Throat spray and palate strips: nothing keeps my snoring at bay

I curiously fire a spray of Snoreeze (site in German) down my throat for the first time. It’s supposed to relieve snoring and be easy to use. Well then, bottoms up.

Sleep therapy

Snoreeze Throat spray

17

Sleep therapy

Snoreeze Throat spray

17

Sputum with flavour

It’s actually very easy to use. Three sprays to the back of the throat, wait 20 seconds, then swallow. But what exactly am I swallowing? «A mixture of microscopically encapsulated active ingredients, designed to reduce or eliminate the sound of snoring,» according to the package insert. Despite the nice description, for me it feels like swallowing artificial sputum with peppermint flavouring.

And what’s the point of it all? This throat spray is designed to prevent the soft skin tissue at the back of the throat, such as the uvula and tonsils, from slackening during sleep. Limp tissue flaps more easily, which in turn creates the snoring sound.

Palate strips: same but different

Palate strip create a gap just as the spray does, and they’re made by the same manufacturer. Before bedtime, I place one on my upper palate – as the name suggests – and let it dissolve. This also feels a bit gelatinous when swallowed. And that’s not the only thing it has in common with the throat spray.

Sleep therapy

Snoreeze Doucenuit anti-snoring leaf

11

Sleep therapy

Snoreeze Doucenuit anti-snoring leaf

11

The consistency of the throat spray and palate strips reminds me of slimy oysters every time I swallow. Funnily enough, there’s a fitting German colloquial term for phlegm, Lungenhering (site in German).

Empty promises

According to the packaging, one vial of throat spray lasts up to 50 uses. But it’ll set you back almost 30 francs. For less than half that price, you can get your hands on palate strips, which will do you for two weeks when used daily. I’ll let you decide if that’s a fair calculation or not.

For me, it just seemed like throwing money down the drain. Neither the strips nor spray have even started to make a difference for me. My wife continues to enjoy the dubious pleasure of my snoring serenades as though I’d not been proactive about it at all. Maybe that’s what I should try again: not taking anything for it. After all, nothing works, and not taking action doesn’t cost me anything.

I have to go over the books

«And here I stand. Poor fool, no wiser than before,» Goethe had his protagonist Faust say in the play of the same name. I feel much the same way about my plight against snoring. I’ve tried the splint, nasal spray and patch, and now throat spray and sheets. Nothing has helped.

Could it be me that’s the problem and not all these snore-stoppers at all? I’m afraid I put the cart before the horse and went at the fight in the wrong way from the beginning. I wish I’d paid heed to comments like this earlier.

The fear of sleep apnoea

What happens now? I’m going to put all my aids and tools aside and get my snoring checked out by a professional. Only then will I start to plan the next steps of action. As the saying goes, «One thing at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.»

I’m already dreading the impending diagnosis of sleep apnoea, which I was quick to brush aside at the start of my journey through the world of snore-stoppers.

Diagnosis jitters or not, I want clarity about my snoring and what I can do about it. I owe that to my long-suffering wife. And most importantly, I don’t want to get hit at night any more for snoring too loudly.

If you want to know the results of my snoring evaluation, follow my author profile. As soon as I know more, I’ll update you. Promise.