0610 Mouth Taping, Nighttime Exercises, Acupuncture and More: Who Seeks out Solutions to Stop Snoring?

Introduction Snoring affects roughly 90 million Americans. Although snoring may indicate a serious health condition such as obstructive sleep apnea, most people attempt to manage snoring using alternative over-the-counter strategies. The present study examined the use patterns of alternative strategies across sociodemographic factors. Methods Data were obtained from households in the USA, UK, and Australia that had attempted to stop snoring using alternative strategies (N=4,346). Variables of interest included age, sex, race/ethnicity, country, employment, urban environment, and prior diagnosis of sleep apnea, chronic pain, depression, or anxiety. Results Older age was generally associated with using extra pillows, humidifier, cutting alcohol, nasal strips/stents, nasal sprays, saline rinses, and sewing a tennis ball into a shirt. Males were more likely to use honey/lemon, change sleeping position, Vaseline on the nose, snoring exercises, tennis ball, and nighttime exercise, and less likely to use extra pillows. Hispanics/Latinos were more likely to use honey/lemon, anti-snore pillows, snoring exercises, mouth taping, saline rinses, nighttime exercise and cutting alcohol; Blacks/African-Americans were less likely to use nasal strips/stents or sprays and more likely to use nighttime exercise; Asians were more likely to use mouth taping; Native/Indigenous groups were more likely to change sleeping position, use snoring exercises, and increase water intake at night. Australians were more likely to use extra pillows, hot showers, and nighttime showers and exercise. People from the UK were less likely to use humidifiers, nasal strips/stents, nighttime showers, or hot showers. Urban individuals were more likely to use acupuncture, Vaseline, snoring exercises, mouthguards, and mouth taping. Rural individuals were less likely to employ nearly all of the approaches. Employed individuals and those with a history of sleep apnea, chronic pain, depression, and/or anxiety were more likely to employ nearly all of the strategies. Conclusion Alternative strategies for managing snoring varied across demographic groups. Males, older adults, and those with a history of chronic pain, obstructive sleep apnea, depression, and/or anxiety were more likely to utilize a wider array of strategies. Future work should explore whether people who use specific alternative strategies are more likely to have an undiagnosed condition such as obstructive sleep apnea. Support (if any)