There are a lot of products out there that claim they can stop snoring. Some of them are more modest and indicate that they can at least alleviate some symptoms of snoring. There are pillows, chin straps, nasal strips, sprays and a whole host of other interesting devices that claim they can stop snoring. The important thing to understand is that people can’t control their snoring. In most cases it’s caused by the muscles in their mouths relaxing while they sleep which allows their tongues to fall to the back of their throats and blocking off the airway, which causes the sound we all know. There are some lifestyle issues as well that can cause snoring like stress and excessive drinking or smoking. One of the more popular and recommended methods is to use an anti-snoring mouthpiece to help reduce snoring.
Anti-snoring mouthpieces work by forcing the airway open by both pushing the lower jaw forward and opening the airway more or by holding the tongue in place so that it doesn’t fall back into the mouth, or both. There are many, many devices out there and while you need to watch out for scams, you also need to do your research to find the mouthpiece that works for you. We’re going to take a look at two of the more popular mouthpieces and compare them to each other. This should give you a good snapshot of what is available on the market and what the better known mouthpieces have to offer you.
The two that we’ll compare are the SnoreRX® and the ZQuiet®. Both of them are mouthpieces that work from the inside. They have both undergone various tests by health authorities and both are made by reputable companies. They are both completely unique from each other though and that’s what we’ll look at now.
SnoreRX®
- Made from medical grade thermoplastic and contains a hard plastic frame at the centre
- Uses a two-piece design where the upper and lower trays slide into each other
- Adjustable
- Must be removed to drink or speak
- Thicker than the ZQuiet®
- Able to be adjusted in 1 millimeter increments to ensure that it is truly personalized
- Uses the ‘boil-and-bite’ method to fit your mouth
ZQuiet®
- Made from BPA free thermoplastic elastomer material.
- One piece hinged design.
- Ready to use out of the box with slight trimming
- Can be left in to talk or drink
- Thinner than the SnoreRX®
- Not as adjustable as the SnoreRX®. Company ships two mouthpieces with differing advancements to help customer determine which to use
Both of the mouthpieces boast great reviews and both are approved by the FDA. If you have a smaller mouth it may be in your better interests to use the ZQuiet® as the material is thinner. Also, if you are a mouth-breather, the ZQuiet® is definitely the one you want to go for.
The customization of the SnoreRX® is really beneficial because it can help you ensure that your jaw is being pushed out just enough without it being overly painful. There will be some discomfort no matter which one you go with but by being able to adjust so minutely really helps. If you have dentures, consider this.
In terms of price the ZQuiet® is the cheaper of the two but it will still cost you about $70USD. You also have to consider the fact that you should replace your mouthpiece every four months or so for hygienic reasons so that should be something you consider. More details on other snoring mouthpieces are here. Of course that doesn’t mean just go out and buy the cheapest one. more →
I was two months pregnant with my second child and just waking up from a not-very-good night’s sleep. As I dragged myself into the living room of our tenth-floor apartment in Cambridge, MA, an unpleasant sensation began to rise inside me–a sense of foreboding, of imminent danger. I tried to shrug it off as morning sickness, but somehow I knew it had nothing to do with hormones. It wasn’t even physical, though it made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle uncomfortably.
