An appliance worn by the snorer which delivers a series of electric shocks to an appropriate part of their anatomy should the noise exceed a level deemed acceptable by his/her partner.
-- Helium, Aug 04 2001

Excellent First Idea Contribution to the halfbakery.
Using U.S. estimates from Health section of recent Money Magazine: 40 million Americans snore, and as many as half may have indications of a serious disease called sleep apnea, in which sleepers stop breathing several times an hour. My Father does the traditional treatment called continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP which involves hooking up via a mask to a ventilator on a nightly basis - Covered by Insurance. He is more than a few pounds overweight and would likely benefit from radio frequency ablation if he were not overweight. Basically, it involves cauterization of fleshy tissue at the back of the throat with a probe that emits radio waves. @$2,500.00 US - usually not covered by Insurance. Compared with a new bedroom for your house, it's a steal.
Regardless, um - whattayamean 'appropriate part of the anatomy'? How much voltage are we talking about here? Would you consider zapping a non-snoring Long Term Companion just to be spiteful? Would this be tested on animals first?
-- thumbwax, Aug 04 2001


True, but there are those who are already thin...
-- thumbwax, Aug 04 2001


Maybe you could use one of those winder / generator things from the old military field telephones - that would stop you snoring...
-- Stewbie, May 01 2002


Churning, churning, yes, I know.

I actually saw this as a wristband you wore that gave you mild electrical shock whenever it detected you snoring.

You'll never guess where I saw it: The Discovery Channel Store.
-- BinaryCookies, Sep 02 2002


A tennis ball sewn into the back of a t-shirt that makes it uncomfortable to lie on your back works pretty well. But losing weight is the way to go.
-- briandamage, Sep 02 2002


Nonono ....not only can people of average weight or even underweight snore, they can snore on their sides, in a chair, in the bath, on their fronts, in the passenger seat of the car ... ZAP I say.....ZAP ZAP ZAP.
-- Helium, Sep 03 2002


ok, you win. 240v. ac. it is then. ace!
-- briandamage, Sep 03 2002


I share [thumbwax]'s view on sleep apnea being a serious condition (although I disagree with the most of the rest of the annotation) - it puts 'snorers', like myself, at risk of high blood pressure and breathing difficulties, and makes us more likely to suffer strokes or heart attacks.

I'm certainly not overweight, I was just unfortunate enough to be born with the wrong shape throat.

I don't even have to be asleep to snore, sometimes I'm just relaxing, maybe watching tv, and I'll let out an unexpected snort.

Snorers shouldn't be punished for their situation, and that's all the shocks would be - punishment. We have enough trouble sleeping as it is, and scientific studies have proved that this method (which is baked, by the way [Helium]) is more likely to keep the person awake than encourage them to sleep in a different position.

Simple surgery is available to reshape the uluva (that dangly bit at the back of your throat) or enlarge the airway, and therefore prevent the occurence of snoring when the throat relaxes. This seems much more humane than electric shocks, and it would mean the sufferer would be free to sleep on their back if they found this to be the most comfortable position. Personally, I find it hard to sleep any other way.

The people that complain about their partners snoring often don't realise that their suffering is less than that of the snorer. Get some earplugs if you're that bothered by it!
-- fshhhh, Jul 04 2003



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