Tape didn't work for me. What did work were nasal dilators:

https://www.amazon.com/Rhinomed-Snoring-Solution-Reduction-C...

I don't understand why, but in my 30s, it's like my nostrils aren't big enough to get the airflow I need, especially when sleeping on my side where a pillow might compress one nostril.

Disclaimer: they are not very comfortable, but far more comfortable than a CPAP mask.

I feel the same way, I wish there was some kind of way to permanently expand my sinuses or something because I feel like I can't force air through them.

Sometimes just breathing hard through my nose starts to make my ears pressurize and threaten to pop

There’s a metallic device to insert inside your sinuses. It looks like a finger trap with one side going to a point. I remember it lasts a few years then needs to be replaced for $1000 or so.

My grandfather looked into it because the surgery doesn’t last very long and he had it done multiple times.

> Sometimes just breathing hard through my nose starts to make my ears pressurize and threaten to pop

I had something similar (ears permanently felt like they needed to be popped, for months). Was diagnosed with a deviated septum + allergic response causing my eustachian tubes to not regulate ear pressure properly. Flonase helped. But cluing in that it was partially due to an allergic response (deviated septum made my nasal passage narrow, allergies closed them all the way), I have found that Benadryl is extremely helpful with both nose breathing and preventing the issue with pressure in my ears. I only take it when I have difficultly nose breathing.

I actually had surgery done to fix a deviated septum about 10 years ago, now you mention it

You're probably right it's allergy related. Nothing ever shows up on scratch tests though

I use a nasal steroid I just wish there was a permanent fix

nasal dilators definitely help a lot. I've tried the mute brand you posted and another style that smells of lavender and the mute ones are better. my only problem is I subconsciously mid sleep pull it out because they are a bit uncomfortable like you mentioned, or it falls out at some point of the night and gets lost in the bed. it is amazing how much more air I can breathe through my nose with one in though, and I definitely feel much more rested using them when they stay in. I knew they worked the first time I fell asleep and woke up the next morning in the same position

Yeah exactly. I frequently wake up to realize I yanked the sucker out at some point, sometimes even with groggy recollection of it. (Though I do the same to a CPAP mask when I use one)

But it clearly works in the best case scenario. And sometimes it's the only way I can even breathe well enough to fall asleep.

That's a little upstream of where in one's anatomy is the common choke point - usually the back of the throat/soft palate relaxes and obstructs all breathing.

But I have nose blockage issues and use nasal strips nowadays, too. It prevents mouth breathing which is nice to prevent dry mouth in the middle of the night (which even a humidifier on my nightstand can't completely solve in my climate)

I could not handle the CPAP mask but instead I got a dental appliance (custom) that juts out my lower jaw a bit. Worked great.

I got a custom dental appliance for like $1000 out of pocket, and it broke within a few months, conveniently when I had moved out of state from my original dentist.

There are a few over-the-counter options that advertise themselves as just for snoring reduction - SnoreRX and ZQuiet are ones I've tried. I've found that wearing a BreatheRight-type strip along with one of these appliances works as well or better than the one I got from my dentist, and it's MUCH cheaper. I also take an anti-allergy nasal spray, as I have pretty bad allergies also interfere with sleep.

I got mine thru the city health service, so I only made a token payment. 1000$ ouch.

Those never worked for me (mouth breather) but for some they do work wonders.