BEN SNORE BALL

Many individuals only snore and/or have obstructive apneas while supine (meaning while sleeping on their back) . The standard recommendations for rolling off the back are to place a small hard object in the night shirt, positioned so that it is in the middle of the upper back, so that each time the individual rolls on their back, the object presses on their back is uncomfortable and the patient rolls off their back to avoid the discomfort.

The most common recommendations are:

1) To sew a pocket in the back of the nightshirt. This can be made large enough to house a tennis ball or smaller enough to hold a golf Wiffle ball. The Wiffle ball seems to be preferable, for it is not as heavy and therefore less likely to shift while one is lying on their side. Many men find it uncomfortably warm to wear a nightshirt, a muscle shirt or body shirt or other sleeveless shirt seems not to be so uncomfortable and is easily tolerated by most.

2) Alternatives: a. sew a pocket in the shirt into which the Wiffle ball is placed. b. glue a Velcro strap to the Wiffle or golf ball and sew another Velcro strap to the shirt at nighttime. The two Velcro pieces are pressed together. c. attach a golf Wiffle ball to a clothespin. This is most easily done with an electrical quick-tie. This is the construct for the original Ben SNORE BALL.

The story of the original Ben SNORE BALL follows.

Ben was a snorer. He snored the day he was born. It got worse with age and by the time he was a teenager he could wake the whole family. The family dog, a basset hound, would often join in and then the neighbors would start calling. We knew that Ben only snored on his back, but how to keep him off his back was the problem. Sometimes we would take turns sitting beside him and keeping him off his back--not a great solution.

One day we had the idea of attaching a ball to his back. We tried rolled up socks, tennis balls, and golf balls and then we hit on the idea of a clothespin and golf Wiffle ball. In those days we'd tie our own, but today we join them with quick ties.

The clothespin is clipped to your back. A nightshirt is strongly recommended. The SNORE BALL is positioned so that it lies between the shoulder blades right where a woman's bra would snap. We've tried other locations and they don't work as well.

Ben went on to develop sleep apnea and soon required CPAP. He threw away his his back than on SNORE BALL but quickly found he required higher CPAP pressures on his side. He was happy to wear his SNORE BALL for it reduced the required CPAP pressures.

Some do not like nightshirts because they get too hot. Almost all can tolerate a body shirt and that is all that is needed to wear the SNORE BALL. Some find the SNORE BALL uncomfortable for 2 at the most 3 nights.

Persevere - you will learn to sleep on your side. For those of us who sleep nearby - we thank you.

The Ben SNORE BALL is made with a golf Wiffle ball, a clothespin and an electric quick-tie. The items are shown on the left-hand side of figure 1. These are connected as shown in the middle. The quick-tie is then pulled tightly, the excess is trimmed and the finished Ben SNORE BALL is shown on the far right.