Snoring is one of the most common sleep problems people deal with on a nightly basis. In fact, around 57 percent of men and 40 percent of women experience habitual snoring.
While you may not be aware when you’re snoring, it can be a huge problem for those you share sleeping quarters with. It can be so bad that your partner, family, or roommates experience insomnia due to your snoring.
So, what can you do about it? Well, there are some exercises you can do that can help mildly improve your snoring problems. Here are just some of them.
Tongue Exercises
Exercising your tongue can actually help improve your snoring. One exercise you can try is the tongue slide. Start by pressing the tip of your tongue to the back of the upper front teeth. Then slowly bring the tip back along your mouth’s roof. Do this exercise 5-10 more times.
You can also stretch your tongue by sticking it out as far as it can go. While looking up at the ceiling, try to touch your chin with the tip of your tongue. Try to hold this position for 10-15 seconds and then do it again five more times.
Another set of exercises you can do are tongue push-ups and push-downs. For the push-ups, all you need to do is to hold your entire tongue to the roof of your mouth for at least 10 seconds. And for the push-downs, you would have to press the tip of your tongue against the lower front teeth and push the back of your tongue down against the floor of the mouth. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
Face Exercises
For face exercises, there are two things you can do: the lip purse and the cheek hook. The lip purse is simple. You just need to close your mouth tightly while pursing your lips. Then, you’ll need to open your mouth and relax your lips and jaws. Repeat this 10 times.
For the cheek hook, use one of your index fingers and hook it into your mouth. Make sure it presses against the inside of your cheek before gently pulling your cheek outward. Using your face muscles, pull your cheek back into place and repeat this ten times for each side of the mouth.
Nasal Breathing
Some breathing exercises can also help with snoring. Start by closing your mouth and relaxing your jaw. Take a deep breath through your nose. Using your knuckle or fingers, close off one of the nostrils. Gently exhale through the remaining nostril. Perform this breathing exercise 10 times, making sure to alternate between nostrils. If one nostril is more congested than the other, work on breathing through that nostril more.
Final Thoughts
Snoring can be a big problem, especially if you or your loved ones are losing sleep over it. While these exercises can help reduce mild snoring, or can make your disruptive snoring a bit quieter, it is very unlikely to eliminate your snoring. It is important to remember that snoring can be a symptom of something more severe, like sleep apnea, so it is a good idea to speak to your doctor about it even if it just seems to be an annoyance. There are many options that are proven to reduce or eliminate snoring beyond these exercises, from daytime therapy like the eXciteOSA to a discrete nighttime oral appliance.
Get help with snoring from Sleep Better Live Better. We provide non-surgical sleep solutions all in one place. Undergo an easy Home Sleep Study provided by us from a physician’s prescription to see if your snoring is also indicative of sleep apnea. Book your consultation today!
