I was talking to someone the other day about my work with snoring aids – fascinating conversation, I know!- and they were a little surprised to hear about one of the most common snoring aids used today, the chin strap. She was a little sceptical, amused even, that someone would wear such a thing. All I can say is, she’s clearly someone who’s been rendered desperate for sleep by a partner’s sleeping!
It’s a fair question, though- why would one choose a chin strap? After all, it looks a bit odd, to say the least, and to keep the jaw clamped shut- isn’t that uncomfortable? Surely it can’t make that much of a difference, keeping the mouth closed like that?
Not really. Whilst there is a certain level of discomfort in some models of chin straps- after all, they have to be tight enough to hold the jaw shut- the market’s full of padded models which are designed to be comfortable to wear. It’s like anything- if you get used to it, then it’s not really that big a deal. I have a friend in his thirties with Sleep Apnea who sleeps with a CPAP machine, and he says he gets a fairly good night’s sleep without any problems. It’s all to do with what you are accustomed too.
As well, it’s actually fairly natural to have the jaw held closed- having the jaw open i’s our natural ‘at-rest’ position whilst we are awake. We can breathe fairly easily when our jaws are in that position, too- we do all day long. Whilst we are asleep, that changes, but only because the muscles in the head and neck relax. It’s the same reason why the head lolls about. If the jaw’s being held up, it’s not going to cause a problem, any more than a pillow propping the head up will.
So if you’ve got a snoring problem, ask your partner if you sleep with your mouth open. If you do, maybe a chin strap is a good, comfortable solution that would work for you!
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