Socially Embarrassing Snoring

I recently started a travel story with a reference to my husband’s snoring Several readers commented that it was funny (comparing the noise I sleep with every night to that of hippos grumbling in the Zambezi River), but – in truth – snoring isn't a laughing matter.

I know travelers who are afraid to fall asleep on a flight because they fear embarrassing themselves with their own hippo rendition. Likewise, they avoid any situation where thin walls separate sleeping spaces.

What’s a snorer to do? My husband has experimented with several potential remedies, and what works best for him are the Breathe Right adhesive nasal strips (http://www.breatheright.com/), which help to hold open the airway in the nose. The strips work best if he uses Flonase, a prescription nasal spray, first, but even a Breathe Right alone helps. When he first started using them, they fell off during the night. Then he figured out that they’d stick if he wiped alcohol on his nose before applying the strip.

Dr. Marc Kayem, of the Snoring and Apnea Center of California, also suggests that snorers avoid alcohol, antihistamines and tranquilizers, and heavy meals for four hours before sleeping.

Those who only snore on their backs, can put a tennis ball inside a sock and pin the sock to the back of their pajama top. Every time they roll onto their backs the discomfort of the ball will cause them to move into another position.

Back to the Zambezi River…I loved the night sounds of the African bush so much that before leaving Zambia, I bought a “Sound Safari” CD. The grumbling hippos are my favorite musicians.

Simply Gargle

I'm really not into "lifting" things from restaurants, but more than once - when struck with a sore throat on the road - I've had to "borrow" a salt shaker from a dining table. Nothing soothes that my-tonsils-are-on-fire feeling like a little NACL gargle.

Now some ingenious folks have come up with single-dose plastic pouches of salt water rinse that promise to 1) heal my throat and 2) keep me from being arrested.

The product is called Simply Gargle Salt Water Rinse. It's sold at RiteAid, Walmart, and all the usual suspects. There's a list of retailers at http://www.simplygargle.com/. In addition to salt, the on-the-go remedy also contains antioxidants and astringents, such as vitamin C, grape seed extract, sage extract, rosemary extract, and rosehips extract. They aren't giving it away, but when I'm traveling I'd pay almost anything to feel better -- even $6.99 for 12 doses. Free samples are available via the website.