Abstract
Objectives: To critically evaluate three popular noninvasive treatments for snoring: an oral spray lubricant applied before bedtime, a nasal strip designed to maintain nasal valve patency, and a head-positioning pillow.
Methods: Prospective, randomized clinical crossover trial of three popular noninvasive snore aids utilizing objective acoustic and spectral snoring analysis as well as subjective patient and bed-partner satisfaction questionnaires in over 40 known snoring patients. A combination digital recorder with acoustic and spectral analysis algorithms allowed respiratory disturbance screening and snoring analysis with data collected in the home environment.
Results: Trends in preliminary analysis indicate limited objective benefit to the use of noninvasive snore aids. However, subjective results, especially for the oral spray, show some increase in patient and bed-partner satisfaction due to decreased snoring volume and duration as well as improved sleep quality and overall happiness. Overall, palatal vibrational snoring loudness decreased with the oral spray. No changes in respiratory disturbance index were noted with any of the three therapies. Complications included neck stiffness from the head-positioning pillow.
Conclusions: This is the first prospective clinical comparison trial of popular noninvasive snoring aids. An oral spray lubricant snore sleep aid may offer improvement for those suffering from snoring and their bed-partners. However, objective data supporting this improvement are limited, and there seemed to be no significant objective or subjective improvement in the other modalities studied. Clinical significance: Outcome studies aid in verifying or refuting claims made by popular noninvasive snore aids.