'Smart pillow' stops people snoring

There's nothing worse than sleeping next to a snorer, spending broken nights elbowing and prodding them to roll them over.

But now a smart pillow has been developed, which the manufacturers say will be a godsend for snorers' partners.

The "snore activated nudging pillow" contains a microphone that recognises the vibrations caused by snoring and inflates an air pocket. The pocket then makes the pillow grow about 8cm, which is said to be just enough to make the sleeper change position.

Snoring becomes worse when people sleep on their backs because the tongue doesn't collapse into the back of the throat, which obstructs breathing. When the pillow inflates, it encourages people's head to tip, plus it opens the airways to ease breathing.

The pillow can be adjusted for whether you are a light or heavy snorer. It also has a 30-minute delay so people can fall into deep sleep before it inflates.

Once the person has changed position, the pillow slowly deflates so it can repeat if the person snores again.

The pillow costs $168 from New York-based online gadget retailer Hammacher Schlemmer.

Prof David Hillman, chair of the Sleep Health Foundation, told ninemsn the pillow is an interesting development, but until he's seen large clinical trials, he's hesitant to hail it as a snoring cure.

"If you can borrow one to try, I think it's a great idea," he said.

"But I would urge caution before spending money on it. There are things going for it theoretically but I would like to know how it worked on a large group."

Professor Hillman said snoring can cause sleep apnoea, which leads to breathing disruptions and can ruin sleep quality. It also makes people irritable and sleepiness during the day.

Hillman said it's often important to treat the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms.

"There is a spectrum of possibilities of what causes snoring," he said.

"Sleeping on the side, keeping alcohol levels down, losing weight and using simple devices like dental sprints can help."

Source: PR News Wire Author: Kimberly Gillan, Approving editor: Rory Kinsella