Mike Thornton
Sleep Health Writer & Former Chronic Snorer
Mike is a 54-year-old father of three from Nashville, Tennessee. For nearly two decades, his wife Linda threatened to move to a separate bedroom because of his thunderous snoring. As a high school football coach and history teacher, Mike spent his days exhausted, relying on coffee to get through practice and grading papers. His snoring had become a running joke among his players — they could hear him dozing off on the team bus.
After a particularly bad night in 2023 where Linda recorded his snoring at 78 decibels (louder than a vacuum cleaner), Mike finally took action. His doctor warned him his oxygen levels were dropping dangerously low during sleep, putting him at risk for heart complications. Mike tried everything — nasal strips, throat sprays, wedge pillows, even mouth tape — before discovering the dual MAD and TSD approach that Snorple uses.
Within a week of using the Snorple mouthpiece, Linda told him it was the first time in 15 years she had slept through the entire night beside him. Mike was so moved by the experience — and so frustrated that he had wasted years on products that did not work — that he reached out to the Snorple team and asked to help other men avoid the same struggle.
Today Mike writes about the practical, real-world side of snoring: what it is like to live with it, how it affects your family, and what actually works based on his own trial-and-error journey. When he is not writing or coaching, he and Linda take weekend camping trips with their golden retriever, Duke — and for the first time in years, they share a tent without complaints.
Dr. Sarah Chen
Health Science Writer & Researcher
Sarah is a 47-year-old health science writer based in Portland, Oregon. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Oregon Health & Science University, where she spent six years researching sleep architecture and its effects on cognitive performance. Before joining Snorple's content team, she worked as a medical writer for two sleep medicine publications and contributed research reviews to several peer-reviewed journals.
Sarah's personal connection to snoring came through her husband, David, a 52-year-old civil engineer. David's snoring became severe in his mid-40s after he gained weight during a stressful bridge construction project. Sarah watched him deteriorate — constant fatigue, irritability, and frightening episodes where he would stop breathing for seconds at a time. As a neuroscientist, she understood exactly what oxygen deprivation was doing to his brain, and it terrified her.
After exhausting CPAP options (David abandoned his machine after 6 weeks because he could not tolerate the mask), Sarah researched oral appliance therapy extensively. She was impressed by the clinical data behind mandibular advancement devices combined with tongue stabilization, which led her to Snorple. David has been snore-free for over two years now, and his sleep study scores have improved dramatically.
Sarah brings the scientific lens to Snorple's content — translating complex sleep medicine research into clear, actionable advice. She lives with David and their two daughters, ages 12 and 9, in a craftsman bungalow near Forest Park. She runs half-marathons and volunteers at her daughters' school science fair every spring.
James Rivera
Wellness Writer & Relationship Health Advocate
James is a 49-year-old freelance wellness writer from Austin, Texas. He spent 18 years as a paramedic before transitioning to health writing after a back injury sidelined his field career. His years in emergency medicine gave him a ground-level view of how untreated sleep disorders escalate into serious medical emergencies — he responded to cardiac calls where chronic snoring and undiagnosed sleep apnea were contributing factors.
James's own snoring story nearly cost him his marriage. His wife, Maria, a pediatric nurse, had endured years of interrupted sleep that left her dangerously fatigued during 12-hour hospital shifts. They tried separate bedrooms, but the distance created emotional strain. James describes that period as the loneliest time in their 22-year marriage — sleeping apart felt like giving up.
A fellow paramedic mentioned oral appliance therapy, and James was skeptical at first. He had tried chin straps, essential oils, and even a didgeridoo exercise program he found online. But when he tried a MAD-TSD combination device, the results were immediate. Maria moved back into their bedroom within a week. James says that single change saved not just his sleep, but his relationship.
James writes about the human side of snoring — how it strains marriages, affects mental health, and impacts the people around you. He brings both clinical knowledge from his paramedic career and emotional honesty from his personal experience. Outside of writing, James coaches a youth soccer team, grills competition-style brisket, and is restoring a 1972 Ford Bronco in his garage with his teenage son, Marco.