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Are throat exercises helpful for sleep apnea sufferers?

Written by: David Castillo on June 16th, 2010

Are throat exercises helpful for sleep apnea sufferers? | read this item

A new exercise regimen can help people who suffer from sleep apnea.

A new study proposes that throat exercises could help people who have sleep apnea.

“A good deal of the problem relates to how the muscles relax when we fall asleep,” explained Dr. Mike Nelson from the Shawnee Mission Medical Center. “A good deal of the problem relates to how the muscles relax when we fall asleep. All of the muscles in our body will get less toned as we fall asleep and the muscles of your throat, that help keep the throat pen, are similar to every other muscle in your body.”

The study focused on individuals with moderate sleep apnea. Dr. Nelson says that throat exercises will not remove the condition entirely, but it significantly reduces its severity.

He described some of the exercises: “Suck in your cheeks. Another one is to take your finger, stick it in your mouth and suck in very hard. Another one is to take and smile with half your face. Each of those (exercises) use another set of muscles.”

Typically, sleep apnea patients are treated with CPAP machines. While throat exercises are proven to work, it still hasn’t established itself as a viable replacement for CPAP treatments.

Source: KMBC