Didgeridoo Experiment

This paper from Dec 2005 suggest some people will be able to stop their snoring by taking up regular didgeridoo playing.  The paper primarily looks at the effects of Didgeridoo playing on OSA, but also looks at "partner sleep disturbance" which is an indication of snoring.

The study looked at 25 patients who had moderate OSA, were not obese, not using CPAP, and not heavy drinkers.  It found that around 3hrs of didgeridoo practice per week, for 4 months, made significant improvements in the patients' OSA, daytime sleepiness, and partner sleep quality. 

Targetted Oropharyngeal Exercises

A study in May 2009 found that specific exercises for the tongue, soft palate, and lateral pharyngeal wall could reduce snoring and OSA significantly.  Interestingly, whilst the participants didn't lose weight overall, their neck circumferences did decrease.  They showed measurable improvements in snoring intensity, snoring frequency, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and apnea-hypopnea index.

 

Note to myself : I would like to get the following papers to help explore the idea that strengthening of the muscles of the upper airway may reduce OSA and or Snoring.  This would also give some support to the Buteyko method.

8 Mann EA, Burnett T, Cornell S, Ludlow CL. The effect of neuromuscular stimulation of
the genioglossus on the hypopharyngeal airway. Laryngoscope 2002;112:351-6.
9 Randerath WJ, Galetke W, Domanski U,Weitkunat R, Ruhle KH. Tongue-muscle training
by intraoral electrical neurostimulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep 2004;27:254-9.
10 Verse T, Schwalb J, Hormann K, Stuck BA, Maurer JT. [Submental transcutaneous electrical
stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea]. HNO 2003;51:966-70.