I was fooled by gadgets with claims to stop or alleviate snoring, such as weird looking pillows, an expensive bed, straps, and vitamins, and then I was duped into having a painful and expensive throat SURGERY that did NOT help me either. At the same time, I’ve always been afraid of intrusive aids like implants or respirators which may forever replace my body’s ability to breath on its own. Eventually, I ended up at the website of a well-known clinic where it is said that “one can stop snoring altogether or at least reduce its frequency and loudness by not sleeping on one’s back.”

 

But we toss and turn in our sleep, and we end up on our back where breathing is impaired further as the effect of gravity on the throat narrows the airway.

 

The challenge, then, was “NOT to remain on my back”, that is, immediately return to my desired or recommended sleeping position without waking up. After a long period of trial and error, I came up with The Sleep Side Keeper, a non-intrusive electronic pad that I place on the mattress, behind me, secured in place by a special non-slip mat. The pad produces a precise amount of vibration to make you return to your sleeping position without waking you up. I had succeeded! A motion detection camera shows that I rolled onto my back twelve to fifteen times in the course of the night yet each time I returned to my initial position without waking up. Equally important, the tossing and turning has diminished greatly; I now roll onto my back once or twice at most. I don't stop breathing in my sleep anymore and I can sleep any number of hours straight. 

 

However, as I slept many hours on my right side without waking up, my ear would hurt. Also, I would still open and breath through my mouth. These two problems gave birth to the SomniAura pillow, designed with a patented ear cradle that diminishes contact of the ear with the pillow surface, and a jaw support -also patented- that keeps the mouth from opening when we fall asleep. The SomniAura Pillow promotes side sleeping and provides for longer periods of uninterrupted sleep. 

 

The Sleep Side Keeper and The SomniAura Pillow work independently and are patented by the US Patent and Trademark Office as distinct anti-snoring systems.

 

JB Molina