Is there any exercise that can help you get rid of your sleep apnea? You are not too keen on drug therapy and have no intentions of going under the scalpel of the surgeon. Nor are the non-prescription anti-snoring devices appear attractive. What is the solution? Try apnea exercise to control if not cure your sleep apnea problem. Lack of good sleep can be at the root of a host of ailments affecting the mind and the body. Sleep apnea is one such sleeping disorder which not only makes life miserable for the sufferer but also for the other family members who simply cannot live with the loud snoring any more.
You can expect to get the best out of your apnea exercise efforts if you understand what causes sleep apnea in the first place. This disorder has everything to do with muscles in your mouth and throat which become limp during sleep. These obstruct the air passages leading to and from the nose and mouth and this obstruction in the normal flow of air cause apnea. If you want to control sleep apnea naturally, there are a few apnea exercise options that can be done without the help of any doctor or caregiver. These take only a few minutes of your time every day and can be fairly simple:
The primary aim of any apnea exercise is to strengthen the muscles of your mouth and throat. Once they are strong, they do not sap or come in the way of your normal breathing while sleeping. The first apnea exercise is to try to stop breathing through your mouth. In stead use your nose to inhale. This automatically keeps your jaws in a firm position as your mouth is kept shut when you sleep. How to strengthen the jaw muscles, so that the jaws do not drop at night? Do some simple chewing exercises.
The second exercise is to add more strength to your tongue. When the tongue is firm, it does not droop into the throat area blocking the air ways. To strengthen your tongue muscles, exercises like doing tongue curls or repeatedly pressing the tongue against the roof of your mouth are helpful.
Another effective apnea exercise is exercising the soft palate.
If you are relying on apnea exercise for relief from sleep apnea, you have to remember that none of these exercises can offer results overnight. You have to work on them diligently and have patience. Regularity of practice is a key to getting best results from your exercising efforts. Weak muscles of your nose, throat and mouth regions perform sub-optimally during sleep and this causes blockage of normal air flow, which in turn cause disruption of sleep. A series of apnea exercises can effectively strengthen the weak muscles and bring long term relief.
Sleep ApneaMarc MacDonald, M.Sc., is an independent sleep apnea and weight loss researcher. To get your free, 7-day e-course on sleep apnea weight loss please click here.