Snoring Chin Straps: Do These Anti Snoring Devices Work?

Most people with a snoring issue breathe through their mouths. Mouth breathing alone is not enough to cause snoring. Instead, a person usually has a condition that causes a blockage in their airway (such as a relaxed tongue or jaw).

Snoring chin straps have been advertised as a method of correcting snoring issues. These devices have a simple function: To force a person to breath through his or her nose. The strap holds the mouth shut during the night, causing the wearer to breath only through the nasal passage.

Potential Problems with Snoring Chin Straps

While these devices can help in certain situations, they do suffer from several major flaws. Most notably, they can be dangerous for certain people. Those who have problems breathing through their noses due to sinuses, allergies or other blockages should steer clear of snoring chin straps. If the jaw is held shut and the nasal cavity is blocked even a moderate amount, the person will be unable to get enough oxygen during the night.

At best, by keeping the jaw in a closed position, jaw supporters will help muffle the snoring noise.  But this can result in a dangerous consequence—as the tongue is pushed back against the back wall of the airway, the tendency for sleep apnea increases.  So a partial relief of the snoring causes a more serious problem. 

Over 25% of the people that snore have sleep apnea, but only 2% of females and 4% of males have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.  Consequently, a lot of sleep apnea goes untreated.

So if you snore, it is very possible that you have sleep apnea too.  Unfortunately, wearing a chin strap can actually increase your chances of having sleep apnea. 

Advertising for these devices leads you to believe that chin straps decrease apnea, but in almost all cases there is still a dangerous level of apnea present with wearing these devices.  The studies show that oxygen saturation still remains below 90% and apneas are barely decreased (and in some cases actually increased) with these devices. 

So When Would a Jaw Supporter Benefit Me?

The only time that wearing a chin strap would make sense is if used in conjunction with either CPAP or an oral device that treats your snoring and/or sleep apnea. 

When air is forced through a nasal mask to keep the airway open during sleep, some CPAP wearers have a difficult time keeping their mouth closed.  When the mouth falls open, air no longer pushes the tongue out of the way.  Instead, air escapes through the mouth and the airway collapses, making the apnea worse.  A jaw supporter or chin strap for snoring would prevent this from happening.

With an anti-snoring mouthpiece, a chin snoring strap could also help those who have a tendency to breathe through their mouth.  Some people are mouth breathers by habit, even when there is no significant nasal blockage.

When using a mouthpiece for snoring, breathing through your mouth will create a dry mouth.  A chin strap for snoring would help eliminate the dry mouth that is caused by mouth breathing as well as help the oral devices stay in place if you tend to open your mouth during sleep.

But snoring chin straps can be uncomfortable, especially for those with larger heads. Remember, the device needs to be tightly fitted around a person’s head to effectively limit the mouth’s movement. Some people have described the feeling of these chinstraps as similar to being held in a headlock for the entire night.

One of the more trivial matters (though a problem that many complain of) is that snoring chin straps are not visually attractive. Wearing these devices can make a person feel very self-conscious, even though they are generally only worn in one’s home. Many people feel that they will look silly in front of their spouses, room mates or house guests if seen wearing these devices.

The best alternative to the anti snoring chinstrap is an oral appliance designed to eliminate snoring. A snoring mouthpiece opens the oral air passage and allows the user to continue to breathe through the mouth. This makes the product safe for people who suffer from allergies or sinus problems. 

Anti snoring mouthpieces can be custom fit to match anyone’s mouth. This allows for a very comfortable night’s rest without the pressure caused by a snoring chin strap. Finally, because these devices are placed in the mouth, those who suffer from snoring never have to worry about their appearance while they sleep.