New Patch Silences Snoring

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — It's a problem that affects 60 percent of people at some point in their lives: snoring.

Now there's a new option for those seeking some silence and you may not have to see a doctor to get it.

Cheryl Belfer has lived with her husband Milt's snoring for over three decades. He never realized how bad it was until she took a video of his not-so-silent nights.

"It's like a freight train coming throughout the bedroom," said Cheryl. "It's almost like, I can't believe a human can produce those sounds."

Milt said he has tried to stop snoring using various methods, including even getting a mouthpiece at one point,but nothing worked until recently when a new over-the-counter treatment became available.

It's called Theravent, an FDA-approved treatment that sleep specialist Ron Popper said his patients call a "miracle".

Here's how it works. Before going to bed, the user puts a patch on over their nostrils. The patch has a valve-like flap which creates just enough pressure to keep the airway open during sleep.

"With Theravent, 50 percent of people have no snoring and probably 80 percent have reduced snoring," said Popper.

But Popper warns that people considering it should be careful that they are not masking a more serious problem. Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, a life-threatening condition which causes people to repeatedly stop breathing at night.

For people diagnosed with sleep apnea, a C-Pap machine is used, or Provent, a much stronger version of Theravent, but that takes a doctor to prescribe.

Theravent is sold online and in some doctor's offices. A two-week trial is free, and after that it costs $25 for a month's supply.