Will a Stop Snoring Pillow Work?

So... what is a snoring pillow, and how is it designed to stop snoring?

It is a sleep accessory aimed to prevent snoring by giving one's head enough support to avoid their tongue from falling back into their throat. This type of tongue placement causes narrowed and obstructed airways and is a major cause of snoring, which many snoring solutions aim to prevent.  Stop-snoring pillows offer a sleeping position that decreases this type of snoring, with the aim to provide proper airflow throughout the night. Although there are no pillows that can guarantee a snore-free night, the pillows below have been used to relieve mild snoring.

Some types of stop snoring pillows…

The wedge pillow: named after its shape, this pillow is designed to rest its base on the bed and point up, creating a taller pillow structure, allowing you to sleep with your head more in a more elevated position.

The contour pillow: this pillow has a dip across the middle where the head would lay, keeping one's head at a height better for keeping airways open.

The latex foam pillow: this pillow is based on the science of reducing the amount of tossing and turning in the night while using a latex pillow, which is a movement that can increase the prevalence of snoring.

Side sleeping pillow: since sleeping on the back promotes snoring, these pillows can be used to prevent you from rolling onto your sleep at night. [1]

What do studies say?

In an unbiased study testing the Snore-No-More pillow, 40 snoring patients tried the pillow for a night. Subjective comments were gathered from the study, and said that the pillow did not give optimum comfort, and also increased the occurrence of morning headaches and neck stiffness [2]. Some articles looking at the impact on specialized pillows as a solution to obstructive sleep apnea and snoring have promising results, although many of these are conducted by the inventors themselves, or funded by the companies that develop the pillows, so a conflict of interest may occur [3].

A letter from Harvard Health outlined how pillows can both help and hurt, and anti-snoring pillows “won't eliminate health problems such as restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea -- even though some pillows are marketed as solutions to snoring and sleep disorders. The only way to address sleep disorders... is to talk to your physician and get a proper diagnosis and treatment [4].”

In summary, a stop snoring pillow might work for you if:

• Your snoring is due to your sleeping position
• You sleep on your back and want to promote side sleeping
• You do not have a more serious sleep condition, such as sleep apnea (although there are pillows designed to increase comfort while sleeping with a CPAP machine)
• You have seen a doctor or your primary care physician to see if this is the best snoring option for you.

With proper guidance from a health care professional, it is achievable to find the best snore solution for you. A commonly recommended snoring mouthpiece is the clinically proven Good Morning Snore Solution, which now comes in two sizes to accommodate fit for anyone's mouth. Find out more about how this tongue stabilization mouthpiece works. 

______________________________

Sources

1 https://www.snorelab.com/anti-snoring-pillows/

2 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/j.otohns.2003.11.008

3 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11325-004-0201-5.pdf

4 https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/is-your-pillow-hurting-your-health