Anyone tried "Ned" device? (Nasal dialator)

[NightOwl42]

Does anyone have experience with this?

Link removed. Try searching for NED Nasal Dilator.

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[ApneaQuestions]

I didn't try that one but I tried a different nasal stent called "Mute" prior to having deviated septum fixed and turbinate reduction.
I found it/them to be very unimpressive.

Your mileage may differ.

[Geer1]

Seems counter productive.

Snoring is caused by vibrations which are often due to flow restrictions and this is just adding more flow restriction on the exhalation process in order to slow down exhale and thus reduce snoring. It may succeed at reducing snoring but it will most likely also succeed at increasing sleep disordered breathing.

I would probably only consider this for snoring if I knew sleep apnea wasn't an issue.

[NightOwl42]

@ApneaQuestions:

Tell me more about your Dx and surgery - I have a deviated septum, but am not clear on how much, if any, it contributes to my apnea.

[Nightynite]

Yea @ApneaQuestions could you tell us a little more about your surgery, I’m in the same boat and thinking about that option.

[ApneaQuestions]

OK .. since the OP asked.. this isn't hijacking :-)

You can get the full history of my apnea and septum and turbinates from my main thread..... however...

I have had long-standing apnea and I've also had long-standing enlarged turbinates and a mildy deviated septum.
When I used to get horizontal and lie down my nasal passages would often totally block or become extremely restricted.
This means I have been a mouth-breather for most of my life going way back to childhood.
Early in childhood my tonsils and adenoids were removed which helped but the turbinate issue remained along with the septum deviation.

In 2016 or 2017 I finally got an official diagnosis of deviated septum and enlarged turbinates.  Prior to that I just got used to tolerating it.
In 2018 I had the septum straightened with some strategic hammer and chiselling.. I also had the turbinates reduced.
This helped open up the nasal passages but was not a "perfect" solution for me.  I still get a little congested when I lie down and I continue to be 50-50 mouth-breather versus nose-breather.

If we remove too much turbinate tissue we can inadvertently get into a nasty condition called "empty nose syndrome" which, by all accounts, is horrifying.
The brain thinks you are not breathing (even though you are) and you spend every moment of your life believing that you are suffocating.
People become severely depressed and some even become suicidal because of it.  Unfortunately it's irreversible and you can't put back the tissue you removed.
As a consequence, I told my surgeon that I don't want him to go crazy on the turbinate reduction.
EDIT: Some doctors are now trying to put back "bulking material" to enlarge the turbinates again.

Long story short... the turbinate reduction and/or septum surgery helped with my breathing but it was not a 100% remedy.
In addition to the above I have a larger-than-normal tongue (Mallampati class 3)

The tongue and the residual turbinate issue meant that I still had apnea even after the surgeries.  
I can't say with any certainty if it was one or the other or both that caused the obstructive apnea.

I didn't begin looking for therapy for my apnea until Fall 2019.  
Since then I threw myself at the subject and ended up buying an ASVAuto-capable machine and my AHI is now zero most nights with only an occasional single OA or hypopnea maybe once per week.

I'll never know if I could have achieved the zero AHI without having the surgery because of the order in which I did things.

Of course... as always... your mileage may vary.

Edit: Here's a link on Empty Nose Syndrome just to scare the living daylights out of you: https://www.healthline.com/health/empty-...on-history

[Nightynite]

@ApneaQuestions. Thank you! I also have deviated septum, allergies and enlarged turbinates and breath through the mouth most of the time.
When I asked my ENT the question. ( Well what would you do if you were me.). He said allergy shots. But I know that’s a long process and was actually a little surprised at his answer.

So far haven’t made up my mind.

Thank you for your response.

[ApneaQuestions]

..and of course... allergy treatments only work if you have allergies to begin with. I don't have any allergies such as grass/trees/cats/dogs.

None of the various nasal sprays did a thing for me except one..... and that's the one you should never use for more than a day or two because of its rebound effects. I'm almost reluctant to mention it in case you try it and get hooked... it's called Afrin. Don't go there! :-)

[Nightynite]

Thanks, I know about Afrin. The only thing I use is Fluticasone Propionate 50mcg. It works pretty good for me most of the time.

[Geer1]

@ApneaQuestions.  Thank you!  I also have deviated septum, allergies and enlarged turbinates and breath through the mouth most of the time.
When I asked my ENT the question.  ( Well what would you do if you were me.). He said allergy shots.  But I know that’s a long process and was actually a little surprised at his answer.

So far haven’t made up my mind.

Thank you for your response.

I too have a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. Mine is due to non allergenic rhinitis though. 

Treatment for rhinitis is almost always some form of applying a bandaid. Nasal steroids, antihistamines, decongestants all do the same thing and that is offer temporary relief from symptoms. They rarely actually fix the underlying problem which is what any person with these issues should be trying to do. 

If it is allergic rhinitis then allergy shots make more sense then turbinate reduction or other surgery. The later don't make allergies go away.