Smart Nora

I recently came across a product called Smart Nora.  It boasted the ability to help you or your partner with snoring, particularly snoring that is so loud that it wakes your partner up.  Since my spousal unit has a snoring problem (although, I guess it's only a problem to the person that has to listen to it), I decided that this product was exactly what we needed!

I have tried everything in the past from nudging her awake (got whacked in the face because she thought she was being attacked), to talking to her (got chewed out for waking her up for no reason, because she obviously wasn't snoring), to full body launching myself into the air to "bounce" her awake (has zero effect on a Tempur-pedic mattress where you can jump up and down with a glass of wine and not spill a drop), to sleeping in another room (oddly, I can still hear her on the other side of the house too, so defeated the purpose).  The science with Smart Nora seemed more promising, though.  It works by "listening" for snoring at a certain decibel level, and then an electronic air jack raises and lowers your pillow to stimulate your relaxed throat muscles to breath normally again.  What could go wrong?!  So, we bought it.

The first two nights, it worked great.  My spousal unit got used to the gentle, slow movement of the pillow and said she had the best sleep she'd had in a long time.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any positive changes on my part, because I stayed awake all night to see if she was going to snore and if Smart Nora would control it.  It was the third night that we found the first flaw in the system.  I finally relaxed into a deep sleep, satisfied that we had finally found the solution to our snoring dilemma.  And that's when it happened.  According to an unverified source, I was so relaxed that I presumably started snoring too.  My crescendo of delight reached such wondrous heights, that Smart Nora picked up on it and started adjusting my spousal unit's pillow.  Which obviously didn't solve the real problem, which was MY collapsing air cavities.  But it created another problem as well...she wasn't asleep yet.  She was still up reading her book when her head started "bobbing" up and down...albeit ever so slowly.

So, now we're faced with a new dilemma.  Pony up a lot more money for a second system, which adjusts both of us if either of us snore, or share a single pillow.  That's it, there are no other options.  And let's be perfectly honest, there is really only one option, because the other one is ludicrous.  

So, now my wife and I have had to learn how to do synchronized "spooning" as we share the pillow.  When either of us needs to turn over, we both have to turn over.  The nice thing is that we've learned to do it without having to fully wake up, and because of Smart Nora, we still have a peaceful sleep!