Exercises may reduce severity of sleep apnea

[feeling_better]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Exercises involving the tongue and soft palate may reduce the severity and symptoms in patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep specialists report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090511/hl_ ... es_apnea_1

[nobody]

How are these exercises done?

[BlackSpinner]

Any good qualified voice teacher can teach you this especially one that teach traditional opera singing techniques.

[spitintheocean]

At the end of 3 months, the average apnea-hypopnea index, the sum of apneas plus hypopneas (episodes of shallow breathing) per hour of sleep, had decreased significantly from 22.4 to 13.7 events per hour in the exercise group. In addition, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality score improved from 10.2 to 6.9 points, snoring intensity was reduced from "very loud" to "similar to breathing," and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores dropped from 14 to 8.

..... However, she believes that balloon inflation (like didgeridoo playing) may change the tone or strength of the underlying musculature, as could the "tongue press-to-palate task."

It almost makes you want to run off and join the circus just so you can get an ample supple of balloons to blow up for the clowns. Could six months on the midway really translate into a lifetime of peaceful sleep? I'd probably try it out except I'm afraid of needles and everyone who works at the circus has lots of tattoos.

[zen]

Here are 2 web pages with exercises. I don't know how to link directly to them so will try to type the addresses in.
I wish I knew how to link directly to them .....


http://www.smile-com/articles/article_v ... cle_id=521

http://stopsnoringcure.info/

[JoyD.]

.
I've been trying to find such exercises for the Soft Palate and Tongue since reading this study.

I found one Speech Therapist's website who describes some exercises you can do. I'm going to try it!
http://www.sdhct.nhs.uk/patientCare/pil/23558.pdf

Joy

[JoyD.]

.
Another series of oropharyngeal exercises to strengthen the soft palate, tongue and other muscles of the mouth.
http://rdoc.org.uk/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2 ... m/53110059

Joy