Breathe Right Nasal Strips €17.76 for 30 strips Highs: These little strips, which are worn across the nose, have a number of advantages over the competition - physically, they certainly make it easier to breath through the nose.
And when you're buying them you can pretend that you need them for sporting rather than snoring reasons.
Lows: They come in just two sizes - small/medium and big - and there is no indication what constitutes big so you might find yourself asking the chemist if they think you've got a big nose. They make a fierce mess, what with the paper wrappers and the backs of the nasal strips needing to be disposed of. They are also the least subtle and least attractive of the methods you could find, and can leave the nose just a little sticky.
Verdict: Functional but in (and on) your face.
Star rating: ***
Silent Knight Ring
€43.50
Highs: This is undoubtedly the most discreet, hassle-free option - a solid sterling silver ring which you slip on your little finger, and Bob's your (suddenly silent) uncle. The raised part on the inside of the ring apparently applies pressure to one of the meridian lines in the little finger which supposedly dramatically reduces snoring. The manufacturer claims research found it cut out snoring completely in over 60 per cent of users.
Lows: All that we can say is that Pricewatch appears to have been in the 40 per cent who continued to make adorable sleeping noises while wearing the ring. You have to put it on an hour before going to sleep - not the easiest thing to remember - and it is, the makers warn, ineffective if you've been drinking.
Verdict: Easy but ineffective
Star rating: **
Snoreeze Oral Strips
€7.25 for 14 strips
Highs: The front of this packet promises "14 nights of peace" which wouldn't be bad at this price. A little wafer thin strip (or two if your snoring would wake the dead) is placed at the roof of the mouth where it slowly dissolves. They taste pleasingly minty and are very discreet
Lows: But do they actually work? In our admittedly unscientific trial, these did not significantly reduce the level of snoring at all, and while they probably do work on some people they were quickly relegated to the second division of effective methods - slightly below a sharp elbow to the ribs, if truth be told.
Verdict: Not for us
Star rating: **
Helps Stop Snoring Throat Spray
€10.95 for 9ml
Highs: This promises up to five weeks of peaceful nights, which would be a fine return. The box suggests we spray three bursts into the back of the throat each night before bed and we'll be all set. We counted the number of nightly doses in the bottle and got closer to eight weeks' worth, which would make it the best-value option. Like the strips, it tastes pleasant and is very simple to use.
Lows: While it seemed to work better than some of the other products on the market, it certainly seems unlikely to deliver five weeks of completely peaceful nights; according to the arbiters there was still some gentle snoring from the guinea pigs after using this spray.
Verdict: Pretty good value
Star rating: ***
Silence Total Anti-Snoring Solution
€16.99 for 50ml
Highs: While Helps Stop Snoring is ambivalent (or maybe honest) about what it can achieve, this is a much brasher, more confidently named product, promising to totally silence the thunderously nasal roar of nighttime. We were initially quite sceptical about this product, but it actually did seem to work very, very effectively.
Lows: Imagine spraying hair mousse down your throat and you will get an idea of what this is like. It works, certainly, but it tastes pretty vile and left Pricewatch gagging ever so slightly. Also, you have to wipe the nozzle clean after every spray or a yellow scum forms around it - not something you'd want to introduce to the back of your throat no matter how much you want your loved ones to sleep.
Verdict: Stops snoring, tastes horrible
Star rating: ****
