Re:I Got a Sleep Study in My 30s. It Probably Saved My Life
by okramcivokram on Wednesday August 07, 2024 @02:01PM
(#41183742)
I don't understand how these types of devices are supposed to help, as it's not my nostrils that get blocked, but the far back of my throat.
Re:I Got a Sleep Study in My 30s. It Probably Saved My Life
by samatman on Wednesday August 07, 2024 @04:16PM
(#41184957)
They mechanically open the nostril, which resists sinus closure, and that has knock-on effects for the rest of the respiratory tract. Nostrils basically don't block unless you stick something in them, but sinuses do, and opening the nostril helps directly with that. As a sinus starts to fill or close, it gets harder to pull air through the nostril, and noses are pretty flexible, so the passage narrows, which further narrows the sinus. Eventually you have a blockage, and start mouth breathing, and that's what triggers the blockage you're referring to. Sinuses serve an important purpose in humidifying air, which is important for the proper function of tonsils, especially the adenoid: adenoidal swelling is the major cause of apnea, and dry air from mouth breathing can easily trigger it.
It doesn't work for everyone, and some people are just going to need a CPAP. But it's a no-commitment intervention of negligent cost, and if it works, that's a much better outcome than needing a CPAP and everything which comes with it.
But there are actual, demonstrable reasons why it can serve as an alternative to the CPAP for some number of people, it isn't just woo. I hope I've done a good job of explaining why that is.
Some people are are going to need a CPAP, but trying the nasal stent doesn't take a sleep study, insurance, or a machine which you plug in and maintain: it takes twenty bucks. Probably don't jump straight in to using it every night, it takes the nostrils awhile to get used to them, but I have no discomfort at all starting around the second week of using them.
I would even go so far as to say everyone should just pick them up and try them out. One benefit that never occurred to me is that when I have mild congestion, the mechanical action of the stent will drain it, and no one sleeps well with a stuffy nose. Getting more oxygen per breath while sleeping has no downsides, even if you think you don't need it. If you ever wake up with one sinus filled with mucus, definitely give it a try.