It all starts with obesity. Of the many perils that obesity brings, snoring is perhaps most common. When neglected, the same snoring worsens into sleep apnea, marked by collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract. The doctor invariably recommends immediate weight loss as without losing weight, no treatment of this disabling disorder can be effective. So far so good but what is this about sleep apnea exercises? What kind of special exercises are these and what role do they play in the treatment?
Before we understand their role in the management of the disorder, let us get a grasp as to why the illness happens:
What are the sleep apnea causes?
- Obesity. Putting on extra weight need not always be restricted to the waist, abdomen, etc. You can also put on weight in the breathing muscles of the throat, tongue, neck, soft palate and jaw. These muscles then become weak and flaccid, prone to collapsing and blocking the air passage during sleep. The extra fat also narrows the air way limiting air flow to and from the lungs.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Nasal blockage caused by simple cold or allergies; or by anatomical defects like deviated septum, crooked bone at the bridge of the nose, etc.
- Blockage of the nasal airway caused by polyps, enlarged turbinates, allergic rhinitis, tumors, etc.
- Narrowing of throat muscles caused by old age.
Managing invisible obesity
The only way is by doing these specially-designed exercises designed to tone and strengthen the relevant breathing muscles. Such exercises alone cannot provide relief to the sleep apnea symptoms but they are part of the overall weight loss program.
Which sleep apnea exercise is best suited for you?
There are separate exercises available designed for each of the breathing muscles. To choose which one is best suited for you, best judge is the doctor treating the condition. He or she would know which muscles need toning based on the site and nature of obstruction, etc.
If the throat muscles are weak, you might need to do throat exercises; similarly to prevent the tongue from falling backwards and blocking the air passage during sleep, you need to do tongue exercises for sleep apnea.
With regard to the efficacy of such initiatives, you need to remember that they are not designed to provide miraculous results. One has to continue doing them according to instructions regularly for about 12 weeks before any visible improvement is perceived. The good news is that they can be done at home, along with other weight loss programs like walking, jogging, etc and take minimum amount of time every day.
What are the exercises for the tongue muscles?
Clinical studies have proved beyond doubt that exercising the tongue regularly for about 30 minutes every day significantly reduces neck circumference, decreases snoring, improves sleep and reduces sleep disorder by almost 39%. These exercises also help in strengthening jaw muscles. Improvements are visible about 3 to 9 weeks.
Some simple yet effective workouts for the tongue:
- Putting the tip of the tongue on the soft palate and sliding it backwards repeatedly.
- Anchoring tongue lightly between the teeth. Swallowing action to be done five times. This exercise is to be done 5 times daily.
- Hold a pen or a pencil between the teeth for ten minutes or till jaw is tender, just before bedtime. This exercise will strengthen the muscles of the jaw as well.
- To tighten the muscles of the mouth and keep it closed, one of the best sleep apnea exercises is to chew gum before bedtime until the jaw is tender.
Before we understand their role in the management of the disorder, let us get a grasp as to why the illness happens:
What are the sleep apnea causes?
- Obesity. Putting on extra weight need not always be restricted to the waist, abdomen, etc. You can also put on weight in the breathing muscles of the throat, tongue, neck, soft palate and jaw. These muscles then become weak and flaccid, prone to collapsing and blocking the air passage during sleep. The extra fat also narrows the air way limiting air flow to and from the lungs.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Nasal blockage caused by simple cold or allergies; or by anatomical defects like deviated septum, crooked bone at the bridge of the nose, etc.
- Blockage of the nasal airway caused by polyps, enlarged turbinates, allergic rhinitis, tumors, etc.
- Narrowing of throat muscles caused by old age.
Managing invisible obesity
The only way is by doing these specially-designed exercises designed to tone and strengthen the relevant breathing muscles. Such exercises alone cannot provide relief to the sleep apnea symptoms but they are part of the overall weight loss program.
Which sleep apnea exercise is best suited for you?
There are separate exercises available designed for each of the breathing muscles. To choose which one is best suited for you, best judge is the doctor treating the condition. He or she would know which muscles need toning based on the site and nature of obstruction, etc.
If the throat muscles are weak, you might need to do throat exercises; similarly to prevent the tongue from falling backwards and blocking the air passage during sleep, you need to do tongue exercises for sleep apnea.
With regard to the efficacy of such initiatives, you need to remember that they are not designed to provide miraculous results. One has to continue doing them according to instructions regularly for about 12 weeks before any visible improvement is perceived. The good news is that they can be done at home, along with other weight loss programs like walking, jogging, etc and take minimum amount of time every day.
What are the exercises for the tongue muscles?
Clinical studies have proved beyond doubt that exercising the tongue regularly for about 30 minutes every day significantly reduces neck circumference, decreases snoring, improves sleep and reduces sleep disorder by almost 39%. These exercises also help in strengthening jaw muscles. Improvements are visible about 3 to 9 weeks.
Some simple yet effective workouts for the tongue:
- Putting the tip of the tongue on the soft palate and sliding it backwards repeatedly.
- Anchoring tongue lightly between the teeth. Swallowing action to be done five times. This exercise is to be done 5 times daily.
- Hold a pen or a pencil between the teeth for ten minutes or till jaw is tender, just before bedtime. This exercise will strengthen the muscles of the jaw as well.
- To tighten the muscles of the mouth and keep it closed, one of the best sleep apnea exercises is to chew gum before bedtime until the jaw is tender.
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