SnoreMagazine

What some bed partners would give for anti-snoring aids and a specially designed pillow seems to answer the call. Anti-snoring pillows attack a sleeper’s urges to snore in a couple of ways. Most chronic snorers are back sleepers, they fall asleep on their backs, mouth wide open, jaw relaxed and dropped backward, and tongue slipping to the back of the mouth and blocking the airway. When your airway is blocked in this way while you sleep you snore.

Most people who snore are not the ones suffering sleep deprivation or chronic insomnia—it’s the spouses, significant others, and bed partners who must troubleshoot the problem.

Along with anti-snore nasal strips and mouth guards, the crop of snore pillows rounds out the anti-snore arsenal.

Features of Anti-Snoring Pillows

Common features available in pillows that stop snoring:

Hypoallergenic materials
Washable and dryable at home
Travel sized so you can take it with you
Shaped to align your head and shoulders maintaining an open airway and sideways position
Shaped to fit your body ergonomically while side-sleeping

Types of Anti-Snore Pillows

The general idea behind a pillow designed to stop snoring is that once a snorer is positioned on his or her side, the snoring generally stops. Anti-snore pillows then are created to keep you perched comfortably sideways. To these ends manufacturers continue to try and one-up competitors with strategic foam shapes and state of the art materials that contribute to the overall sleep quality. Common shapes are:

wedge (which looks like a right triangle)
cervical support
memory foam
straight full-body pillow
U-shaped body pillows which are commonly used by pregnant women
or some combination of the above 

Some people experience respiratory symptoms in the summer months when the weather is hot, and the air contains more allergens. Air conditioners and fans can circulate dry air through the room, and air conditioners remove any moisture from the air. A humidifier may be beneficial during this season.

However, people are more likely to benefit from a humidifier in the cold months, when cold air dries out the lungs, nose, and lips. Also, some types of central heating can dry out the air indoors.

Benefits of a humidifier may include:

1. Preventing influenza

Authors of one study trusted Source noted that humidifiers might reduce the risk of catching the flu. After adding the influenza virus to the air with a simulated cough, researchers found that humidity levels above 40 percent rapidly deactivated virus particles, making them much less likely to be infectious.

2. Making a cough more productive

Dry air can cause a person to have a dry, unproductive cough. Adding humidity to the air can get more moisture into the airways, which can make a cough more productive. A productive cough releases trapped or sticky phlegm.

3. Reducing snoring

Increasing the amount of moisture in the air can also reduce snoring. If the air is dry, a person's airways are less likely to be sufficiently lubricated, which can make snoring worse.

Adding humidity to the air by running a humidifier at night may help to relieve some symptoms.

4. Keeping the skin and hair moist

Some people notice that their skin, lips, and hair become dry and fragile in the winter.

Many types of heating units pump hot, dry air through the house or office, which can make the skin dry, itchy, or flaky. Cold air outside can also dry out the skin.

Using a humidifier to add moisture to the indoor air may help to reduce the occurrence of dry, cracked skin.

5. Benefits for the home

Moisture from a humidifier can be helpful around the home. Any moisture-loving houseplants may become more vibrant, and wood floors or furniture may last longer. Humidity can also help to prevent the wallpaper from cracking and static electricity from building up.

Humid air can also feel warmer than dry air, which could help a person to save money on utility bills in winter months.