Anti-snoring aids are big business and the market is continuing to expand. Perhaps that’s not so surprising though. Everybody values a good night’s sleep.
When you snore or sleep in close proximity to someone who does, the constant interruptions to sleep can put a nasty dent in your day.
Apart from affecting your mood, and burdening you with fatigue, anything that regularly interrupts sleep and can be very damaging to mental and physical well-being.
As with any other type of business, the market for anti snoring aids is just a matter of supply and demand. The demand is high and manufacturers try to profit from that demand. This has lead to a market that’s flooded with many different aids that are all essentially the same.
How Much Is the Anti-Snoring Market Worth?
According to Don England – DawnStudy’s snoring aids expert, the market for anti-snoring aids is phenomenal. In 2018, it was worth USD 14.1 million. By 2025, projected figures suggest it will reach USD 18 billion.
The staggering growth of the market is closely linked to rocketing levels of obesity. Several factors, including lack of exercise and alcohol consumption, are fuelling the world’s problem with obesity and, because obesity can cause or worsen snoring, the amount of people who are affected by snoring continues to grow.
How Many People Suffer from Snoring?
According to figures provided by the British Snoring & Sleep Apnea Association, there are 15 million snorers in the UK. However, because snoring is an issue that affects family members as well, the figures show the problem actually affects 30 million people living in the UK.
Does the figure shock you? If so, hold onto your hat. Like obesity, the problem with snoring is even greater in the US of A, where it affects, 90 million people.
North America dominates both the anti-snoring aids and Snoring Surgery Market. Europe takes second place, followed by Asia and the rest of the world.
What Are The Possible Causes?
Many factors can contribute to snoring. Obesity is just one of them. A lot of people who snore suffer from sleep apnea [2]. It’s a dangerous condition. If it’s not properly managed, sleep apnea has the potential to be life-threatening.
An apnea is a period where respiration stops. It’s not unusual for people with sleep apnea to stop breathing up to 100 times per hour during sleep. Snoring is just one of the symptoms of sleep apnea but there are several more.
Snoring is the sound of vibrating flesh. When people sleep, the muscles at the back of the throat relax. So do the ones in the jaw, causing another relaxed muscle—the tongue—to drop to the back of the throat. This causes an obstruction that results in air turbulence. It’s the turbulence that causes the relaxed flesh to vibrate.
Obesity contributes to snoring because the fat that forms around the throat places extra pressure on the windpipe, compressing it sufficiently to cause obstruction.
Alcohol consumption can also contribute to snoring. Especially if you drink it at night. It causes the muscle to relax more than normal making them even more susceptible to turbulence at the back of the throat.
Age is a factor as well. The older you become the more likely you are to snore. The aforementioned issues are just a few of the reasons the market for anti-snoring aids is growing so fast.
What Options are Available to People Who Snore?
There are many options available to people who snore. In the case of sleep apnea, doctors often recommend CPAP machines that pressurize the airways by pumping air into the nose and mouth via a mask.
Surgery is also an option for some people who snore. However, not surprisingly, many people prefer to avoid going this route and search for a less invasive option instead.
Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are a popular option, as are tongue stabilizing devices (TSDs).
MADs are snoring aids that go inside the mouth. They fit over the upper and lower teeth. As the name suggests, MADs advance the lower jaw, forcing it forward. This forces the tongue to move forward too, helping to keep the windpipe open. This reduces the turbulence, making people less likely to snore.
TSDs work in a similar way but instead of moving the jaw forward, they pull on the front of the tongue.
Chinstraps, internal nasal dilators, essential oils; there are many options available. There are anti-snoring aids priced for every pocket but a lot of the cheap and nasty versions do not work.
Anti-snoring aids are a booming market but snorers need to tread carefully. A lot of the options available don’t provide much bang for the buck.
