine how severe the problem is, and that can guide what to do about it.