Effective Sleep Apnea Exercises To Counter Sleep Apnea Symptoms

There are a lot of ways to address sleep apnea symptoms. For the more severe cases of symptoms like loud and constant snoring, high number and long periods of breath interruptions, depression and extreme case of EDS or daytime sleepiness, would call for a more drastic means of intervention. This could be in the form of CPAP treatment or a surgical operation. Though sometimes costly, painful or destructive both the CPAP and sleep apnea surgery offer quick resolution to these symptoms.

For mild and moderate cases, there are sleep apnea exercises designed to ease breathing and reduce snoring. These exercise regimens aim to firm throat and tongue muscles, thus, eliminating tissue slacking during sleep that blocks the air passage. Like any exercises though, this don’t give immediate results. The improvement is gradual, depending on the consistency of the exercise and the severity of the sleep apnea symptoms.

Throat exercises for sleep apnea:
• Chewing gum exercise – Pretend you’re chewing a gum. Make sure that your molars are moving. Your mouth should stay closed. Begin with few minutes of chewing, and gradually increase duration. Adding “mmm” sounds to your chewing will help in opening the throat wider.
• Yawning exercise – Simulate a yawn and make sure to open your mouth as wide as you can. You can also trust your tongue as far as it goes.
• Vowel exercise – Recite the vowel sounds, fast and as clearly as your can for 3-5minutes. Start the exercise routine with soft sounds and then increase the level of your voice gradually. You can end the exercise shouting.
• Singing exercises – Just take your favourite song and sing your heart out.
• Swallowing exercises – Lightly bit your tongue, and then rapidly swallow at least five times.

Tongue exercises for sleep apnea:
• Palate push – Touch the back of your front teeth with the tip of your tongue then slowly roll it over, backwards.
• Lip route – Lick both your upper and lower lips in a continuous rotating motion. Do several clockwise rounds, and then do the same going counter clockwise.
• Tongue out – Stick out your tongue, the farthest you can. Hold it for several seconds. Pull back, breath and repeat.
• Tsk tsk sounds – Again, place the tip of your tongue just behind your front teeth. Make rapid tsk tsk sounds for at least a minute. Relax and then repeat.
• Tongue Rove – Quickly run your tongue all over the inside of your mouth. Skim over the fronts of your teeth and then both the roof and base of your mouth.

Jaw exercises for sleep apnea:
• Jaw stick – Clinch a pencil or a stick between your teeth for at least 10 minutes or as long as you can, just before going to sleep.
• Jaw swing – Position your lower jaw as far right as you can, hold for at least 30 seconds. Then swing to the right, hold again for another 30 seconds. Repeat.

There are also other sleep apnea exercise to help reduce if not eliminate sleep apnea symptoms. Yoga Nidra is a yoga regimen designed to help breathing and relaxation for better sleep. Again, results are not overnight as it takes time to strengthen muscles and firm tissues. The key to a successful exercise program is commitment and consistency.