Research suggests that chin straps alone are not a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. While a chin strap may help reduce snoring that is common among people with sleep apnea, it is not effective in treating the starts and stops of breathing that characterize this condition. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that snoring chin straps will solve your snoring problems. Chin straps don't work for everyone, especially if snoring occurs along with other health problems.
But for mouth snoring in particular, they can be quite effective. Correct fit and fit is essential and biannual replacement is recommended. Keep in mind that other factors can also influence snoring, such as a change in weight or an increase in alcohol consumption. Keep this in mind if the chin strap starts to become less effective.
These devices are not designed to treat sleep apnea. Chin straps have been clinically proven to be neither safe nor effective. Chin straps are unlikely to present safety concerns for people who can breathe easily through their nose. However, they are a less desirable option for anyone who has a crooked septum or other problems that restrict normal nasal breathing.
In general, chin straps are quite effective in stopping snoring. However, the biggest problem is that they are not practical. To sleep well you need to be relaxed. It can be very difficult to relax when your head is wrapped in what looks like a rugby helmet.
The discomfort caused by chin straps often causes people to stop using theirs and return to their ways of snoring. Similarly, there was a statistically significant difference in REM sleep as a percentage of TST between the diagnostic PSG study and the chinstrap study, and between the chinstrap study and the optimal CPAP study, but not when comparing the diagnostic PSG study and the optimal CPAP studies. I have found that using a bed wedge combined with a chin strap has worked wonders for me, the bed wedge seems to stop the closing of the throat muscles by raising the upper body at an angle and the chin strap stops dry mouth. For a test, see what the doctor will tell me, & if I'm going to get a chinstrap at night, & see what I can wear during the day to breathe through my nose for the rest of my life.
The bottom line is that chin straps do not appear to be viable treatment options for most patients with sleep apnea. I imagine that the hospital no longer wears a chinstrap because they recognize that they have no valid role to play. The only way to be sure that a chin strap will be good for controlling snoring is to try one and see. Try moving the strap to different points on the head or try using an alternative device to reduce snoring, such as a mouthpiece that stabilizes the tongue.
Supine sleep, which would be expected to worsen AHIs, was not present in significantly greater amounts in the chinstrap study compared to the diagnostic study, although it occurred in larger amounts during the optimal CPAP study. Some experts advise that the best way to maximize the effectiveness of a chin strap is to use it as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that also includes changes in diet and lifestyle habits, such as reducing alcohol consumption or avoiding sleeping on your back. Therefore, the effectiveness of chin straps for snoring comes down to how well they keep their mouths closed and how practical they are for sleeping. Today's manufacturers produce chin straps for snoring from very reliable materials such as neoprene or lycra.
He noted that while a chinstrap may stabilize the jaw in a forward position, mouth breathing may become necessary if there is a nasal obstruction or if the person has difficulty breathing through the nose. The main difference lies in the ability of the chin strap to adjust to the head and face for maximum comfort. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing AHI, SpO2 nadir (Figure), snoring index or snoring scale in diagnostic PSG with those of the chinstrap study (Table 2A). So how good are snoring chin straps when used in a non-CPAP environment? They seem to be an unpredictable snoring solution, at best.
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