I don’t snore, but I live and sleep with someone who does… or who used to. I dealt with interrupted sleep for years which made me grumpy and resentful to the person I cared about most in the world. I often thought about using a pillow to smother her during the night… just kidding… ok, not really 😉
Snoring happens when the airway collapses as the upper throat muscles relax during sleep. Smart Nora is a snoring solution that uses an existing pillow as an anti-snoring aid. A special pad fits under the pillow and inflates when a bedside sensor detects snoring. The inflated pad causes your head to move just enough to stimulate the throat muscles, which stops the snoring without waking the non-snoring bed buddy.
I ended up talking Jeanne into getting a sleep study at the hospital, where she was diagnosed with pretty severe sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP machine which has made a HUGE difference for both of us. Be aware that Smart Nora is not a replacement for a CPAP machine.
Nora is a non-medical device that reduces snoring. Those with apnea can use Nora to reduce their snoring but should not think of it as a replacement for treatments prescribed by their physician.
Sleep studies and CPAP machines are pretty expensive, so Smart Nora does sound like an interesting solution for people who might not need medical intervention.
This unit looks great because it’s not bulky or noisy like a CPAP machine. I’m not finding any real-world reviews online yet, but you can watch some user tests in the video above. If this device would have been available earlier this year, I would have bought one for Jeanne to try. But now that she’s using a CPAP which is paid for by her health insurance, we’re kind of locked into that solution because if she doesn’t use it, she’ll have to pay for it out of pocket (not sure of the details, but it has some type of cellular monitor attached to it).
The Smart Nora unit is portable for travel, runs on batteries and is priced at $259. You can read more about it a smartnora.com
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I know of several people who got mouth guards molded at the dentist. The two guards are fitted so the bottom jaw is moved forward. All snoring and apnea problems resolved with no CPAP machine. They claim their lives have changed!
OSA(Obstructive Sleep Apnea) can be addressed by oral appliance which as mentioned above, protrude mandible (or move lower jaw forward with proper titration ) to open airway.
Certain appliance can be worn together with CPAP as well.
Just don’t get as seen on TV or internet items.
Ones from dental office is FDA approved for treatment of OSA.
regarding CPAP, if your health insurance is HMO or Kaiser, you are stuck with it.
check insurance coverage for DME(durable medical equipment) coverage.
If you have it, then you can sign affidavit that you are having difficult time with CPAP, then it is possible to try oral appliance.
Can smart nora be used in conjunction with CPAP? There is no doubt that CPAP provides good results but it is not at all comfortable to wear the mask through night. Though its my personal experience.
They say that this does not replace a CPAP. I guess you would need to ask your doctor.