Even though continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) breathing machine is highly recommended for treat sleep apnea, it’s quite pricey and may not be affordable to the general population experiencing such problem. An interesting article from NY Times suggests a free and fairly simple alternative which is exercises that strengthen the throat.

Some research suggests they may reduce the severity of sleep apnea by building up muscles around the airway, making them less likely to collapse at night.

In a study published last year in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, scientists recruited a group of people with obstructive sleep apnea and split them into two groups. One was trained to do breathing exercises daily, while the other did 30 minutes of throat exercises, including swallowing and chewing motions, placing the tip of the tongue against the front of the palate and sliding it back, and pronouncing certain vowels quickly and continuously.

After three months, subjects who did the throat exercises snored less, slept better and reduced the severity of their condition by 39 percent. They also showed reductions in neck circumference, a known risk factor for apnea. The control group showed almost no improvement.

Other randomized studies have found similar effects. One even showed that playing instruments that strengthen the airways, like the didgeridoo, can ease sleep apnea.

THE BOTTOM LINE: For people with sleep apnea, throat exercises may be a cheap and useful therapy.

This is really a fantastic news for anyone affected by loud snoring. A small clinical trial in the U.S. shows that an anti snoring pill can cut snoring rates by as much as 70%. No need to buy anti snoring devices or undergo surgical procedure. Bigger studies are planned to see if the drug could be the magic bullet in the treatment of sleep apnoea.

According to Daily Mail UK

A pill is regarded by some experts as the holy grail of snoring therapy.

The new drug, called Qnexa, was developed as a weightloss medicine. It contains a mixture of a stimulant drug called phentermine and an anti-epilepsy drug called topiramate.
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Researchers at University of Chicago believe that a simple urine test can easily detect if a child has a safe or dangerous snoring problem. Here’s the overview of the article:

They looked at 90 children referred to a clinic to be evaluated for breathing problems in sleep, and 30 controls.

A number of proteins were increased in the urine of the children diagnosed with dangerous snoring.

The research is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The team say their findings need to be repeated but may lead to a simple test.

Unfortunately, this groundbreaking research is too far from being something useful to doctors and patients. Further studies and human trials are needed to prove its effectiveness.

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