Nasal Strips for Snoring & Apnea: Simple, Effective Relief
For an inexpensive and noninvasive treatment, consider nasal dilator strips to flail open the crumpled nasal passages that contribute to noisy breathing and apnea events.
Costing just pennies, these adhesive strips flail out the nasal walls for increased airflow. Often keeping a low profile, this treatment frequently decreases mild to moderate snoring and positional apnea.
How do these basic drugstore products make noisy nights quiet again? Let’s dig into the science of nasal strips and learn how to optimize results for great sound sleep.
Understanding Nasal Obstruction’s Role in Disordered Breathing
Congested or narrow nasal passages undermine airflow in two ways:
- Forced mouth breathing when the nose is blocked during sleep. This collapses the tongue and throat.
- Reduced airflow pressure failing to splint internal airway walls open. This allows soft tissues to collapse inward.
During sleep, obstructed nasal airways precipitate mouth breathing, snoring, and apneic events as the tongue and soft palate relax. Nasal strips counteract this by:
- Widening nasal valve openings via adhesive bands.
- Improving laminar nasal airflow and pressure-keeping passages patent.
- This further reduces reliance on mouth breathing and the subsequent upper airway crowding and collapse.
Maximizing Nasal Strip Benefits
Follow these best practices when using nasal strips for snoring or mild sleep apnea:
- Choose wide strips with stronger bands that provide higher “pulling” force on the nasal walls.
- Make sure the skin is clean and dry before applying. Pressure-sensitive adhesive seals best on a non-oily surface.
- Position the strip high on the bridge of the nose, not low near the nostrils.
- Press along the strip’s length to ensure it adheres properly, especially at the nasal crease.
- Try spraying saline into nostrils right before application to combat congestion.
- Replace strips nightly, as they lose elasticity after 8-12 hours. Reusing strips reduces effectiveness.
With the consistent correct technique, nasal strips silence many snoring and mild apnea cases. They serve as excellent conservative therapy before considering invasive options.
Ideal Candidates for Nasal Strip Therapy
Nasal dilators work best for snoring or apnea primarily caused by nighttime nasal congestion or obstruction. They help if:
- You have seasonal allergies, sinusitis, or rhinitis aggravating breathing at night.
- Your sleep study shows your apnea is primarily positional.
- You’re looking for temporary non-invasive relief for mild or intermittent snoring.
- Other nasal devices like sprays or CPAP nasal prongs irritate your nostrils.
For severe sleep apnea cases involving significant throat/palate laxity or obstruction, nasal strips alone typically aren’t adequate. But combined with oral devices or CPAP, they enhance other therapies by ensuring open nasal airways.
Simple Yet Effective Respiratory Relief
Because they’re non-intrusive and comfortable to use, nasal dilator strips are the practical first-step remedy to try before intensive snoring treatments or surgery. Not a cure-all, opening nasal breathing often cascades to resolving milder forms of sleep-disordered breathing. Give these unsung heroes a try for quieter, more restful nights!
