Mouth Exercises
Mouth exercises may help to lessen the severity of sleep apnea by toning the muscles in the throat and soft palate. These muscles play a role in the collapse of the airway during sleep, which causes the characteristic snoring and disturbed breathing of sleep apnea. By strengthening these muscles, sleep apnea sufferers may improve their sleep quality.
Tongue trills strengthen the muscles in the back of the throat. To do a tongue trill, stick the tongue out and curl it up, forming a small tube. Then, inhale deeply through the nose, and exhale while making a trilling noise with the tongue.
Lip bends are exercises to tone the muscles around the lips. To do a lip bend, put the index fingers on either side of the mouth just above the chin. Next, pucker the lips and move them from side to side while keeping the fingers in place.
Finally, chewing exercises strengthen the jaw muscles. To do the chewing exercise, take a piece of gum and chew it vigorously for three minutes. Then, close the mouth and hold it shut for another minute before repeating the process. It is best to perform chewing exercises five times daily.
