Sleep Hygiene September || Take 2 Tips: Perfect Pillows

AUG 3 || MASHABLE
This pillow streams music, but doesn't wake your partner
"The creator explained that the idea came from his own sleep troubles. He wanted to play music, but didn't want to disturb his wife, so he shoved a pair of wireless headphones into a pillow. .. 'To my surprise, I was able to hear the music, but my wife wasn't, 'Cofounder Warrick Bell said. "I knew I was onto something.' "

AUG 8 || DOCTOR STEVEN PARK
The Best Pillow For A Great Night’s Sleep
"But there’s one thing about pillows that’s almost never addressed directly: how pillows can affect your airway and breathing at night. Granted there are generic descriptions of anti-snoring pillows, but an explanation of how they work is not usually given."

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SLEEP STUFF: Anti-snoring nasal products

For some people, the worst thing about their sleeping life truly is their snoring. It's loud enough to keep their sleeping partner awake, and it leads to discomfort in the nasal tissues and airway, dry mouth and sore throat. 

For those who snore but do not have sleep apnea*, the options for treatment are a bit different. It may be that they have other issues causing their airway resistance, such as a deviated septum, chronic allergies, narrow passageways or other physiological problems, such as overlarge tonsils or swollen turbinates.

Many of these people qualify for surgical approaches to repair their physiological challenges, but these can be expensive procedures, difficult for adults to recover from and may still not completely eradicate the problem.

Treatment of allergies is generally limited to nasal steroid sprays and medications, yet chronic post-nasal drip associated with allergies--even when treated--can still contribute to snoring.

There are small companies out there manufacturing various kinds of mechanical devices which promise to help physically open up the nasal passages via the nostrils in order to facilitate better breathing.

Some users swear by these products, while others try them and find no relief. Fortunately, most of them are inexpensive and promise to be a one-time purchase, so if they do work, the promise of a simple inexpensive solution delivers.

Listed below are four products out on the market that have been created to assist those people with sleep breathing problems that are not related to apnea or upper airway resistance that can be linked to a clinically identified respiratory system condition.

NASAL DILATORS
These products use plastic or medical grade stainless steel with silicone to physically widen, or dilate, the nostrils in order to increase airflow while sleeping. The applications vary, but all of them require inserting a portion of the dilator into the nostrils. The user adjusts the device following instructions provided by the manufacturer to achieve a widening of the nasal passages. Some of these devices are meant to be cleaned and reused repeatedly, while others are disposable and recommended for up to three uses in a row before disposing. These products are generally marketed toward people who struggle with nasal congestion, allergies, deviated septum or sinusitis, all of which can interfere with breathing during sleep. Price ranges are all across the map; cheaper dilators tend to be all-plastic and disposable, while more expensive ones that incorporate stainless steel wire run closer to $30. Some brands available include Airmax, Brez, ClipAir, Nozovent, Respitec, Rhyno and SleepRight. FDA approval depends upon the product.

NOSE CONES
These are a different variety of device which are shaped exactly as they sound, like tiny conical shaped cage-like inserts for the nostrils. They also purport to prevent nasal collapse while sleeping and can be found in both disposable and reusable options. Some brands available include Max-Air, SinusCones and Snorepin. FDA approval depends upon the product.

NASAL STRIPS
You're probably most familiar with these products, BreatheRight being the most popular brand. These external nasal passage wideners are applied across the bridge of the nose, and usually incorporate tension from the adhesive with or without a wire insert to stretch open the upper passage of the nose. They come in a wide variety of options, including some with fragrances, color choices, variations in strength and special adhesive for sensitive skin.

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*The only way to know whether a snoring condition is related to sleep apnea is to undergo a sleep evaluation from a sleep health professional. Not all snorers have sleep apnea and not all people with sleep apnea snore. SHC encourages its readers to seek the advice of a medical professional and resist the urge to diagnose themselves. 

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A friendly reminder that links to websites offering products does not imply endorsement by SleepyHeadCENTRAL.com.

SleepyHeadCENTRAL strongly encourages people with ongoing sleep health problems to approach a medical professional to determine appropriate differential diagnoses and treatment. This post, like all other posts on SHC, is not intended to substitute for medical advice.  

JULY is Sleep Products Month at SleepyHeadCENTRAL--Introducing SLEEP STUFF

There's a burgeoning market for sleep products that can't be ignored, so SleepyHeadCENTRAL is spending July calling attention to some items that have recently captured attention. SHC will discuss seven categories of products this month, including the following:

• Anti-snoring devices
• Smartphone apps
• CPAP maintenance products
• Nightstand items
• Light therapy
• Wearable technology
• Books on sleep

READERS
Please note that SHC does not have the capacity or ability to "road test" many consumer products. Product highlights, examinations or reviews posted at SHC are for consumer education only; when products have not been tested, they are primarily mentioned as possible options for some readers.

You, as the consumer, are ultimately responsible for your own buying decisions, and SHC encourages consumers to research sleep health products thoroughly and independently. Because the market for these kinds of products is so spectacularly wide, SHC's aim is to show readers that there are many options out there. Your best move as a consumer is to make the most informed choice for your particular situation.

If readers want to learn more about a specific sleep health product, and SHC has not yet examined that product, they are invited to leave SHC a message at sleepyheadcentral@gmail.com and SHC will add these requests to its growing list of consumer options to review in a future post at SHC. Thanks!

Including product highlights, examinations and reviews on the SHC site prompts some important legal language to be shared here to protect SHC and its readers. Please note the following disclosures and disclaimers below. They are applicable not only to SHC and its agents, but to all others participating independently in discussions about these products on the SHC site, which may include patients and healthcare professionals.

• SHC does not, as of the date and time of this post, have any longstanding or preexisting relationships with any product manufacturers.
• The process of selecting products for highlighting, examination or review in posts at SHC is random and driven by SHC's own curiosity and exposure to new items as seen on the Internet, at trade shows, at conferences and at other incidental events.
• SHC will always report how or whether they received any product, if it is highlighted, examined or reviewed at the site.
• A future highlight, examination or review of any product on SHC constitutes no special relationship between SHC and any product manufacturer. SHC simply decided to write about it.
• SHC reserves the right to post both positive and negative reviews of any given product, but only if these products have actually been tested by SHC.
• If SHC receives free products or free meals or gifts from product manufacturer representatives, that does not mean SHC will write and post highlights, examinations or reviews about these products, nor does it imply any endorsement of these products from SHC either in the digital world or the real world.
• If SHC receives material compensation (products, cash, gifts, meals) after highlighting, examining or reviewing a product independently, SHC will report this new affiliation to readers.
• Sometimes SHC receives free items in the mail; sometimes SHC asks for samples. SHC will let readers know in either case.

PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS

If you have a product you would like SHC to learn more about, you may send your product with all manufacturing and usage information to SHC at the address below. This does not guarantee SHC will use, examine, review or highlight your product in the future. But if you really think it's something that SHC readers could benefit from, feel free to send it along, and SHC will take a look. Products given freely to SHC will never be resold, but they may be given away freely to third parties, including readers, sleep health professionals or family members of friends for the purposes of testing or examining. This form of sharing does not imply endorsement of these products by SHC. 

SleepyHeadCENTRAL

321 High School Road NE

PMB 204, Ste. D-3

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

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SleepyHeadCENTRAL strongly encourages people with ongoing sleep health problems to approach a medical professional to determine appropriate differential diagnoses and treatment. This post, like all other posts on SHC, is not intended to substitute for medical advice.