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Anti-snoring devices panned

"The problem is that people's sleep continues to be disturbed. They don't sleep well, which certainly isn't healthy."

Tsou Meng-chen, a doctor in E-da Hospital's dentistry department

Several products have appeared on the shelves claiming to help people stop snoring. Doctors, however, say that many of these products are not effective and some are even unhealthy.

Foreign research has shown that one in three adults has snoring problems. A survey by the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Sleep Center found that 44 percent of adult men and 14 percent of adult women snore.

Conservative estimates say that more than 2 million people need help for snoring problems.

The snoring-prevention market is a large one. Devices that resemble wrist watches are a popular item.

Tsou Meng-chen (鄒孟真), a doctor at E-da Hospital's dentistry department, said that these devices vibrate when they detect snoring to prompt the sleeper to adjust his or her body position.

"This may help reduce instances of snoring, but the problem is that people's sleep continues to be disturbed. They don't sleep well, which certainly isn't healthy," she said.

Other products are designed to keep the nasal cavity open. The director of Chang Gung Hospital's Sleep Center, Chen Ning-hung (陳濘宏), said these products, including nasal sprays and adhesive cloth strips applied to the nose, may help with minor cases, but won't help those people in need of real treatment.

Chou Sun-lung (周孫隆), a doctor at the Taipei Medical University's School of Dentistry, said that most snoring is the result of the tongue falling back in the mouth when a person is lying flat on their back, obstructing the flow of air.

Keeping the nasal cavity open is not enough to eliminate snoring because the tongue still needs to be pulled up, he said.

Tsou said that throwing away NT$100 or NT$1,000 on a useless product might not be a big deal for most people, but risking one's health by ignoring the hidden causes of snoring certainly is.
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