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A snoring solution? Minnesota startup invents 'dream' water bottle

Thanks to an Eagan-based startup, snoring relief could be as easy as drinking water.

EAGAN, Minnesota — Anders Olmanson is not one to sleep on a good idea.

The 30-year-old from Eagan is always looking for solutions to problems.

In fact, a few years ago he spent nine months traveling the world to study health care and its problems.

"I want to solve unique problems that people weren't solving adequately. How can I go about this?" Olmanson said.

Olmanson has a background in biomedical engineering and previously worked at Medtronic. He became interested in solving sleep issues while studying for his Master of Science in Medical Device Innovation at the University of Minnesota Technological Leadership Institute. He put together a team and during their research, they found a study on the affects of playing the didgeridoo.

"They showed that there's a reduction of from moderate to mild for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring also reduced. So we're like, 'Okay, this is wild,'" Olmanson recalled.

Other studies showed even greater improvement from doing targeted exercises of the mouth and throat muscles. But Olmanson wondered: How do you get people to actually do the therapy?

While watching his dog, Comet, eat peanut butter out of a KONG dog toy, he realized his dog was doing a tongue exercise without even realizing it.

"What do people do every day? They drink water out of a water bottle. So it was kind of a big light bulb moment," Olmanson said.

Credit: Heidi Wigdahl
REMplenish water bottles and straw with nozzle.

REMplenish, part of REMastered Sleep, claims it's the "world's first water bottle that fights snoring through tongue exercise." The key part making that possible is the myofunctional therapy nozzle. Customers can buy it separate or with a water bottle.

"When you drink out of this, it exercises the muscles in your mouth and throat to help reduce the risk of vibration and collapsibility. So it gives you targeted exercises and if you try to misuse it, you just won't get water out of it," Olmanson said.

According to one of the company's usability studies, 93% of people reported improvements in snoring and 34% reported improvements in tiredness.

Since launching REMastered Sleep in 2020, 25% of its sales have been to health care professionals.

Credit: Heidi Wigdahl
REMplenish nozzle

"So it's really simple. You know just little tongue push-ups... and drink your water. One to two bottles a day and that's it," Olmanson said.

Recently, REMastered Sleep won a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health for nearly $300,000.

The grant will fund research and development, along with a feasibility study in partnerships with Mayo Clinic to look into the benefits REMplenish may have for people with obstructive sleep apnea.

"It's been a ride for sure," Olmanson said. "I've learned so much and my goal is to create as many health solutions as I can to help people."

You can buy REMplenish products, here. They offer a 60-day money back guarantee.

Know a local business we should feature for our Behind the Business segment? Email Heidi Wigdahl at hwigdahl@kare11.com.

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