Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep. When snoring interrupts this much-needed restful sleep, it’s time to understand what causes it and do something about it. If you snore because your nose is blocked or congested during sleep (not sure? you can use this simple test to find out), you may want to look into nasal dilators as a snoring solution.
Nasal dilators are in the nose-snoring device category and can help you quit snoring by enlarging your nostrils in order to let air flow freely while you sleep. But do they really work? Are they the solution for obstructive sleep apnea? Let’s dive in to find out the basics of nasal dilators and analyze the pros and cons and see if they are right for you.
What Are Nasal Dilators? Pros and Cons?
Nasal dilators work for people who suffer from nasal congestion and snoring. If your nose is constricted or congested, the air will not pass adequately and your body will compensate by switching to mouth breathing. When you’re breathing through your mouth, the jaw relaxes which lets the tongue slip back into the airway. You need to keep breathing, right? The air that does make its way through may cause vibrations because of the narrowed space. Tada...snoring!
Nasal dilators are helping dilate the nostrils to get more air flow through the nose to retrieve nose breathing.
There are two types of nasal dilators to open the nostrils while you sleep. One is external nasal strips that stick on your nose for the night and the other one is internal nasal dilators inserted into your nose to keep the nasal passage open in order to help stop the snoring.
External Nasal Strips
External nasal dilator strips like Breathe Right are applied with adhesive, like a band-aid, on the outside of your nose and stretch open your nasal passages. They are usually straight and can bounce back when you bent it. That’s how it works: when you stick it on the nose bridge in the middle and nose alar on both sides, the force of rebound lifts both alars resulting in dilating the nasal passage and ventilating it.
However, they may not be effective when the stuffy nose or running nose caused by a cold or allergies. Since a stuffy nose is usually caused by severe swelling of the nasal mucosa, external nasal strips cannot work through the skin and muscle tissue to address the root problems.
External Nasal Strips
Pros
- Affordable.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- It can cause skin irritation.
- It can unstick during the night.
- Single use.
Internal Nasal Dilators
Internal nasal dilators or nasal vents like Mute snoring device, on the other hand, are inserted inside your nostrils to help keep them open while you sleep. Internal nose plugs for snoring and anti-snoring nose vents come in different shapes, sizes, and materials. Most quality nasal dilators are made from medical grade silicone and are usually sold in different sizes. It may take a few tries with different brands to get the right fit for you.
Nasal dilators can be inserted individually like vents into each nostril, and other devices are one single piece that you insert into both nostrils. There is no evidence that internal nasal dilators could be more effective in dilating the nostrils with congestion by cold or allergies. But since these dilators go inside your nose, extra attention needs to be paid to avoid negative reactions or discomfort.
Internal Nasal Dilators
Pros
- Affordable.
- Easy to use
- Reusable.
Cons
- Invasive.
- Take some time to get used to it.
- Trial and error phase.
There are many different nasal dilators that act differently but all have a similar result. They keep your nasal passages open and let air pass freely, therefore avoiding the vibration in your throat that causes the dreaded snoring while you sleep. So your choice should be based on their cost, material, and comfort.
Is Nasal Dilator A Solution For Sleep Apnea?
According to a sleep research journal, nasal dilators have not been demonstrated improving sleep study parameters, although it may subjectively improve a patient’s nasal obstruction. Therefore, the devices should not be thought of as curative for obstructive sleep apnea but rather should be considered as adjuncts to treatment.
Are Nasal Dilators Right For You?
If you have a nasal snoring problem? Yes, nasal dilators are definitely one of the options to vent your nose and stop snoring. However, nasal dilators don’t work for everyone and some people have commented that they simply can’t get used to sleeping with something inserted into their nose or having something stuck on their face while they sleep. So if you have sensitive skin or can’t sleep if there is an invasive device in your nose, nasal dilators may not be the right snoring solution to you. You may need to do your research and find an effective and non-invasive snoring solution.
Or if your stuffy nose is caused by cold or allergies, try to take some medicine or visit a doctor to kill the gems, which could be more effective than nasal dilators.
Besides, nasal dilators are not for obstructive sleep apnea. If you are not sure whether you have sleep apnea or not, it is suggested to consult a sleep doctor before you make any purchase. You probably need a CPAP machine to address your sleep apnea issue.
The Takeaway
Ok, now you have read through all the basics and pros and cons of nasal dilators and find you don’t have sleep apnea and decide to give nasal strips a try. If you think that stuffing something inside your nose before you go to sleep is completely unappealing, we suggest that you try the nasal dilator strips first. These are quite affordable and if they don’t work for you, you can then try the other types of nasal dilators. And give some time to test them out and get used to them. You can do it. It’s time to put a stop to bothersome snoring and get the most restful sleep possible.
