If you've been handed a CPAP and can't live with it, or you snore badly and want to avoid ever needing one, this is the honest map of what exists in the UK: what the NHS offers, what you can buy, what each one actually does, and what it costs. No miracle on this page; just the options, in order of how well they're understood.
First, what CPAP does and why half of people stop
A CPAP machine pushes air through a mask to keep a collapsing airway inflated. It is the NHS's first-line treatment for moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea, and for the people who tolerate it, it works the night they put it on. The problem is tolerance. The mask leaks when you turn, the hose crosses the bed, the humidifier needs distilled water, the machine hums, you can't sleep on your side, your partner hears it, and airport security sees it. Around half of users have abandoned it within a year, and the reasons on UK forums are always the same: cost and waiting if you go private, noise and partner, dry mouth, claustrophobia.
Two facts before anything else. If you've been diagnosed and prescribed CPAP, don't stop it on your own; talk to your sleep clinic, and treat anything below as something to discuss with them. And CPAP manages the symptom every night; it never changes the reason the airway collapses. That's why so many people keep looking.
What the NHS offers besides CPAP
- A mandibular advancement device (MAD). A custom mouthpiece from a dental service that holds the jaw forward. NICE recommends it for mild sleep apnoea and for people who can't tolerate CPAP. Availability on the NHS varies by area; private custom devices cost several hundred pounds; shop-bought "boil and bite" versions are £30–90.
- Weight management. If your weight is part of the picture, losing it reduces apnoea for many people, and GLP-1 medicines have changed what's realistic. It takes months and doesn't help everyone, including plenty of slim snorers.
- Positional therapy. If your apnoea is mostly on your back, a device or trainer that keeps you on your side. Cheap, sometimes enough on its own.
- Surgery. Rarely offered now; procedures on the palate or nose help a minority and are not a first choice.
- Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (an implant such as Inspire or Genio). A surgical option for selected moderate-to-severe cases who can't use CPAP, available in a few UK centres, with strict criteria.
What you can buy, and what each one really does
| Option | What it does | Works on night one? | Changes the cause? | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop-bought mouthpiece | Holds the jaw forward | Often | No; jaw ache, teeth movement and drooling are the common complaints | £30–90 |
| Chin strap | Holds the mouth closed | Rarely for snoring; mainly a CPAP accessory against mouth leaks | No | £10–30 |
| Nasal strips, dilators, sprays | Open the nose | Only if the nose was the problem | No | £5–30 |
| Anti-snoring pillow / wedge | Changes head or body position | Sometimes | No | £40–100 |
| Mouth tape | Forces nasal breathing | For mouth-breathers, sometimes | No | £10–20 |
| Daytime tongue stimulation (eXciteOSA) | EMS to the tongue, 20 minutes a day, awake | No; weeks | Yes, trains the muscle; regulator-cleared for snoring and mild OSA | £400+ |
| Night-time EMS device under the chin (Respivea Pro) | EMS to tongue and throat muscles while you sleep | Partly; the stimulation works each night, the training builds over weeks | Yes, trains the muscle | £69 |
| Myofunctional exercises | Tongue and throat exercises, daily | No; months | Yes, if you keep them up | Free to £50 for an app |
Read the "changes the cause" column. Everything in the top half holds something in place and stops working the moment you take it off. The bottom half is the only group that tries to make the muscle do the job on its own, which is why it's the group people who are done with masks and mouthpieces end up in.
How to choose, honestly
- Know what you have. Loud snoring with no pauses and no daytime exhaustion is one thing; gasping, choking, morning headaches and falling asleep at the wheel are another, and that second group needs a sleep study, not a gadget. Your GP can refer you; the NHS does it free.
- Mild, or CPAP-intolerant: NICE's answer is a mouthpiece. If you can't stand things in your mouth, the muscle-training options are the alternative that works on the same airway.
- Give any muscle-training approach eight weeks, every night. A few nights proves nothing. This is why the trial period matters more than the price: 30 days is a sales policy, 100 nights is a test.
- Measure. A free snoring app (SnoreLab is the one most people use) recorded for three nights before and three nights at week eight tells you more than any review.
Where Respivea Pro fits
Respivea Pro is the night-time, under-the-chin version of muscle training: £69, patches and cord in the box, three intensity levels, free UK delivery, lifetime device warranty, and 100 nights to find out with a full refund and no return if it hasn't changed your nights. It is a wellness device for snoring, not a replacement for a prescribed treatment. If you suspect sleep apnoea, keep the GP appointment; use the 100 nights while you wait for it.
Related: What is an EMS anti-snoring device, and how does it work?
Respivea Pro is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat or cure sleep apnoea. If you have been prescribed CPAP, talk to your clinic before changing anything.