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- Theravent
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- Comfort
- Efficacy
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What You Need To Know About Theravent
Theravent is a very unique product among the stop-snoring products of the world, mostly due to its interesting and unusual design. But it also helps to stop snoring using a fairly rare mechanism. Granted, there are not many stop snoring products on the market that use EPAP technology, so we were definitely interested in seeing if Theravent is actually worth the time and effort.
There is a rather ‘cute’ video hosted on the official product website, which helps to explain why you may need Theravent in your life. But this video did surprisingly little to describe how the product actually works.
In fact, it took a bit of looking around on the main product site to figure this out. But we finally found it, and were able to fully examine the idea behind the design.
Is Theravent worth the money? Will it actually help you to stop snoring? Is it clinically tested?
These were all important questions that we wanted to answer when writing this Theravent review.
Here is what we discovered.
Theravent: Product Classification & Instructions For Use
This product might seem like a nasal strip—and it is. But it is not technically classified as such. Technically, this product deserves to be classified as an EPAP stop-snoring method. We will talk about why this is in a moment.
As for instructions for use, these strips seem to be pretty simple to make use of, in theory. You simply pull out a strip, use the adhesive to stick it onto the bottom of your nostrils, and go to sleep. The strip does the rest. Then, you remove it and throw it away the next morning (they are disposable).
And that is that.
How Does Theravent Work?
So, in order to understand how Theravent really works, you need to understand what causes snoring. In most cases, snoring is caused when the loose tissues in the soft palate and upper airway relax and ‘collapse-in’ on the throat during sleep. When this happens, air that is rushing through the airway causes these soft tissues to vibrate. This ‘vibration’ is what causes the sounds that we have all come to recognize as ‘snoring.’
Theravent seeks to correct this problem using ‘EPAP’ technology. EPAP stands for ‘Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure,’ and is very much like CPAP treatment, except that it uses exhaled air pressure to build up air pressure within the airway. This helps to ‘push back’ against the soft lining of the throat and soft palate, which helps to keep these tissues from collapsing inward.
This air pressure is built up through use of the Theravent nasal strip. This strip allows you to breathe in effortlessly, but makes breathing out a lot more difficult. This causes the air pressure to build up… and that is how it works.
Theravent: Clinical Background And FDA Approval
This product is said to be ‘the first and only FDA-cleared device to use EPAP technology to reduce or eliminate snoring.’ So yes. It is absolutely FDA cleared. The official Theravent website also says that the device is ‘clinically shown to reduce snoring using the power of your own breathing.’
As far as the specific clinical data goes, we were not able to locate links to any of it right on the company website—though we would have liked to. This was a bit of a downside for us. I mean, this data probably does exist somewhere… It just would have been nice for the company to link to it in an obvious place, so that it is easy for readers to find. (Here it is!)
Can There Be Any Side Effects?
The only real side effect that you could expect to suffer from with the Theravent is that it could be uncomfortable to wear at first. It can feel weird to have something covering your nostrils while you sleep—so it might take some time to get used to it.
How Much Does Theravent Cost?
You can actually get Theravent in three different strengths. But you can also buy a trial pack that will allow you to try all three strengths in one pack. The trial pack is probably the most recommended to start with, because this one would allow you to figure out which one works the best for you.
You can buy a 6 pack of these strips online for $8.99. That makes these strips $1.50 per use, which is actually a bit on the high side as far as we were concerned. One box of these strips would not even last you a full week… so that is kind of a downer.
What Do We Know About The Company Behind Theravent?
The company behind this product is called ‘Foundation Consumer Healthcare, LLC.’
The address that we found in the Terms and Conditions section of the website is listed as such…
Theravent, Inc.
2033 Gateway Place, Suite 500, San Jose, California 95110 USA
As far as a company history was concerned, we were, unfortunately, unable to figure anything like this out based just on what we found in the official product website.
As far as we could tell, there was no guarantee offered on the official product website that would give you your money back if you ended up not liking the product. This means that you would need to rely on the guarantee of the actual seller (there are several sellers who sell these products), since Theravent doesn’t seem to sell these products directly from their website.
We would obviously have preferred to see a guarantee offered by the company. But as it is, you will have to rely on the actual retailer to give you your money back if Theravent doesn’t work for you.
What Can Users Expect From Theravent?
One thing that you can probably expect from Theravent is that it can take a little bit to get used to. This is not necessarily the type of product that most people use every night, so sticking a nasal strip to your nostrils might cause you a bit of discomfort for the first few nights. On the official product website, they say that it can actually take up to a week to really acclimate yourself to them.
See what Amazon users are saying about this product.
Does Theravent Require A Doctor’s Involvement Or A Prescription?
No. This product does not require a doctor’s involvement or a prescription for use.
Our Verdict
Theravent is certainly not the worst product that we have ever looked at. But with that being said, we felt like we could not help but to address a few things.
First of all, there is the expense to talk about. To buy these in boxes of six for $1.50 per strip is quite expensive. When you add that up to a year’s worth of strips, that is well over $400… and to us, that simply seems too excessive.
Granted, if it works really well and you prefer not to use some other type of stop snoring device, then yes… this could be a solid method. But really… there are very few mouthpieces on the market that are not cheaper than this. You could buy two or three of the leading-brand mouthpieces for that kind of price.
Our Theravent Video Review — See If It Worked For Us
We were also a bit disappointed at the lack of clinical evidence supplied on the site. This is actually a common problem… but we would really like to see more companies link to their study data, just to show us what they mean when they say that their products are clinically tested.
But, with all of that being said, Theravent is a cool, unique concept… and it may be worth a try if you are really wanting to avoid using a mandibular advancement device.
The Costs To Get Theravent Shipped To Canada
The shipping costs will vary based on what business you choose to order it from.
Where Can I Buy Theravent If I Live In Canada?
There are a number of sites that you can order from, including Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and Amazon. You can check the official site to figure out exactly which option may be better for you.
Highlights And Drawbacks
Here are the main pros and cons of Theravent, as we discovered during our research.
Updated 6.12.2018
References
http://jcsm.aasm.org/viewabstract.aspx?pid=28288
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01842906
Pros
- It is said to be clinically tested
- It is FDA cleared
- It seems to work for at least some customers
- It uses EPAP technology, which is unique and rare
- It is easy to use and relatively non-invasive
Cons
- It is actually pretty expensive in the long run
- No direct links to any clinical data supplied on the main website (that we could find, anyway)
- We have seen products that we just liked more than this
- This product can be a bit difficult to get used to at first
- If you have mustache you will need to shave it to be able to attach these nasal strips to the upper lip area
Theravent
Summary: We were disappointed at the lack of clinical evidence to support the claims and when you add that up to a year’s worth of strips, that is well over $400 which is expensive and a lot more other you would pay for other stop-snoring products.
How does this work with a mustache? It mentions you need a complete seal in order for it to work. There is no mention of this possible issue.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for stopping by. As for your concern, I am afraid you won’t get a complete seal around your nostrils unless you shave the mustache and attach this to your upper lip area. Now when reviewing this potential issue a bit closer, I guess it’s fair to say that we should add this to the CONs list, which we will shortly.
Should you have any other questions do let me know.
Nicole