Mandibular Advancement Device

April 15, 2007 8:58 AM

Hi: I would like to know if anyone has had experience with Mandibular Advancement Device. I have allergies which cause my nasal passages to get totally block at night. When I do fall off to sleep I wake up due lack of Oxgyen. I have tried nasal strips, they dont work well, and I don't like taking drugs. Please let me know if its worth buying one of these devices..... I need a good night's sleep.
posted by Noodles to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

These devices won't solve the underlying problem, which is that your body overreacts to specific allergens. Maybe this will stop you from waking up, but you'll still be dealing with the stuffyness, drainage into your chest, sneezing, etc.

Can I ask why you don't like taking drugs? I'd be a stuffy, tired mess without Loratadine (brand name Claritin). It has very few side effects, and none that I've noticed.
posted by chrisamiller at 10:05 AM on April 15, 2007

Response by poster: Well when I do take Claritin I still have a little bit of stuffness. It never work 100%.
posted by Noodles at 10:30 AM on April 15, 2007

I used to snore at night, but now I don't thanks to my HEPA filter in my room. Maybe that could help you too.
posted by bigmusic at 11:13 AM on April 15, 2007

Noodles, I realize that you specified no drugs, and that Claritin isn't a complete solution for you, but as someone who has had your problem in the past - you really should consider just taking something and moving on with your life. Ask your doctor about Zyrtec or Allegra. They're at least as good as Claritin (Allegra in particular seemed moreso to me), and generally share the lack of side effects.
posted by Ryvar at 3:05 PM on April 15, 2007

Or a nasal spray like Nasonex or Flonase. I use Nasonex and Reactine (Zyrtec in the US) - Nasonex keeps my sinuses open for the little of allergic reaction that the Reactine doesn't help. I only use the Nasonex before I go to sleep.

You may also be able to cut down on the allergens in your environment. Have you been tested to find out what you're reacting to? If it's things like dust, mold, or pets you can cut down on the presence of those things pretty easily (vaccuuming often, washing your linens regularly including quilts/puffs/duvets/etc., keeping your pets out of your room or getting rid of them entirely, etc.).

If you're allergic to dust mites, replace your pillow with a hypoallergenic one, or just buy a new pillow every six months or so, or launder your pillow (this can be really hard to do because most pillows have an outer layer of fabric designed to keep air in (for fluffiness) which are also really good at keeping water in during the spin cycle, so you end up with a big bag of water that you have to manually squeeze the water out of, which is quite an upper arm workout.

I found an air filter (like bigmusic suggested) to be quite helpful as well - again, only if you're reacting to airborne allergens will this help.

Wearing a dust mask while cleaning (so you don't breathe in the dust you kick up) may also be helpful. If you're really against drugs, you might also try wearing one while you sleep, though I assume they'd be too scratchy for that.
posted by joannemerriam at 5:58 PM on April 15, 2007

MY SO tried one of these for snoring and sleep apnea. It worked pretty well - at first. After a couple of weeks it gradually quit working as well. It also caused his jaw to be sore and "lock" out of place for a couple of hours each morning. I finally convinced him to try the CPAP machine his doctor had recommended years ago, and now he sleeps through the night most nights and so can I!
posted by rcavett at 6:19 PM on April 16, 2007