Falling under the category of “why didn’t I think of that”, a new snoring app on iTunes helps you use your iPhone to track snoring throughout the night. Actually, it goes a step beyond.
Snoring U was developed by Pointer Software Systems, Ltd., when the creator suffered his own snoring problems. He knew there had to be a better way to trigger himself to stop snoring at night rather than relying on his wife to nudge him and shove him several times a night.
The application uses the microphone of the iPhone to listen to your breathing throughout the night. The iPhone must be worn either on your arm with the use of an armband or at least placed very close to your face as you sleep. You set the preferences for sound sensitivity and response and when you snore more than a set number of times, the application plays a tune to alert you to your snoring. The alert is meant to help you know when to turn to your side or change positions so that you stop snoring.
Only a really loud snort seems to wake the person who is snoring so they are often unaware that they are doing it until their wife or sleeping partner lets them know. Studies show those who sleep with someone who is snoring can lose as much as three hours of sleep each night themselves because of the disturbance and the time spent making “the disturbance” roll over. The app acts as a sort of early detection device.
It serves another useful purpose, too. If you want to know just how often you snore each night, use the app to clue you in. This is especially helpful for those who sleep alone and are not sure if they have a snoring problem or not.
The app costs $4.99 through iTunes – cheap enough considering the benefit.
