Snoring is one of the worst enemies of a good night’s sleep, whether it’s you or your partner who’s to blame.
Recently, my husband and I had the chance to try out the new Hupnos anti-snoring mask, which combines technology with a sleep mask to help solve the snoring problem for good.
I’ve been married 10 years and my husband has always been a snorer. In his case, it’s caused by a combination of allergies and other sinus problems, but there are several different causes of snoring. He’s tried various remedies over the years, including strips, nose and mouth pieces, sinus medications, herbal remedies and even surgery to correct a deviated septum.
I, on the other hand, have only experienced snoring while pregnant and on rare nights when I crash extremely hard. But for the most part, I am a stomach sleeper, which is bad for my back, but keeps me from snoring. But sleep deprivation is one of the biggest triggers of postpartum depression for me, so a good night’s rest is extremely important to me as well.
Here’s what our experience with the Hupnos anti-snoring mask was like.

About Hupnos
Hupnos is a sleep mask, just like one you would wear to block out light while you sleep. It connects to an app via Bluetooth which analyzes your snoring to try to figure out what is causing it. The app tracks and records your snoring, head position and breathing throughout the night. After using it for a few nights in a row, you will be able to see a trend to determine whether or not the anti-snoring mask is working for you.
You can also change the settings so that the mask will intervene in the middle of the night if you are snoring. Similar to when I punch my husband in the arm when he’s snoring, but slightly more delicate. The mask will either vibrate if your head position is causing snoring, or it will shoot out a tiny puff of air pressure if your breathing is to blame.
Here’s a short video on how the mask works.
The Sleep Mask
The sleep mask looks modern and high-tech. Upon first impression, it reminded me more of virtual reality goggles than a traditional sleep mask.

The mask is covered in a trendy heather gray and black microfiber fabric, so it’s silky soft but also lightweight with a bit of stretch. It has an extra layer of foam padding across the top and bottom of the mask so that it rests comfortably against the cheeks and forehead.
To keep it on, the mask has a wide, stretchy microfiber strap that attaches with Velcro on both sides. The very back of the strap is split to make it easier to adjust for the right fit.
My husband has a shaved head, so hair was not an issue for him, but I was worried about how the mask and Velcro would work with long hair, so I tried it myself. Thankfully the Velcro closures did not disturb my hair in any way, or make it uncomfortable to sleep. But I did find that the straps moved around quite often and slipped out of position on my head.
The part that was really different and almost a bit intimidating was the nose piece. On the inside of the mask, there is a soft, black, silicone piece that you fit your nose onto. Underneath are two “fan like” valves that remind me of something Darth Vadar would have worn.
The entire nose piece is attached by one snap on either side and can be removed and taken apart for cleaning. At first, it seemed as though it was all going to fall apart after the first night but it’s actually much more sturdy that we thought.

The Technology
With the mask comes a small card with some instructions and a paperclip. The paperclip is used to initialize the mask. You only need to do this one time when you first get it. And then you need to plug it in and charge it.
I never would have thought by looking at the sleep mask that it contained the ability to “charge.” It doesn’t look bulky or electronic or as though it even contains batteries. There are no exposed wires or buttons of any kind. It actually took me a while to locate the USB port (which is slightly hidden on the bottom left side of the nose piece FYI). Once it’s plugged in, a little red light comes on, which will turn green when it’s fully charged. And that’s how you know that it does, in fact, contain some technology.

The Fit
Wearing the sleep mask throughout the entire night is probably the one thing that most people will struggle to adjust to. It might be especially foreign to someone who’s never worn an eye mask, CPAP machine or another anti-snoring device to sleep.
In order to get a good feel of what it was like, I did try the mask myself for a few nights.
Both my husband and I agreed that the mask, itself, was fairly comfortable once you got it on. The silicone nose piece fit us each properly (and we have very different sized noses) and didn’t feel like it was restricting breathing. The straps didn’t dig in or itch. And the microfiber padding provided a nice cushion on the forehead.
I personally did not like the two harder plastic pieces on either side of the silicone nose piece that slightly pushed into my cheeks. They didn’t hurt but I was constantly aware that they were there, which got annoying after a while. My husband didn’t seem bothered by them.
Due to the product being brand new and the combination of fabrics used, he did complain about the smell. I suppose when something is so close to your nose, the smell is magnified. But I simply added a couple drops of essential oils to the outside of the sleep mask and problem solved (bonus – it helps induce sleep!)
We both found that the mask did tend to slip out of position throughout the night as we slept. I found it even more frustrating because, like I said, I’m a stomach sleeper, so it was near impossible for me to find a comfortable sleeping position while wearing the mask. My husband is a hardcore back sleeper (hence the snoring) but he still found that it slipped off the back of his head.

The App
The app is the part of this anti-snoring mask that takes it to the next level. The free Hupnos app is available for download on iOS and Android and it’s fairly simple to use.
As soon as you create your account and log in, there’s a big timer that says start. In the top right, next to the icon of the sleep mask, it should show whether or not your sleep mask is connected to Bluetooth. If it’s not, you can test your mask in the settings.

In the top left of the record screen, you can change the mode that the mask operates in.
It defaults to Easy Mode, which just means the mask and app will record your sleep patterns but not apply any intervention to stop you from snoring.
By switching it to Basic Mode, the mask will vibrate slightly when your head position is causing snoring and it will emit air pressure if your breathing is causing snoring.
In Advanced Mode, you can adjust the vibration level (if you find the buzzing is waking you up) as well as change your default head angle and disable or adjust the air pressure. And finally, you can adjust the delay time to start the recording (because not everyone falls asleep in 20 minutes).
Before you hit start, you also have the option to add in any factors or remedies that may affect your snoring that night. For example, if you were drinking heavily or have a cold, or if you took some sleeping pills or applied some essential oils. These are purely for tracking purposes so when you review your results, you’ll be able to see how they affected you.

Once you wake up and hit stop on your recording, you’ll be able to review your results for the night. You can listen to the recorded audio of your snoring and see how many times the Hupnos anti-snoring mask had to buzz you to change position or apply air pressure.
Using the anti-snoring mask on a regular basis over the course of a week or more will give you information in the trends section so that you can keep track of whether your snoring has improved over time.
Overall Opinion
It’s a really cool gadget with a big claim. I believe that the vibrations and air pressure of the Hupnos sleep mask COULD subconsciously train your body to sleep in the optimal position to eliminate snoring permanently. I also think that the app’s various methods of recording and tracking your sleep and snoring patterns is a great way to improve sleep overall.
However, it would take some self-discipline and effort on the part of the wearer, as the sleep mask does not do all of the work for you. It does take some time to get used to wearing the mask and you would have to wear it consistently every night in order to see real improvements.
The constant vibrating and puffs of air pressure are also not for everyone. A lighter sleeper might find them too bothersome. Those suffering from anxiety may also find the sleep mask to be too restricting to wear, or dislike the sensation of being buzzed without any control. And stomach or side sleepers may have a hard time getting comfortable while wearing the mask.
But if you’re serious about training your body to stop snoring, and willing to put in the effort to make it work, then the Hupnos high-tech anti-snoring mask is definitely worth a try!
To learn more – visit https://hupnos.com/
You can order the Hupnos anti-snoring sleep mask on Indiegogo.
