If you snore at night or suffer from mild sleep apnea, you may be able to fix your sleeping problem simply by strengthening your tongue and throat muscles. Read on to find out if exercises to stop snoring really work…
How Do Exercises Reduce Snoring?
Rakel Sosa of Rakel Sosa Pranayama Yoga Meditation explains that these weak neck and mouth muscles can collapse at night, therefore closing airways. By performing certain exercises, you can strengthen these muscles and prevent them from relaxing too much while you sleep.
In her free Youtube video below, she demonstrates how to do 4 different exercises to stop snoring:
In addition the Sleep Foundation shares some exercises to stop snoring and maybe even help with sleep apnea. The exercises are simple, however, you need to spend 30 minutes each day practicing them.
Therefore, consider fitting them into your day during “downtime”. For example, when you are taking a shower, driving to work or working on the computer. Here they are:
Snoring Exercises:
- Push your tongue (the tip) against the roof of your mouth, then slide it backward. Repeat.
- Suck your entire tongue upward against the top of your mouth. Repeat.
- Lay your tongue on the bottom of your mouth and touch the tip of your tongue to your bottom front teeth.
Prevention Magazine also has pictures of snoring/mouth exercises you can do to strengthen airway muscles. According to Nina Shapiro, MD, the theory is that floppy tissues and muscles contribute to snoring. When, strengthened, they tighten up and are less “floppy” while you sleep.
Speaking of mouth exercises, don’t forget the breathing exercises in yoga. This popular workout actually provides many side benefits that may help minimize snoring.
For example, the deep breathing can help strengthen your lungs and throat. In addition, this meditative practice helps to relax the body and mind, making it easier to fall asleep and get a more restful sleep ay night.
Can Singing Stop Snoring?
Music teacher Alise Ojay has developed singing exercises that she claims will help many people stop snoring.
The routine helps strengthen the soft palate and throat (similar to the mouth exercises above).
Whether one method is better than the other, I don’t know. However, I find it interesting that multiple sources are recommending exercises to reduce snoring. PubMed published some research on singing and snoring: find out more here.
For some people, mouth guards and nose pieces can alleviate snoring by opening up airways and re-adjusting jaw position. However, not everyone wants to wear an apparatus to bed every night.
Snoring exercises can be a simple (and free) way to strengthen throat muscles and reduce that disruptive breathing at night. Plus, when you turn them into a habit or ritual as part of your morning or evening routine, after a while you may not even notice doing them.
Exercises to stop snoring will only work as long as you continue to do them consistently. They will not “cure” snoring permanently.