My first impression of Somni snore guard was not good. It is because the website somni.com looks so unprofessional and it lacks details I’m looking for. Important details like does it work for open mouth snoring problems, sleep apnea, TMJ, bruxism. Is it a semi-adjustable snore guard, or prefabricated snore guard. (most snore guard kits are prefabricated, meaning they are fixed jaw relation model) I found a lot of information on the studies done on the effectiveness of snore guards in general. Luckily, I was able to dig out some information on other websites. So all is not lost.
Somni snore guard is the first device I’ve read about that claims to be specially designed for snorer who snores with their mouth open. (my first reaction was, isn’t that how everyone snores?) If you breathe and snore with your mouth, you will have dry mouth and develop bad breath. (called halitosis) That is why Somni mouth guard claims to not only solve your snoring problem but also your bad breath or morning bad breath. Because of this, the Somni mandibular advancement device does not have a hole to prevent you from breathing through your mouth. This can be a terrible thing if you have the flu and need to breathe through your mouth. Your health and safety might be jeopardized because of this.
Somni mouth guard is also remarkably different from other snore guards that I’ve come across. It claims to solve your snoring problem by means other than bringing your lower jaw forward. All other snore guards or mandibular advancement device as it is called by some doctors solve your snoring by protruding your lower jaw. They claim that by preventing you from breathing through your mouth, you will be forced to breathe through your nose. This means the air will not travel through the oropharynx structure and instead travel behind the soft palate straight to the trachea. From my research, this make sense and may even be better than normal snore guards like SilentNite which forces your lower jaw forward so that your air flow will not be blocked. Because of this, Somni snore guard will be more comfortable than other snore guards out there.
However, like I said, there’s not much proof that the device works. Health Which? panel of experts, which includes a professor in lung medicine, herbalist, homeopath, an expert in restorative dentistry and a pharmacologist, asked the manufacturer of Somni snore guard to provide proof that its product works but received no response. Surely if your product works as advertised you will gladly send the proof to a magazine for more publicity?
I suspect that Somni simply does not have the proof to back up its bold claims. Sure, it might work for some people but not 80% success rate even for chronic snorer. Like Neil Douglas, the professor of respiratory and chest medicine at the Scottish National Sleep Center said…
“People have to be very careful before spending money on devices advertised when there’s no objective evidence that they work. I know of some people who have wasted hundreds of pounds on such devices, with no benefit.”
If you want to read more about the “Health Which?” investigation article you can go to this BBC website.
There’s a lot of reasons why you might be snoring. Before you spend a single cent on a snore guard. I would advise you to lose weight or quit alcohol. Those are the two main reason why people snore.
From the information I’ve gathered above I am quite 100% certain that this is a fixed-jaw-relation snore guard device. This means that Somni snore guard is not suitable for those with TMJ. It is however, suitable for those with mild sleep apnea (OSA or Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and bruxism. This is because the device is fairly durable from the reviews I have read so far. The only thing I do not like about the Somni snore guard is that it is not suitable for those who has sinus problem or flu. If you do not have any nasal congestion problem, (clean your nasal before you go to bed) you want a comfortable snore guard, and you have the budget. I would recommend that you get Somni snore guard.
Should you get a Somni snore guard? (or any snore guard for that matter) Does snore guard works? I have provided you with some evidence of the ineffectiveness of mandibular advancement devices. Before I end this article, I would love to provide you with some article for the usage of snore guards. The British snoring and sleep apnea association has been recommending the usage of snore guard as a low-cost treatment for snoring problems for the past 9 years. However, the data are based on surveys, there’s no clinical trial done with any anti snoring devices. With that fact in mind you might want to try out snoring mouth guard. If you do the video below on how to mold a Somni snore guard might be helpful.