Excessive snoring can be more than just a nightly disturbance; it can affect our health and lead to sleep problems. Unaddressed sleep issues can even be life-threatening. This necessitates the importance of awareness about sleep disorders and coming up with effective solutions for the same.
In the world of sleep solutions, one organization stands out for its unique approach: The Chin-Up Strip Company. They’ve got a simple yet smart fix, the Chin-Up Strip. This nifty adhesive strip, placed on your chin, helps keep your mouth closed at night, reducing snoring and helping people with sleep apnea breathe better.
Leading this innovative company is Dale D. Miller, President and CEO. Driven by a personal tragedy—his father’s untimely passing due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea—Dale was inspired to tackle this issue head-on. Plus, his previous career as a trial attorney showed him how snoring could lead to problems, even divorces.
Through The Chin-Up Strip, Dale is determined in his mission to provide high-quality, affordable sleep therapy solutions that are accessible to all. He firmly believes that effective sleep therapy empowers individuals to rekindle their dreams.
In this edition, Insights Care delves into an exclusive interview with Dale, shedding light on the organization and his remarkable journey in its establishment.
Join us as we explore the key takeaways from this conversation.
Please share about your professional journey and the source of inspiration that led you to work towards treating sleep disorders.
For many years, I struggled with poor sleep quality, often waking up congested and fatigued throughout my 40s. My father who struggled with similar issues tragically passed away in his sleep back in 1983. I still feel he might have had a longer life with today’s advanced sleep medicine.
In the late 1980s, while working as a personal injury trial attorney, I encountered two cases involving car accidents caused by drivers falling asleep during daylight hours. These incidents resulted in fatalities and severe injuries. Witnessing these tragic events compelled me to undergo my first sleep study at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, WI, in 1993. The results revealed that I was a nocturnal mouth breather, suffering from a serious condition known as sleep apnea.
The doctor recommended CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy, which truly transformed my life. I experienced increased energy, although I faced challenges like dry mouth and jaw pain due to the Chin Strap that forced my upper and lower teeth together. My wife and I worked together to devise a simple solution to keep my mouth closed during sleep.
On December 21, 1995, I returned to the hospital for a second full-night sleep study. I underwent the first half of the night without any device and used only our original Chin-Up Strip for the latter half. The doctor noted that during the initial portion, I snored and experienced numerous sleep apnea incidents. However, in the second half, using only our Chin-Up Strip, my snoring drastically reduced, and my respiratory disturbance index dropped to 5, falling within the normal range.
I believe I saved my life and my 58-year marriage by discovering a comfortable method to curb my loud snoring and manage my Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) with CPAP and a Chin-Up Strip.
I made it my mission to help others suffering from snoring and OSA, aiming to save marriages and enhance the lives of those affected.
Give a brief history of The Chin-Up Strip Company.
In 1997 and 1998, patient sleep studies were conducted to “Evaluate the Chin-Up Strip” in a hospital sleep center in Lexington, KY under the direction of a University of KY sleep medicine doctor named Barbara Phillips, MD.
The Chin-Up Strip was evaluated in a hospital sleep lab study conducted in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Kentucky Hospital. Tested patients who used a Chin-Up Strip and a breath right nasal strip had clinical implications indicating the combination is an effective alternative treatment for a primary snorer, as well as for mild OSA patients who are not surgical candidates or cannot tolerate CPAP.
Conclusions from the hospital sleep study were published in the CHEST Medical Journal. FDA called a national meeting when we requested clearance for the combination as an alternative treatment option for OSA. CPAP machine companies and medical professionals strongly opposed our request as we were invading their market area with simple devices.
We presented evidence to the FDA, indicating that 60% of patients prescribed CPAP discontinued using their machine in the 1st year, primarily because of discomfort with dry mouth issues. They were people who continued primary mouth breathing with CPAP. Most people diagnosed with OSA are primary nocturnal mouth breathers.
FDA concluded that the Chin-Up Strip supports the chin during sleep, thereby promoting and enhancing nasal breathing by reducing mouth breathing and oral venting to help reduce or eliminate snoring.
What are some of the common sleep disorders that affect people of all ages? How do sleep disorders affect our daily functioning and health?
Sleep disorders encompass a range of conditions that influence how well, how much, and when we sleep at night. There are over 80 different types of these disorders, but some of the most widespread ones, affecting people of all ages, include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and parasomnia.
These conditions can significantly impact our daily functioning and overall well-being. The prolonged effects of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders have been associated with a broad spectrum of serious health issues, including an elevated risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Both not getting enough sleep and getting too much have been linked to various chronic health problems, like heart disease and diabetes.
Tell us about your product and how does it benefit your customers?
The Chin-Up Strip is a product designed to help people sleep better by promoting and enhancing nasal breathing. It boasts a patented design that is cleared by the FDA for safe and comfortable use. It offers the following benefits:
- Enhances primary nasal breathing.
- Effectively prevents primary mouth breathing upon application.
- Stops loudmouth snoring and alleviates dry mouth discomfort from the very first night of use.
- Acts as a preventative measure against nighttime nasal congestion and the discomfort of a stuffy nose.
- Reduces discomfort associated with CPAP oral venting during sleep apnea therapy.
- Enhances Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy and Buteyko Breathing techniques.
Half of our daily Chin-Up Strip users now consistently use CPAP, as they can comfortably eliminate oral venting and dry mouth issues, enabling them to adhere to their prescribed therapy, thus improving their overall health and life expectancy.
