Have a Quieter Night with Snoring Exercises

Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health, but did you know that there are also snoring exercises that can actually improve your sleep? While exercising may not cure snoring, it may be the answer you need to decrease your snoring and get a better night’s rest.

So, how does it work?

Snoring is caused by the vibration of the loose tissues around your nasal passages, mouth, and throat. These tissues tend to get in the way of a clear flow of air, then “flap in the breeze” as you are forced to breathe harder to get air into your lungs. Many of the surgical treatments for snoring are designed to tighten the tissue in your airway, decreasing the flapping, and thus the vibrations that make the snoring sound.

Snoring exercises target the muscles in and around your mouth, making them less flabby, and more able to maintain their firmness as you sleep. Each exercise works a different set of oral muscles, providing a positive change in your snoring habits with a regular exercise routine.

What types of exercises help?

There are a variety of exercises designed specifically to help reduce snoring. Try some of the following exercises to see if they help.

The Gum Chew

Start out by closing your mouth with your molars lightly touching one another. Then, without opening your lips, move your jaw in a chewing motion as though you were chewing gum. For added benefit you can try vocalizing with an “mmmm” sound while chewing.

The Yawn

Begin with your mouth closed and your molars lightly touching. Now open your mouth wide as though you are about to yawn. Be careful not to overstretch your jaw. You should feel the roof of your mouth rise, thus opening your airway. Hold the stretch, and then close your jaw to the starting position. Repeat.

The “Nya-nya”

Start out by sticking your tongue out as far as you can from your mouth (like a kid saying “nya-nya”). Hold for 5 seconds and then retract it. Repeat several times. Try it again, but instead of holding you tongue out whip it in and out as quickly as you can.

The Tongue Around the World

This time, instead of stretching your tongue out, stretch it from side to side, touching the corners of your lips. Then stretch it up as far as you can, trying to touch your nose, and down, trying to touch your chin. Finally, do tongue circles, touching your lips all the way around your mouth, first one direction, then the other.

Will snoring exercises cure or stop my snoring?

Snoring exercises have shown good success in decreasing and even curing snoring. But each person is different. It also depends on the exact cause of your snoring. You should not abandon any medical devices prescribed by your doctor if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. If you feel that your condition has improved adequately, you might want to discuss a new sleep test before stopping other snoring treatment. Also, like any exercise, it takes regular work-outs to make a difference, and to maintain your condition.