When I first heard about stop snoring exercises, I was skeptical. The following facts, however, speak for themselves. The program can work. Doctors in a clinical trial found great success. But how do these exercises work and are they an option for you in your quest to stop your own snoring?
If you snore, or live with someone who does, you know the misery that comes from trying to get a good night's sleep. You can put up with a lot of things - a spouse who steals the blankets, a spouse who moves around a lot at night, even a spouse who sprawls across the bed. You can adjust. However, snoring is different. Your ears cannot help but pick up the sudden roaring next to you. Your sleep is often restless and not as energizing as it should be.
The person who snores also suffers from a lack of sleep quality. Their body has to work harder to push oxygen through their airway. That's what makes them snore. There is some obstacle, physical or as a result of another medical condition (like sleep apnea or congestion), that is getting in the way of their breathing passing quietly through their system. That extra effort required can be draining and can cause a lack of restorative sleep.
First, let's talk about why stop snoring exercises work and then we'll review whether or not they are a stop snoring solution that will work for YOU.
A stop snoring exercise program uses the same sorts of exercises that vocal teachers and speech therapists use to increase the strength in someone's tongue, cheeks, jaw and throat in order to produce sounds and range otherwise unattainable. These are some of the same muscles that are used in your breathing process.
As we grow older, our muscle tone deteriorates and this includes those muscles in your airway. The soft palate (also known as the muscular plate) at the back of the roof of your mouth, your tongue, or your uvula (dangles from the back of your throat) can all weaken with age and when you lay down at night, these muscles may slip into your airway as they are pulled down by gravity. As they intrude on the airway, your flow of oxygen has to push harder to flow past the obstacle which rattles these muscles and causes a vibration which comes out as snoring.
Muscles respond to exercise by being torn down through stress and rebuilt stronger than before during a recovery period. This is what happens when you work out your arms or your legs and the same thing can happen when you work out these small muscle groups in your throat and mouth.
Before you can decide if stop snoring exercises will work for you, you need to understand why you snore. More than 40% of all adults snore and most snore because of these weakened muscles. However, you might also have a problem with snoring as a result of having a deviated septum or as a result of congestion associated with smoking, allergies, or a cold. If your snoring is the result of something other than these relaxed muscles, then snoring exercises are probably not your ideal snoring solution.
For information on a program of stop snoring exercises, see: Stop Snoring Exercises
Sleep apnea is a major concern where snoring is involved. Sleep apnea is a medical condition where a physical obstruction of the airway is severe enough to cause the sufferer to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep. The prescribed treatment is often use of a CPAP breathing machine. However, a medical trial completed in 2009 found that those with moderate obstructive sleep apnea benefited from the exercises used by speech therapists to reduce the frequency and intensity of their snoring. For those who struggle with the discomfort of using a CPAP machine, these exercises may help improve the condition. The benefits also included a more toned, thinner neck measurement after the patients completed the program.
If, like many adults, your snoring has developed as you aged and is not the result of some other underlying medical condition, you may be able to cure your snoring with stop snoring exercises you can do at home and escape having to wear any special devices, mouthpieces, or chin straps in order to stop snoring.
If you snore, or live with someone who does, you know the misery that comes from trying to get a good night's sleep. You can put up with a lot of things - a spouse who steals the blankets, a spouse who moves around a lot at night, even a spouse who sprawls across the bed. You can adjust. However, snoring is different. Your ears cannot help but pick up the sudden roaring next to you. Your sleep is often restless and not as energizing as it should be.
The person who snores also suffers from a lack of sleep quality. Their body has to work harder to push oxygen through their airway. That's what makes them snore. There is some obstacle, physical or as a result of another medical condition (like sleep apnea or congestion), that is getting in the way of their breathing passing quietly through their system. That extra effort required can be draining and can cause a lack of restorative sleep.
A stop snoring exercise program uses the same sorts of exercises that vocal teachers and speech therapists use to increase the strength in someone's tongue, cheeks, jaw and throat in order to produce sounds and range otherwise unattainable. These are some of the same muscles that are used in your breathing process.
As we grow older, our muscle tone deteriorates and this includes those muscles in your airway. The soft palate (also known as the muscular plate) at the back of the roof of your mouth, your tongue, or your uvula (dangles from the back of your throat) can all weaken with age and when you lay down at night, these muscles may slip into your airway as they are pulled down by gravity. As they intrude on the airway, your flow of oxygen has to push harder to flow past the obstacle which rattles these muscles and causes a vibration which comes out as snoring.
Muscles respond to exercise by being torn down through stress and rebuilt stronger than before during a recovery period. This is what happens when you work out your arms or your legs and the same thing can happen when you work out these small muscle groups in your throat and mouth.
Before you can decide if stop snoring exercises will work for you, you need to understand why you snore. More than 40% of all adults snore and most snore because of these weakened muscles. However, you might also have a problem with snoring as a result of having a deviated septum or as a result of congestion associated with smoking, allergies, or a cold. If your snoring is the result of something other than these relaxed muscles, then snoring exercises are probably not your ideal snoring solution.
Sleep apnea is a major concern where snoring is involved. Sleep apnea is a medical condition where a physical obstruction of the airway is severe enough to cause the sufferer to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep. The prescribed treatment is often use of a CPAP breathing machine. However, a medical trial completed in 2009 found that those with moderate obstructive sleep apnea benefited from the exercises used by speech therapists to reduce the frequency and intensity of their snoring. For those who struggle with the discomfort of using a CPAP machine, these exercises may help improve the condition. The benefits also included a more toned, thinner neck measurement after the patients completed the program.
If, like many adults, your snoring has developed as you aged and is not the result of some other underlying medical condition, you may be able to cure your snoring with stop snoring exercises you can do at home and escape having to wear any special devices, mouthpieces, or chin straps in order to stop snoring.
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