Page 64 - Prevention - USA (April 2020)
P. 64
SCI E NCE
Does It Work?
Snoring Stoppers
BY STEPHANIE ANDERSON WITMER
f you’ve been shaken awake mouth creates a smoother flow
in the middle of the night of air, reducing snoring, says
because your snoring threat- Ofer Jacobowitz, M.D., Ph.D.,
I ens to wake the neighbors, director of sleep at ENT and
you’ve got plenty of company. Allergy Associates in New York
About 40% of men and 24% of City. Research suggests that
women snore regularly, accord- internal dilators may be more
ing to the American Academy of effective than external strips.
Sleep Medicine. If you experi- SHOULD YOU TRY THEM? Yes—
ence daytime sleepiness or have if your snoring emanates from
choking episodes or pauses in the nasal passages, these could
breathing while you sleep, ask help. But if your snoring is due
your doctor if you should be to the structure of your throat
tested for sleep apnea, a serious and palate, they likely won’t do
condition linked to weight gain, the trick, says Dr. Jacobowitz.
stroke, and diabetes, says Terry BRANDS: Breathe Right strips
Cralle, R.N., a certified sleep edu- ($11 for 30); Theravent snore
cator in Washington, DC. If you therapy strips ($14 for 20);
just have a run-of-the-sawmill WoodyKnows nasal dilators
snore, these products promise to ($16 for three)
keep you quiet. Are their claims
only a bunch of noise? ORAL APPLIANCES
WHAT THEY ARE: Devices you
NASAL EXPANDERS put in your mouth that shift
WHAT THEY ARE: Disposable the jaw forward or reposition
strips worn above the nostrils; the tongue during sleep—
plastic dilators worn inside picture a retainer or the mouth
the nose to improve airflow. guards football players wear.
WHAT WE KNOW: Breathing WHAT WE KNOW: Moving the
through the nose instead of the tongue or jaw into a better
62 PREVENTION.COM • AP R I L 2020
