Exercises for apnea

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Noctuary
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Exercises for apnea

Post by Noctuary » Thu Apr 23, 2015 10:49 am

I found this video. Is it bullshit? He claims that one can do a few minutes of throat exercises and improve apnea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIJysIYGbLc

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LSAT
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by LSAT » Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:29 am

I don't believe it, but if it works for someone...great. As far as you are concerned, if you are having problems with your therapy, I suggest you invest in a data capable machine so you can see what your problems are. Your Escape gives you very little information.

Noctuary
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by Noctuary » Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:39 am

LSAT wrote:I don't believe it, but if it works for someone...great. As far as you are concerned, if you are having problems with your therapy, I suggest you invest in a data capable machine so you can see what your problems are. Your Escape gives you very little information.
I will be getting a new machine soon (I hope).

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davecpap
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by davecpap » Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:14 pm

playing the didgeridoo allegedly helps:

http://www.sleepapnea.org/treat/treatme ... ridoo.html

tl;dr but "At the conclusion of the four months, the investigators found that the didgeridoo players' apnea-hypopnea index had dropped from an average of 21 to 11.6. (The AHI of the untreated control group decreased as well, but only to 15.4.) The didgeridoo players also showed a marked improvement in their level of daytime sleepiness."

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archangle
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by archangle » Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:06 pm

Even if the exercises do work for some, very few people have any success with such programs. Maybe they don't try hard enough, maybe they just don't really work.

Try it, but don't give up on CPAP until after the exercises work.

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Sir NoddinOff
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by Sir NoddinOff » Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:20 pm

I think the time and money spent on alternative exercises is better invested in a data capable machine that you use every night.

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Nick Danger
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by Nick Danger » Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:49 pm

On the other hand, playing the didgerdoo could be fun! I view this as similar to the "singing treatments" - some people swear by it, but I'm sceptical.

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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by BlackSpinner » Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:00 pm

The biggest issue with these is that you can't lie to your self
"I will do it tomorrow"
"I will do half of them right now and catch up later"
"A few days off won't matter"

These kind of things MUST be done for the required amount every single day

I used to teach a form of relaxation exercise that helped with pain relief. The majority of people used the excuses above all the time and then whined that they didn't work.

Oh and we have at least one member who is an opera singer.

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Islandwoman
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Re: Exercises for apnea

Post by Islandwoman » Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:16 pm

I think I will get out my didgeridoo and see if I can finally master circular breathing. I would not consider giving up cpap but if breathing exercises help even a little it would be worth practicing again. I am a firm believer that any exercise helps even if not as regular as it could be and there is always a small chance it will become a habit.