Nora helps snorers to snooze and not lose

Anti-snoring devices can cut back on not only snoring, but the sleeplessness and annoyance suffered by people who sleep with those who snore.

Unlike Snor and SnoreNoMore, two recent devices whose inventors have sought crowdfunding for, Nora is an anti-snoring device that’s non-evasive, not requiring users to stick any tubes or other items inside their mouths. Nora is instead made up of a small white device resembling a mouse that gets placed on the user’s night table and is tapped before sleeping, and a flat, padded insert containing a mini pump that inflates and deflates when somebody starts snoring, slightly moving any pillow that it is placed in. That gentle movement stimulates the upper throat muscles and lets snorers’ breathing return to normal, without waking them or their companions up, according to the campaign.

The patent-pending device is expected to cost $299 when it ships in May with an included travel case. But Kickstarter backers have been able to order one at pricing as low as $145. Nora’s makers set a goal of raising $100,000 by Nov. 12.

Many consumers will likely find Nora appealing –- especially those who can’t get a good night’s sleep due to a partner who can’t stop snoring. But it’s impossible to tell from the campaign video alone whether the insert might make a pillow slightly more uncomfortable or, more importantly, if the device will even work for everybody. For one thing, because it doesn’t get activated until somebody starts snoring, it’s conceivable that light sleepers may be immediately awoken by just the first snore.