Improved nasal breathing reduces snoring and morning tiredness. A 6-month follow-up study.

Background: Dilation of the nasal valve region can increase the ability to breathe through the nose and reduce the negative intrathoracic pressure required for inspiration. Vibrations of the palate and soft tissues of the throat, which generate snoring sounds, can be prevented when patients inhale less heavily.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect a nostril dilator has on patient snoring and tiredness in the morning and to determine how many patients would continue to use the device for half a year.

Design: For 6 months, 42 men who were heavy snorers graded their average tiredness in the morning and the patient's sleeping partner graded the average snoring using a visual analog scale from 0 to 100.

Setting: All patients were examined at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Central Hospital, in Skövde, Sweden.

Results: When the nostril dilator was used there was a significant decrease in snoring after both 1- and 6-month reports. There was a significant correlation between diminution of snoring and less tiredness in patients in the morning. The compliance was good since 60% of patients continued to use the device during the 6-month test period.

Conclusions: This study illustrates the benefits that reducing nasal airway resistance during sleep has on snoring and morning tiredness in patients.