Although the concept of using snoring exercises to help eliminate your problem without having to use any special products has been around for awhile, it’s only been recently confirmed to actually make a positive impact.
Five years ago, a medical doctor in Scotland, Dr. Elizabeth Scott, believed that the playing of a musical instrument called a didgeridoo (a very long, wooden instrument) was capable of reducing the snoring in her patients. While she could not arrange to complete a medical study to prove her results, she wrote a book on the subject and her patients continued to have success with the treatment.
She was sure that the results had to do with strengthening the same muscles that singers exercise to increase their vocal ability. She went on to become an advisor to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Two studies were eventually completed to prove whether or not these types of singing exercises did, in fact, have a positive result on reducing or eliminating snoring. The latest was a clinical trial whose results were published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in May 2009.
In the clinical trial, 31 patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea were randomly separated into two groups. The first group consisted of 15 people who were given a phony treatment plan to follow for 90 days. The second group consisted of 16 individuals who were assigned a set of exercises targeting the upper airway muscle groups.
At the end of the trial the conclusion was:
Oropharyngeal exercises significantly reduce OSAS severity and symptoms and represent a promising treatment for moderate OSAS.
I know – not exactly easy to understand unless you are a doctor but what it says is that exercising the muscle just below your soft palate (the back of the roof of your mouth) reduces the intensity and the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
The outcome was based on additional findings that patients who performed the exercises showed improvements in snoring intensity, frequency, and in daytime sleepiness.
There are several real benefits to using an exercise program to quit snoring. Not only don’t you need any special weights or equipment to perform the exercises, but most of the exercises can be done just about anywhere (although you might look a little funny to those passing by), and don’t require hours in the gym.
The other positive is that you can see results fairly quickly and, of course, you can escape having to wear a chin strap or a mouthpiece to stop snoring.
I think that’s one of the biggest problems people who snore face when looking for a solution. There are lots of ways to treat all kinds of medical conditions but those that require an appliance interfere with our personal comfort and our self-esteem. If you had a choice between sleeping with a mask on your face or sleeping unfettered by any such device -- wouldn’t you choose to go without the mask?
Great, you say. I know how to work out my arms, legs, even my abs if I feel like it but how on earth do I get to that muscle way down in my throat?
By doing snoring exercises like these:
Several books have been written on the subject but one goes on to include information about additional exercises that work on the muscles surrounding the pharynx, help stop snoring caused by conditions other than sleep apnea and helps relieve overall tension so you get a better night’s sleep.
Visit Stop Snoring Exercise Program for a powerful set of stop snoring exercises that can help you eliminate your snoring problem quickly and sleep better without having to use any special devices.
