Do Nasal Strips Really Work to Stop Snoring?

For someone suffering from intense snoring or nasal problems resulting in snoring, it’s commonplace to reach for an immediate, over-the-counter (OTC) remedy. Often, when it comes to snoring, this sort of aid comes in the form of nasal strips. This entry will discuss how effective nasal strips are for treating snoring, or associated conditions such as sleep apnea, and it will focus on the long-term benefits of real, effective snoring treatments, such as those offered at Florida Sinus & Snoring Specialists.

What Causes Snoring

Though you might know what it sounds like, you might not know what’s causing your snoring. Before delving further into the usefulness of nasal strips and the efficacy of potential alternatives, having an underlying sense of some of the causes of excessive, abnormal snoring will provide you with a context for understanding why the usual remedies work or why they don’t. 

Common causes of snoring include:

• Age: Aging impacts snoring because the throat muscles and tongue tend to relax more during sleep with age, generating an audible vibration during inhalation.
• Alcohol: Alcohol is a strong muscle relaxant, causing the areas around your throat and airway to slacken during sleep and resulting in vibration when you breathe.
• Nasal and Sinus Issues: Conditions such as sleep apnea or issues with nasal polyps, allergies, sinus infections, and general congestion can all contribute to prolonged snoring problems.
• Sleeping Position: Your preferred sleeping position can affect your sinuses. If you often end up on your back, your soft palate, uvula, tongue, or throat will sometimes vibrate and block the passage of air into your lungs.
• Genetics: The physical structures of your mouth, throat, and sinuses are a product of your genetic framework, and they may be a cause of your snoring.

How Do Nasal Strips Work?

Often likened in shape and texture to a stiff Band-Aid, nasal strips or nasal dilators are available at your local pharmacy or grocery store as an OTC option for relief. Applying one across the bridge of your nose opens up your nostrils slightly, as the plastic splints embedded in it act like springs, increasing airflow during the breathing process. Like many other OTC treatments, these products may temporarily reduce snoring due to infrequent nasal blockage or sinus congestion, often associated with temporary illnesses such as the flu or a cold, but there is little evidence to suggest that nasal strips help treat or prevent more chronic snoring related to structural, allergy-based, or sinus tissue-based complications.

The bottom line is this: while nasal strips may help stifle some kinds of snoring in some people, they are not a permanent fix. If you desire a long-lasting solution, you should pursue other means of rehabilitation.

Better Treatments

Given the inadequacy of nasal strips in the long-term, there are alternate methods of treatment that are far more successful when it comes to relieving and preventing snoring problems. At South Florida Allergy and Sinus Center, Dr. Mandel can administer a MIPS procedure, also known as Minimally Invasive Palatal Stiffening. For this procedure, Dr. Mandel utilizes a precision diode laser to correct the area of obstruction and stiffen your soft palate, thereby minimizing abnormal breathing vibrations known to cause airway obstruction. It can take as little as 3 minutes, or 15 to 20 minutes if combined with other recommended nasal procedures. It is minimally invasive and entirely tolerable.

Find Lasting Relief Today

If you’re tired of perpetually forking over money for nasal strips or other short-term OTC products, consider contacting Florida Sinus & Snoring Specialists. With a team of leading experts in the field, Dr. Lee Mandel has a collection of effective and proprietary treatments attested to by thousands of satisfied patients. Want the best snoring solutions in South Florida? Call Florida Sinus & Snoring Specialists today at 954-983-1211 to request an appointment and begin breathing easier.