WO2014038991A1

WO2014038991A1 - An arrangement for preventing snoring

Info

Publication number: WO2014038991A1
Application number: PCT/SE2013/000139
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sven LEHRBERG
Original assignee: Lehrberg Sven
Priority date: 2012-09-06
Filing date: 2013-09-06
Publication date: 2014-03-13
Also published as: SE1200540A1; SE536785C2

Abstract

The invention refers to an arrangement for preventing snoring and which comprises an elongated plate (1 ) intended to be placed between the teeth and lips of a user in order to prevent unintentional breathing through the mouth and instead to guide the breathing through the nose. The back side (4) of the plate (1) is provided with at least one bite distance (5) intended to bite in and the front side (2) of the plate (1) is convex and has at least one bump (3) intended to be turned towards the lips in order to tighten against these and to keep the mouth mainly tight at the same time as the breathing shall occur through the nose.

Description

An arrangement for preventing snoring

The present invention refers to an arrangement for preventing snoring and more exactly such an arrangement which prevents that one is breathing through the mouth when sleeping and in this way prevents snoring and apnoea. Normally one should breath through the nose during sleep. If one is breathing through the mouth snoring often arises. The arrangement according to the invention has the shape of a plate which makes that one breathes normally through the nose even when the mouth otherwise should be open. The plate solves a problem which the author Tore Strandell has mentioned in his book "Stop snoring start living". He is of the opinion that the problem of snoring should be solved if one could sleep having the mouth closed by a tape or in another way keeping the mouth tight. Since it is both difficult and risky to sleep with a closed mouth by a tape he tried to find other solutions. Attempts have been made with rubber band structures that have not functioned.

The number of snoring people in Sweden have earlier been estimated to about a million by scientists but after a scientific study that was presented recently it shows that about fifty percent of all women is suffering of sleep apnoea and then the number gets significantly larger.

The invention solves those problems described above and thanks to the plate's simplicity it is easy and comfortable to use. The plate is easy to put in place and can easily slide out during for example coughing. The arrangement is kept in place in the mouth even if the user for example has taken a sleeping pill or is influenced by alcohol and it is also very easy to clean. It neither influences the salivary secretion and nor it is not tiring for the jaw muscles.

Those snoring bars, which now can be found on the market, are big and uncomfortable to use. Some of them are kept fixed by vacuum, which sucks apart teeth reparings and fixes the cheek in an immovable position. The salivary secretion is influenced and gives a dry feeling in the mouth. Cheekbone inflammation and bleedings from the gum is a common consequence of long-term use. Structures lying between teeth and lips often have breathing openings and no mechanism which makes the plate to place itself in the middle of the mouth so that it is kept tight. The object with these previously known solutions has been to prevent the cheek to fall back but when a person which snores opens his mouth the structure is kept in place in the under cheek due to that the under lip is longer than the upper lip and the consequences will be that one, in all cases, can breath through the mouth even with the structures that do not have breathing openings. The most structures existing on the market do not function on a person who sleeps with his mouth open. A previously known equipment called CEPAP is the solution that works best today if the user can sleep with a hose-connected breathing cover. It is an effective but expensive and uncomfortable method. The equipment is clumsy to bring during journeys. The plate according to the invention has nothing of a bar's function as the last mentioned previously known method but is rather a soft, liquid tightening for the mouth. According to the price the plate will also be a cheaper alternative.

The invention is described closer below by help of a preferred embodiment example with reference to the drawing enclosed, in which

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view viewed obliquely from the back of an

arrangement according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view viewed obliquely from the front of the

arrangement illustrated in fig. 1, and

Fig.3 shows a vertical cross section through the arrangement at a bite distance.

As can be seen from the figures the arrangement according to the present invention comprises an elongated cover or a plate 1 of a soft plastic material, silicon or rubber, which can be placed between an user's lips and teeth so that an unintentional breathing through the mouth during sleep in a simple, convenient and safe way is prevented and in this way snoring and apnoea. The plate 1 has rounded ends, so that it can slide somewhat to the sides without irritating. The height can be made in several sizes. The formation makes that it cannot slide out from the mouth during sleep. The material is soft, which makes it easy to take out with fingers or press it out with the tongue. A harder material would make it to rub against the gum, which is irritating during a long-time use.

The elongated, semi-circular plate 1 has mainly a straight vertical backside 4 intended to support during use against the teeth and a convex front side 2 having a bump 3 for contact against the lips. The convex front side 2 with the bump 3 makes that the plate 1 automatically settles in the middle of the opening between the lips and makes that the mouth always is kept tight. The straight backside 4 gives a support against the teeth, so that the upper and lower part of the front side 2 is pressed against the lips and helps in such a way to have the plate 1 to slide into correct position when the mouth is opened.

The plate 1 is provided in this embodiment example with at least one bite distance 5 provided with wings 6. In the illustrated embodiment example there are two bite distances 5, which are placed in a predetermined distance from each other in order to fix the plate 1 in position in the mouth and so that they don't take place for the tongue or come too near the salivary ground and causes salivary secretion and since the tongue tip of a user lies between the bite distances 5, the plate 1 is prevented to slide sideways. If the bite distances 5 should be placed longer backwords the pressure increases against the cheek, which is not comfortable but strenuous. The thickness of the bite distances 5 has been made as small as possible in order not to be uncomfortable for the cheek muscles and they make it possible making the plate big enough to tight the mouth without pressing into the bottom in pockets between the teeth and lips. The bite distances 5 have their function when the user is awake and during sleep want to bite together when the user for example swallows. During sleep the mouth is normally open so much so that the teeth don't press against the bite distances 5.

The wings 6 of the bite distances 5 are formed so that when you during sleep is relaxing and the cheek moves downwards, the resilient wings 6 push the plate 1 away from the teeth, so that it slides towards the middle of the mouth or jaws between the teeth. The convex front side 2 with a bump 3 and the straight backside 4 makes then that the plate 1 is kept in the right position. Without the resilient effect that the bite distance's 5 wings 6 have, the plate 1 is kept in position in the lower cheek owing to that the under lip is longer than the upper lip and therefore gives a bigger resistance. The wings 6 are pressed together and bent inwards when clenching the teeth. Thereof the resident effect.

Claims

1. An arrangement for preventing snoring consisting of an elongated plate (1) intended to be placed between an user^'s teeth and lips to mainly prevent unintentional breathing through the mouth and instead guiding the breathing through the nose, characterized in that the plate (1) comprises a front side (2), which is convex and bulges against the lips when the plate (1) is in place in the user's mouth and having at least one bump (3) turned against the lips in order to tighten against these and in order to keep the mouth mainly tight, and a mainly straight, vertical back side (4) intended during use to be directed towards the teeth and to lie with pressure against these at the same time as the plate (1) with the upper and lower parts of it's front side (2) are pressable against the lips in having the position of the plate (1) by sliding into the right position in the mouth when it opens.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the back side (4) of the plate (1) is provided with at least one bite distance (5) in order to fix the sheet (1) in position in the mouth.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the back side (4) of the plate (1) comprises two bite distances (5) arranged on a distance from each other which admits that they are situated on each side of the users tongue in order to centre the position of the plate (1) in the mouth.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the bite distances (5) have wings (6), intended to spring against the back side of the teeth in order to centre the plate (1) in a direction forward against the lips.