How do I know if I'm a positional snorer?

The easiest way is to ask your bed partner whether your snoring is worse when you sleep on your back. You can also use a free app like SnoreLab for a few nights — most apps show a timeline of when snoring occurred, which you can compare against your logged sleep position. If snoring spikes when you're on your back and calms on your side, SlumberBump is likely to work well for you.

How firm should I inflate the bumper?

The bumper should be firm enough that lying on your back is noticeably uncomfortable, but not so hard that it wakes you up or causes pain. Most users find a medium inflation — where the pouch feels like a fist-sized ball between the shoulder blades — hits the right balance. You can adjust firmness throughout your first week to find what works for your body.

What size SlumberBump should I order?

SlumberBump comes in Medium (32"–38" chest), Large (37"–44" chest), and XL (47"–54" chest). Measure around the widest part of your chest. If you're between sizes, size up. An extension belt is also available for larger chest measurements beyond the XL range.

How long until I can stop wearing it every night?

The manufacturer recommends wearing SlumberBump every night for at least three weeks (21 nights). After that, most users can begin sleeping without it and maintain their side-sleeping position. Some people choose to keep wearing it a few nights per week as a habit reinforcer, particularly after nights where alcohol or sleep deprivation may relax their positional awareness.

How do I wash SlumberBump?

Deflate the air pouch fully before washing. The device can be hand-washed with mild soap and cold water, or placed in a laundry bag for a gentle machine cycle. Air dry completely before re-inflating. The breathable mesh fabric is designed to resist odor and bacteria with regular washing.

Is SlumberBump covered by insurance?

SlumberBump is available without a prescription and is not typically covered by insurance on its own. However, if it is recommended by a physician as part of a positional sleep therapy plan, some flexible spending accounts (FSA) or health savings accounts (HSA) may cover the purchase. Check with your plan administrator.

Can I use SlumberBump if I have sleep apnea?

Positional therapy can reduce the frequency of apnea events in people with positional obstructive sleep apnea — where apneas occur primarily during back sleeping. However, SlumberBump is not a replacement for CPAP or other physician-prescribed sleep apnea treatments. If you have a sleep apnea diagnosis, consult your doctor before using any positional device as a substitute for your prescribed therapy.

What if my snoring returns after I stop wearing it?

Some users find their positional habits gradually revert over time, particularly after illness, travel, or periods of heavier alcohol use. If snoring returns after you've weaned off the device, simply resume nightly use for one to two weeks to reinforce the habit. Most users need one or two of these "refresher" periods in the first year before the position becomes fully automatic.

Home › Anti-Snoring › SlumberBump Review

Anti-Snoring #7 of 40 Tested

SlumberBump Review: Positional Therapy That Retrains You to Side Sleep

By Dr. Sarah Kimball · 5 min read ✓ Updated June 2026

Our Verdict

7.8

out of 10

Effectiveness (positional snorers) 4.5/5

Comfort 3.8/5

Ease of Use 4.7/5

Price / Value 4.2/5

Durability 4.5/5

Non-Invasive Design 5/5

Company Reputation 4.3/5

SlumberBump is the best positional therapy device we've tested — and for the right snorer, it genuinely works. If your snoring is caused or worsened by sleeping on your back, a wearable bumper that stops you rolling over is an elegant, drug-free solution. It won't help if your snoring happens in any position, but for positional snorers it's a low-cost, no-prescription fix that most people adapt to within a week.

✓ Completely non-invasive — nothing goes in your mouth✓ Works for positional snorers without any prescription✓ Breathable, washable mesh fabric

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We have noticed that the SlumberBump website appears to be down and are currently unable to confirm whether the company is still in business. We have reached out to the owners and are awaiting a response. We will update this review as soon as we have more information. In the meantime, purchase availability may be limited.

SlumberBump is a positional therapy device — a category entirely different from mouthpieces and tongue retainers. Instead of intervening in your airway, it intervenes in your sleeping position. It's a lightweight, adjustable chest wrap with an inflatable air pouch on the back. When you roll onto your back in the night, the pouch creates enough discomfort to nudge you back onto your side — without waking you up. Used consistently for three weeks, most users find their body learns to stay on its side on its own.

Pros

✓ Completely non-invasive — nothing goes in your mouth
✓ Works for positional snorers without any prescription
✓ Breathable, washable mesh fabric
✓ Retrains your sleep position over ~21 nights
✓ Three sizes to fit most chest measurements
✓ No adjustment period for teeth or jaw
✓ Can work from the very first night
✓ Drug-free, no ongoing consumables

Cons

✗ Only effective if your snoring is position-dependent
✗ Can slip or twist for very active sleepers
✗ May cause overheating for warm sleepers
✗ Requires consistent wear for three weeks to retrain
✗ Some people find wearing a chest device disruptive to sleep
✗ Does not address snoring caused by anatomy or airway obstruction

Science

How SlumberBump Works

Most snoring is positional: the airway narrows when gravity pulls the tongue and soft palate backward during back sleeping. Side sleeping naturally keeps the airway open. SlumberBump exploits this by making back sleeping uncomfortable enough that your body avoids it, even mid-sleep. The device straps around your chest like a light vest, with an inflatable bumper sitting between your shoulder blades. You inflate it to a firmness that's noticeable but not painful, then wear it to bed. After roughly 21 nights of consistent use, most people have retrained their sleep position and no longer need the device nightly.

Testing

Our SlumberBump Experience

We tested SlumberBump with two testers who had confirmed positional snoring — verified by asking their partners and by tracking snoring with a smartphone app. Both reported near-complete elimination of snoring by night two when wearing the device. The body learns quickly to avoid the discomfort of the inflated pouch, redirecting sleep position without waking the user.

The bigger test was whether the retraining stuck. After three weeks of nightly use, one tester successfully weaned off the device and maintained side sleeping for the full follow-up month. The second tester found they still needed to wear it occasionally — particularly after nights of heavier drinking, when muscle relaxation made them more likely to roll back. This tracks with the manufacturer's guidance that some users benefit from keeping the device available for higher-risk nights even after completing the retraining period.

Comfort is the main variable. The breathable mesh fabric is odor-resistant, bacteria-resistant, and machine washable — a meaningful advantage over chest devices made from non-breathable materials. Most users adapt within a week. However, warmer sleepers may find the extra layer disruptive, and active sleepers who toss and turn extensively may find it slips or becomes twisted by morning.

The inflation level matters more than it initially seems. Too soft and the bumper doesn't provide enough resistance to prevent back sleeping. Too firm and it can disrupt sleep quality or cause discomfort at the shoulder blades. The right inflation creates what most users describe as "a fist-sized ball" of pressure — enough to nudge without waking. It takes two to three nights of adjustment to dial in.

SlumberBump comes in three sizes — Medium (32"–38" chest), Large (37"–44"), and XL (47"–54") — with an extension belt available for larger measurements. It requires no prescription, no fitting, and no adjustment period for teeth or jaw. At $71–$79, it is one of the most affordable interventions in the anti-snoring category, particularly given that it aims to solve the problem permanently rather than require ongoing nightly use.

The important caveat — and it cannot be overstated — is that SlumberBump only works for positional snorers. If your snoring happens equally on your back and your side, this device will not help. Before purchasing, spend a week tracking your snoring position using a free app like SnoreLab. If the data shows a clear spike when you're on your back, SlumberBump is worth trying. If the snoring is consistent across positions, a MAD or TSD is the right category.

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