Exercises of the Mouth and Throat Improves Sleep Apnea!!!

In the May 2009 edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a research article by Dr. Lorenzi-Filho claimed that regular exercises involving the tongue, soft palate, and lateral pharyngeal wall significantly improves obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) both objectively and subjectively. The exercises mainly consisted of playing a wind instrument known as didgeridoo. Patients randomized to these exercises had a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in neck circumference (39.6 +/- 3.6 vs. 38.5 +/- 4.0 cm), snoring frequency (4 [4-4] vs. 3 [1.5-3.5]), snoring intensity (3 [3-4] vs. 1 [1-2]), daytime sleepiness (14 +/- 5 vs. 8 +/- 6), sleep quality score (10.2 +/- 3.7 vs. 6.9 +/- 2.5), and OSAS severity (apnea-hypopnea index, 22.4 +/- 4.8 vs. 13.7 +/- 8.5 events/h). Changes in neck circumference correlated inversely with changes in apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.59; P < 0.001). This may be a great (and non-invasive) adjunctive treatment for OSA! Click here to read more.

Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00660777).