Can exercise improve your sleep apnea?

One of the most common sleep apnea-related questions is whether exercise and losing weight can help cure sleep apnea. If you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) the weight of your neck can actually contribute to blocking your airway while you sleep.¹

A 2010 Chest study notes that, “Weight loss has been accompanied by improvement in characteristics related not only to obesity but to OSA as well, suggesting that weight loss might be a cornerstone of the treatment of both conditions.”²

Another study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a 10-percent decrease in weight predicted a 26-percent decrease in a patient’s apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).³ So by reducing your overall weight, your neck circumference may also reduce, which may reduce your sleep apnea symptoms.

One of the best ways to lose a few extra pounds is through exercise, and here are some easy ways to incorporate more exercise in your life.

Get in your cardio*

We see you over there, still putting off that exercise plan. But you know it’s important and now you know it’ll help you sleep better, too. Following these tips will help make getting regular exercise and losing weight integrated into your lifestyle a little easier:

• Set a realistic weight goal – Don’t create such an enormous goal for yourself that you give up before you try. Start with something small, like losing one pound per week.
• Ask for support – Ask your friends and family for support in your journey. Studies have found that having a supportive partner at home will make it easier to lose weight.⁴
• Start with easy exercise routines – You don’t need to sign up for a marathon or sign up for an intense boot camp class right away. It’s more important to simply get moving. Start with things that you know you can do, like taking a brisk walk a few times a day. Once that becomes routine you can build on it and start including stretching and resistance training.
• Make exercise fun – Half the battle of making exercise part of your routine is mental. If you’re only doing things you don’t like, it’s too easy to go off track. You don’t have to spend your time on a treadmill to get in a workout. Find something you enjoy to do, maybe it’s playing a sport, riding a bike or even taking your dog to the park. Try new things until you find the right fit.
• Turn exercise into a lifestyle – Small changes in your life make bigger activities less intimidating. This means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going for a walk during lunch or incorporating some kind of movement when you first get home instead of heading straight for the couch.

Try exercising your mouth and face

Exercises for your mouth and facial muscles involve increasing the airflow through your windpipe may improve your sleep. It’s called myofunctional therapy, which involves movements that target the facial muscles and tongue to strengthen the oropharynx (the part of the body that includes the mouth and throat).

According to a recent study of myofunctional therapy’s impact on OSA, adult patients saw a 50-percent decrease in their AHI, and younger patients saw a 62-percent decrease.⁵ These are some easy (and fun!) myofunctional exercises for sleep apnea improvement.

• Pick up a musical instrument – It’s never too late to take up music. Brass and woodwind instruments, such as trumpets and clarinets, can help open up your windpipe and train throat muscles to stay limber.
• Singing – Pick your favorite karaoke song, and belt it out. Regular singing can open and strengthen your throat muscles and may possibly reduce snoring.⁶ Singing can also lead to many health benefits, including boosting your immune system and lowering your stress levels.⁷
• Tongue exercises – It may look silly but going through a series of tongue exercises can help train your tongue to stay in place and not fall back to block your airway as you sleep. These movements can include: placing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth for five seconds and repeating this 10 times; sticking your tongue out and trying to touch your nose for 10 seconds and repeating this 10 times; and pushing your tongue out all the way to the right for 10 seconds and repeating 10 times, and then do the same thing on the left side.⁸

Don’t forget to maintain a healthy diet

Exercise is only half of the equation. Maintaining a healthy diet goes hand-in-hand with helping maintain your weight and giving you more energy to exercise. Here are a few foods to incorporate into your diet to stave off hunger and keep you energized for exercise:

• Nuts – Nuts are high in protein and healthy fats, which will keep you full longer.
• Yogurt – High-protein yogurt is a perfect option for breakfast and snacking, and has been shown to improve appetite control.⁹
• Bananas – Bananas are full of potassium, which can limit water retention and bloating.

You deserve a good night’s rest. By introducing new exercise habits into your routine, you’ll not only feel better, you’ll breathe easier.

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.

References

1. Source: Morgenthaler TI et al. Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Is it a unique clinical syndrome? Sleep 2006;29(9):1203–9.
2. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20202954/
3. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11122588/
4. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180503222216.htm
5. Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4402674/
6. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11068344/
7. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15669447/
8. Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-myofunctional-therapy-3015256
9. Source: https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-13-97