Night Elf Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I'm trying to read about mild sleep apnea. I read on WebMD about nasal strips, like Breathe Right. Do these really work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I have a good friend who has a deviated septum and he uses it every night. He can't sleep well without them. He says they are quite expensive so he buys a pack and then after one use he takes the adhesive off (sort of pulls it apart) and reuses the plastic part with some skin friendly surgical tape he buys at the super market. He uses new tape every night, but reuses the plastic part as long as possible. He says using them once is just crazy expensive and wasteful. He can make a single pack last months and months. He says they really work for him, and he's been using them for years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 CPAP therapy is the gold standard when it comes to sleep apnea. I have mild sleep apnea and waited over 10 years before I finally agreed to get tested. I regret waiting that long since CPAP helped me a lot and I cannot imagine sleeping without it 4 years later. Now a days they have many different masks and nasal pillows that are bound to be comfortable for you. It does take about a month or tow to get used to CPAP but it is well worth it. cpaptalk.com and a lot of useful info. As for the breath right strips, IMO I would not bother. I would try to get cpap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 My husband snores much less and sleeps better when he uses them. It sounds to me like he has sleep apnea, but he has never sought a diagnosis. I have been hearing radio ads about non-CPAP treatments that I am going to encourage him to try. One is an oral appliance; the other is a minor surgical procedure (he does have a deviated septum). In the meantime, the strips (he uses a generic version) are helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 They worked for me for crazy snoring during pregnancy. I don't think they're a substitute for a c-pap for sleep apnea though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 My dh uses them as part of his regimen when he's having sinus problems (other aspects include neti-pot, xlear, sudafed). They clearly provide some benefit, but for full-on sleep apnea I would try to get tested and get a cpap if that was the doctor's recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 My husband used them when he was horribly congested. They helped with breathing, but irritated his skin - something in the adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Hubby uses them here too and they help. He definitely has sleep apnea and can scare me at night when I wake up and hear him quit breathing until he sort of chokes, etc. However, he's not concerned about it and won't get it looked into. Therefore, the nasal strips are well worth the money IMO since he will use those and it is better with them than without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 They worked for me for crazy snoring during pregnancy. I don't think they're a substitute for a c-pap for sleep apnea though. I use them this way, in pregnancy, when my nose is so swollen with the extra fluid that I can't breathe through it when I lie down. They're great for that. My DH has obstructive sleep apnea and uses a CPAP. He briefly tried the nose strips and a mouth appliance years ago, but they didn't work very well for his issues. He does great with the CPAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 They work well for my DH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 I saw a commercial about cpap today which got me thinking about it, so I was researching it. I saw where the nasal strips was recommended for mild sleep apnea and was just curious if they really work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I have a deviated septum and use this, even at night and when exercising, to help me breathe out of my right nostril: http://www.amazon.com/Nasal-Breathe-Aid-3-Count/dp/B0076OIPZU/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1VZ9J475DNYY20EPT68M If you soak it in hot, but not boiling, water, it becomes more pliable. If you try it, you might want to do that for awhile initially until you get used to it. Sleep apnea is worth checking out. A lack of oxygen at night can cause all sorts of health problems. A sleep study and working with a respiratory therapist can be very helpful. My sister has sleep apnea which is caused by the anatomy of her throat. During her study, she stopped breathing so many times at night, the people monitoring her eventually stopped the study and immediately started her on oxygen. She was the worst case they had but is doing much better now and feels like a million bucks. So, the moral of the story is: don't take sleep apnea lightly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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