Imagine you are lying in the bed and thinking of something, then your find your most comfortable spot and feel your mind glide away in dreamland.
Next, your partner begins snoring.
There is almost nothing worse. You would like a much better sleeping environment, right?
You have probably tried everything so that you or your partner stops snoring. The pillows from the commercials do not work and you cannot put a clothes pin on their nose, of course.
A New Hope for Snorers and Bed Sharers
The American College of Chest Physicians journal has published a study named CHEST. In this study, the Brazilian team of researchers provides some natural ways for people to stop snoring.
Warning: unluckily, this is not applicable for those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, but only to a moderate sleep apnea tested positive to the methods.
In case you do not have OSP, you can work out your throat muscles to stop snoring.
Vibrations of the muscles and soft tissue the upper airways are made of cause the snoring. That is why it is logical that you can work out these muscles, claims Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho, MD, and the author of the study.
According to Nina Shapiro, professor of head and neck surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the soft tissues and the muscles are naturally floppy when you snore. Thus, tightening these muscles can reduce the level of floppiness and, consequently, snoring.
How The Study is Saving Sleep Time
During the research, the total number of snores and the intensity of the sound were recorded in 22 men and 17 women, as much as dull it may sound to some of you.
The snorers were then divided into two groups: the first group had to use nasal strips, do deep breathing exercises and cleanse out the nasal passage three times per day; the second group had to do the cleansing of the nasal passage three times per day as well, and they also had to do 8 minutes of palate and tongue exercises three times per day.
Three months later, they all met back and looked through the results. The second group saw a 36 percent drop in the times they snored and a 59 percent drop in the sound intensity.
The Savior of Snorers Exercises
1. Push the top of your tongue to the mouth roof and slide backwards 20 times
2. Suck the tongue to the mouth roof 20 times
3. Place the tip of the tongue on the front teeth and push down the back of the tongue 20 times
4. Elevate the soft palate and the uvula 20 times
5. Press the cheek muscle using the index finger away from the teeth 20 times, ten times each side
6. When you eat, lift the tongue to the mouth roof as you swallow, trying not to tighten your cheek muscles
Just like with any exercises, if you don’t keep up with them, you don’t get the benefits, Lorenzi-Filho says. “If you go to the gym for 6 months and stop, you will not be fit forever. This also applies to the muscles of the upper airways.” So, snorers, you’re in this for the long haul.
