Bed partners, roommates, and family members who hear you snore may take offense. It’s possible that some people will have to sleep in separate bedrooms as a result of this, which could lead to sleep disruptions for everyone.
It’s normal to desire to snore less in order to prevent these issues. But it’s not always easy to tell whether snoring-reduction techniques are backed by solid research.
You are reading: Exercises for Sleep Apnea and Snoring – Our Guide On How to Do Them
People with mild snoring may benefit from doing activities to strengthen the muscles that surround the airway, such as mouth and throat exercises. It has also been demonstrated that the same mouth and throat exercises can treat mild-to-moderate cases of central sleep apnea (OSA).
“Oropharyngeal exercises” and “myofunctional therapy” are other names for these oral exercises. Typically, this technique is learned through the guidance of a qualified myofunctional therapy practitioner.
In order for these mouth exercises to be effective, they must be practiced over time. Those who snore and those who have mild to moderate OSA have claimed that these activities can help them sleep better when done correctly.
What Causes Sleep Apnea and Snoring?
To make up for the lack of oxygen, the brain eventually wakes you up so you may take a breather. When this occurs, the individual may snort, choke, or gasp for air, according to specialists. After that, they’ll come in spurts all night long.
It is common for people with sleep apnea to snore. It’s possible to be snoring and not suffer from a problem like apnea.
What is Myofunctional Therapy?
How Can Mouth Exercises Help Stop Snoring and Sleep Apnea?
Poor tongue posture (“tongue posture”), along with snoring and apnea, are all symptoms of difficulty breathing via the airway while sleeping. Toning the airways and muscles of the tongue and throat through mouth and throat exercises is a great approach to improve nasal breathing.
Mouth and throat exercises, including going to the gym, will help you build up the muscles in your mouth and airways. Tight muscles are less inclined to flail and fidget.
These activities are known as “oropharyngeal exercises” or “myofunctional therapy” in the medical community. You have an oropharynx if you have a soft palate with tonsils and adenoids on either side of your tonsils in the rear of your mouth (the soft muscular part at the back of the roof of the mouth).
To prevent the tissues in your throat from becoming too floppy and vibrating while you sleep, it has been discovered that performing repetitive oropharyngeal exercises while you are awake helps. Toning these muscles has been reported to improve snoring and milder kinds of obstructive sleep apnea, according to several studies.
Who Can Benefit From Mouth and Throat Exercises for Snoring?
Many studies have shown the positive effects of “myofunctional therapy” (mouth and throat exercises) on patients who snore or have a mild to moderate apnea. When used in conjunction with a CPAP machine or following surgery, myofunctional therapy is most beneficial for people with obstructive sleep apnea.
For mild snoring, mouth and throat exercises aren’t always the best approach to stop it. A person’s mouth, tongue, and throat may have an impact on how effective these workouts are.
If a person’s snoring is linked to drinking or the use of sedatives that relax the muscles in the back of the throat, oropharyngeal exercises may be less helpful.
How Often Do You Need To Do Mouth Exercises for Snoring or Sleep Apnea?
According to current research, the best way to reduce snoring or OSA is to conduct mouth exercises for at least 10 minutes every day for three months. Two to three times a day is the norm for most people.
The majority of studies show that mouth and throat workouts are beneficial after three months. Snoring could be reduced by as much as 15 minutes a day of playing a smartphone game involving myofunctional exercises.
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If you expect anti-snoring activities to work overnight, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. You don’t need any particular gym equipment to do these exercises, so you can do them nearly anyplace.
Are There Side Effects to Mouth and Throat Exercises?
Myofunctional therapy can be tedious or comical for some people, yet it has no negative effects on the body.
If persons with snoring or obstructive sleep apnea choose mouth exercises over other prescribed therapies, they run the risk of harming their health. Before beginning or terminating any sort of snoring or sleep apnea treatment, it is best to consult a doctor.
What Mouth Exercises Can Help Stop Snoring?
The tongue, face muscles, and throat can all benefit from particular training strategies. Depending on how they’re combined, each of these exercises can be done anywhere from twice to three times daily.
Tongue Exercises
Exercise #1: Slide the tongue.
- Take a small piece of your tongue and place it at the rear of your upper front teeth. Slide your tongue backward, with the tip gliding down the roof of your mouth, in a slow, deliberate motion. Repeat a few times, perhaps five to ten times.
- The goal of this workout is to improve the strength of your tongue and throat.
Tongue Stretching Exercise #2:
- As far as you can extend your tongue, do it! While gazing up at the ceiling, use your tongue to lightly brush over your chin. Start with 10–15 seconds and work your way up. Make a total of five repetitions.
- Increasing tongue strength is the goal of this exercise
This is the third and final tongue exercise.
- Using your full tongue, stick your tongue up against the roof of your mouth and press down on it. This position should be held for ten seconds. Make a total of five repetitions.
- Improve the tone and strength of the tongue and soft palate
Exercice #4 of the Tongue: Pushing the Tongue Down
- Your tongue’s tip should be resting against your lower front teeth, and your tongue’s rear should be flush with the bottom of your mouth. This position should be held for ten seconds. Make a total of five repetitions.
