Snoring strips or nasal strips is one of the most commonly used tools to help ease breathing problems and potentially get rid of snoring but where else can it be applied? Let me tell you how it works with sleep apnea.
So, do snoring strips work? Yes, snoring strips actually work very well in reducing snoring and lessening the severity of sleep apnea attacks if the cause of sleep apnea is due to nasal obstruction.
If your snoring or sleep apnea is caused by a nasal problem, then the snoring strips will definitely work since it helps open airways in order to make the patient breathe properly.
Usually, obstruction in the nose occurs due to our natural anatomy. Snoring and sleep apnea can happen because narrowness, congestion from a cold, allergy attacks or a deviated septum.
Because of this obstruction, we can’t breathe properly through our nose.
Whenever we are having a sleep apnea attack, we experience pauses in our breathing our heartbeat which makes our body work and cause us to breathe through our mouths at times.
In this case, with the help of snoring strips, the body may not need to make us breathe through our mouths and stop the snoring sound that it makes.
The snoring strips is a traditional method that’s been used for many years which is why it is actually not surprising if people are beginning to doubt since there are now “digital” or advanced ways of curing conditions.
When using snoring strips during sleep, it works by opening the nostrils or nasal passage and improve airflow through the nose which may be a lot more simpler than settling for surgeries to treat the snoring caused by sleep apnea.
There are actually two types of snoring strips that are being used today. One opens the airways from the inside and the other opens the airways from the outside.
Keep in mind that different people can have different causes for their snoring or sleep apnea so using a snore strip may or may not work for you. You must receive proper diagnosis from medical experts.
What can you do if snoring strips does not work
Just in case the snoring strips don’t help stop snoring or control sleep apnea, there are plenty of alternatives you can try. Let me give you some tips as well as a list of treatments available for sleep apnea patients.
- Lose weight.
- Being overweight can cause sleep apnea which causes loud snores. Get plenty of exercises and maintain a healthy balanced diet.
- Follow proper sleeping position
- Make sure to elevate your head properly on the pillow to keep your neck relaxed and try sleeping on your side so the tongue does not mildly block the airway in the throat.
- Stop or avoid smoking too much.
- Excessive smoking can cause or worsen sleep apnea. Reducing your smoke intake per day will also reduce the snoring. If possible, quit smoking to potentially get rid of sleep apnea.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
- Drinking too much alcohol before sleeping can cause and worsen sleep apnea just like smoking.
- Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
- Certain sedatives can cause snoring. Consult a medical expert to determine what type of sedative may be the cause.
- Maintain a proper sleep routine.
- Sometimes, we snore simply because we don’t get enough sleep. Sleep properly and the snoring will eventually stop.
- Don’t overwork yourself all the time.
- Snoring is normal when caused by fatigue, going to sleep exhausted can cause us to snore because the body is too tired.
- Treat chronic allergies
- Some allergies can trigger obstruction in your body’s airways and may cause you to snore. Treat or avoid triggering your allergies to avoid snoring.
- Try to use CPAP treatment
- The CPAP therapy is a commonly used method for treating sleep apnea and moderately control its symptoms such as snoring.
- Try an oral appliance
- An oral appliance is a dental mouthpiece that can help keep airways open just like snoring strips. Consult your dentist if you’re looking for an oral appliance.
Tried these and still no improvement? Check out these surgeries that can permanently get rid of sleep apnea that causes the snores.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Snoring may be rare for children, which is why if they do snore, then it may be a clear sign of sleep apnea.
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- It might take months to recover.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
Why you need snoring strips
Don’t overlook snoring, it can actually be dangerous. There are plenty of reasons why sleep apnea is a threatening illness and for better understanding, I listed the risks that sleep apnea can pose.
With the use of snoring strips, you can avoid or lessen the severity of these following risks.
- Heart failure
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death
- Heart attack
- Can also be severely threatening
- Irregular heartbeat
- Worsens the ability to breathe
- Can trigger anxiety
- Stroke
- Can leave permanent damage
- May lead to paralysis
- Depression
- Not an easy condition to treat
- Diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks
- High Blood Pressure
- Aside from your physical health, this can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work
- Increases ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Having a lack of control to focus can lead to frustration
- Headaches
- You may wake up with a bad headache which will lead to other problems listed here
- Lack of daily energy
- As mentioned, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well.
- Seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
The thing is, sleep apnea, if left untreated or worsened by other factors, can lead to death. Its risks can be fatal and leave permanent damage or even death which is what raised our initial concern about snoring.
If diagnosed with sleep apnea, one must consider treating the problem as soon as possible in order to prevent any unwanted scenarios related to your health.
When do you need snoring strips
Sometimes, we may think that snoring is normal. However, how do we know when we need it? Before you go to the doctor to get diagnosed, try looking for the signs yourself. Check this list that can help you out.
- Heavy snoring
- Snoring is completely normal if you go to sleep totally exhausted, but if you are snoring loudly almost on a daily basis or every time you go to sleep, it is already worth checking.
- Gasping for air during sleep
- The feeling of drowning without knowing it and suddenly you’re out of air.
- Insomnia
- Having trouble going to sleep because you have breathing problems that you may not notice
- Hypersomnia
- Having trouble staying awake in the morning because you were unable to sleep well due to your sleep apnea
- Waking up with a headache
- Sleep apnea can disturb your body’s “charging” state. Since you can’t sleep well, your body will use energy for means that can help you breathe which may lead to headaches.
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- With sleep apnea, the person tends to snore and keep their mouth open when gasping for air which leads to a dried up mouth once we awaken.
- Decreased ability to focus
- Sleep apnea can give lack of sleep which will also result in difficulty to focus on anything
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Your lack of energy due to sleep apnea can make you feel uncomfortable and irritable without your knowledge
- Suddenly stop breathing during sleep
- Your housemates should notice this and tell you about it. Sleep apnea can disrupt breathing that may last for up to 10 seconds which is already risky.
If you’re not experiencing any of these situations, then you may not need the snoring strips at all since it could be normal snoring.
Related Questions
- Can snoring kill you?
Yes, snoring can kill or rather, the cause behind the snore is what can kill you. Snoring loudly every time you sleep is a major sign of sleep apnea, an illness that can kill people in their sleep.
Sleep apnea interrupts our breathing for a few seconds up to two minutes, that amount of time is already dangerous to our health.
This illness will attack for approximately 400 times every time we sleep at night. The continuous disruption in our breathing will eventually affect our heart and our brains.
Read: “Can Snoring Kill You?” for more.
- Can sleep apnea kill a child?
Yes, sleep apnea can potentially kill a child. Sleep apnea causes difficulty in breathing and repetitive short pauses in heartbeats which can turn fatal if worst comes to worst.
Interrupted breathing and paused heartbeats can result in other medical problems that affects the heart and the brain the most and that is what sleep apnea does to our bodies, even children.
Obstructive sleep apnea makes children more prone to different illnesses mainly attacking the brain or heart.
Read: “Can Sleep Apnea Kill a Child?” for more.