- Improve the tone and strength of the tongue and soft palate
Face Exercises
Snoring can be reduced by engaging your facial muscles with mouth exercises. They can be performed multiple times a day.
- Pull your right cheek outward with your hooked finger, then pull it within with your facial muscles. For each side, perform ten repetitions.
- Assists with the closing of the mouth while inhalation is taking place.
Exercise #2: the Face
- Purse your lips tightly to seal your mouth. After that, relax your jaw and lips before opening your mouth. Do this a total of ten times.
- Tones and strengthens the jaws, facial muscles, and throat.
Breathing Through Your Nose
Learn to breathe normally by focusing on how your nose feels as you exhale.
- Breathe in via your nose while keeping your mouth shut.
- Close one nostril with a finger or knuckle.
- Exhale slowly and steadily with an open nostril after each inhalation.
- Alternate between the two nostrils as you perform this for roughly 10 repetitions.
- There are many reasons why you could discover that one of your nostrils is more congested than the other.
The goal of this exercise is to improve nasal breathing so that the airway can remain stable while you sleep.
Pronouncing Vowel Sounds
Repeating vowel sounds can assist tone the muscles in your throat, thus it’s a good idea to do so.
Singing
Singing uses a variety of muscles in the mouth and throat, including vowels, to produce a wide range of sounds. Snoring may be reduced by focusing on singing, according to preliminary studies. Individual sounds should be repeated and pronounced more firmly when singing rather than merely singing conventional lyrics..
14 Exercises for a better nights sleep.
You should incorporate these into your daily routine if you want to see results. In addition to cleaning the home, watching Netflix, going for a dog walk, picking up the kids from school… you get it. You can easily complete any of these exercises while doing any of these things.
Exercise 1
To improve your pronunciation, say the vowel sounds of the alphabet aloud many times a day for a total of six minutes.
Exercise 2
After placing your tongue tip under your front teeth, glide your tongue backward for three minutes.
Exercise 3
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Using the tongue against the roof of the mouth, make a high-pitched clicking sound. For 15 seconds, click the tongue and repeat 10 times.
Exercise 4
Exercise 5
For 30 seconds, shift your jaw to the right while keeping your mouth open. Go back and do the opposite on the other side of the body.
Exercise 6
Spend some time singing for a more stimulating workout. Singing can improve the control of the muscles in the throat and soft palate, hence minimizing snoring.
Exercise 7
Push and hold for 5 seconds with the tip of your tongue against the hard palate on the roof of your mouth, directly behind your top teeth. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 8
Roll your tongue like a taco shell by folding the edges toward the middle lengthwise. Hold it for 10 seconds while extending it as far as you can while keeping it folded. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 9
Try to contact the tip of your nose with your tongue. After holding for ten seconds, let go. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 10
Try to lick the bottom of your chin with your tongue. After holding for ten seconds, let go. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 11
Extend your tongue as far to the left as possible. After holding for ten seconds, let go. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 12
Move your tongue as far to the right as you can. After holding for ten seconds, let go. Do this a total of ten times.
Exercise 13
Pursue your lips with your mouth shut. Take a deep breath and hold it for a full 30 seconds.
Exercise 14
Hold a spoon in front of your mouth with the tip of your tongue pressed against it for 10 seconds. Keep your tongue in a straight line and avoid pointing it down. Do this ten times.
When Should You See a Doctor About Snoring?
If you snore, you may be suffering from an undiagnosed sleep disorder known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. If left untreated, sleep apnea can have major effects on one’s health.
A doctor should be consulted if one or more of the following risk factors apply to one’s situation:
- The sound of gasping, choking, or even snorting while snoring.
- Sleepiness or exhaustion during the day.
- Mood swings, sluggish thinking, or a decreased attention span are all symptoms of depression.
- Heaviness in the head in the morning
- Diabetic hypertension
- Weight gain or obesity
Mouth exercises are a potential home therapy for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, but they aren’t a cure-all. They may need to be paired with other therapies advised by a doctor, even if they’re beneficial.
It’s easy to see the similarities between these mouth exercises and those that are commonly used in speech therapy. Requesting a referral to a speech therapist or someone with expertise in mouth, tongue, and throat strengthening exercises might be helpful for those seeking particular guidance.
Why do we snore? How is it connected to sleep apnea?
The space behind your tongue gets smaller while you sleep. Relaxation of the tissue causes it to sag. Loose tissue flutters as you inhale and exhale, forcing air through the area. It might sound like the wind is flapping a flag. Because of the movement of this tissue, snoring develops. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when these muscles relax so much that they shut the airway, causing the person to stop breathing. Disrupted sleep patterns and low blood oxygen levels can result from snoring or obstructive sleep apnea.
How to Stop Snoring
Roof Smoosh
Tongue Carpet
Say Ahhhhh!
Cheek Push
Chew Evenly
More Snoring and Sleep Apnea Remedies
Weight Loss
Positional Therapy
Avoid Alcohol
Don’t Smoke
CPAP Machines
Oral Devices
Use a Nasal Strip
Try a New Mattress
Surgery
Frequently Asked Questions
Are snoring exercises effective?
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Category: Sleep Advisors
