Mouth and throat exercises for snoring: what the studies used

What’s going on

Snoring is the sound of soft tissue in your throat vibrating as air moves past it. When you sleep, the muscles of the tongue, soft palate and throat walls relax. If they relax enough, the airway narrows and starts to flutter.

Mouth and throat exercises, also called oropharyngeal or myofunctional exercises, aim to make those muscles firmer and better coordinated. The idea is the same as any muscle training: regular practice, over weeks, changes how the muscles behave at rest.

They cost nothing and need no equipment. The trade-off is time and patience.

What the studies found

Mouth and throat exercises Some have been tested in several small trials. Two of the best-known come from one sleep lab in São Paulo, Brazil.

• Snoring alone (2015). In a trial of 39 adults who snored, three months of daily exercises cut measured snoring roughly in half. The comparison group, who used nasal strips and breathing exercises, didn’t change.
• Moderate sleep apnea (2009). In 31 adults with moderate sleep apnea, three months of daily exercises lowered snoring frequency and loudness. Breathing pauses per hour also fell, from about 22 to about 14.
• All the studies together (2015). A review pooled 9 small adult studies, 120 people in all. Breathing pauses dropped by about half, and snoring improved in every study that measured it.

The review’s authors call the exercises a possible add-on to other sleep apnea treatment. Protocols differed from study to study, so no one knows which single exercise matters most.

The exercises, in plain steps

A 2015 review describes the 2009 trial’s routine in four groups, summarized below. Counts and timing varied between studies, so start with a few repetitions of each and build up.

1. Soft palate

1. Say a vowel sound, such as “ah,” and hold it steadily for several seconds.
2. Then say the same vowel in short, repeated bursts: “ah, ah, ah.”
3. Switch between the held and repeated versions.

You should feel the back of the roof of your mouth lift as you do it.

2. Tongue

1. Sweep the tip of your tongue along the outer and top surfaces of your teeth.
2. Press the tip of your tongue against the front of the roof of your mouth, just behind your top teeth.
3. Press your whole tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, front to back.
4. Push your tongue down firmly against the floor of your mouth.

3. Face and jaw

1. Tighten your lips together, then relax them.
2. Suck in your cheeks, as if drinking through a straw.
3. Put a clean finger inside one cheek and push outward while your cheek pushes back. Switch sides.
4. Slide your lower jaw from side to side.

4. Swallowing, chewing and breathing

1. Swallow with your back teeth together and your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth. Keep your lips relaxed.
2. When you eat, chew on both sides, alternating.
3. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Later, try the same breath while blowing up a balloon.

Stop any exercise that causes jaw pain or clicking. People with jaw joint problems should ask a dentist or physician first.

How long before results

Plan on about three months. Every trial above ran for roughly 12 weeks before measuring snoring again.

• Daily practice. The 2009 routine took about 30 minutes a day. One study in the review used as little as 5 minutes twice a day, four days a week, for two months.
• Coaching may help. The 2009 exercises came from speech therapy, and a trained therapist can check your technique.
• Long-term results are unknown. Few studies followed people past six months, so no one knows how long the benefit lasts.

A 2019 trial tried a phone game that had people make target vowel sounds for 15 minutes a day. At 8 weeks, snoring had dropped by about a fifth, and bed partners reported quieter nights. Only 16 people finished, and some of the authors held a stake in the app.

How to tell if it’s working

1. Record a baseline. Use a phone app or ask your partner to note loudness and frequency for a few nights.
2. Practice daily for 12 weeks. Keep alcohol, sleep position and bedtime about the same.
3. Record again. Compare the same phone, in the same spot, on similar nights.

What about the didgeridoo?

The didgeridoo study is real. A 2006 Swiss trial enrolled 25 adults with moderate sleep apnea who snored. About half took lessons and practiced at home. They played about 25 minutes a day, almost six days a week, for four months.

Compared with a waiting-list group, players had less daytime sleepiness and fewer breathing pauses. Their partners reported less sleep disruption. It was a small study, and the instrument takes real practice to learn.

It’s a fun option if you want one. It isn’t a substitute for a sleep test when you have warning signs.

What else helps

Exercises work well alongside other low-cost steps. The AASM says everyone who snores should be encouraged to try conservative changes.

• Side sleeping Some helps many people whose snoring is worse on their back.
• Less alcohol Some near bedtime keeps throat muscles from relaxing as much.
• Weight loss Strong is on the AASM’s list for people with overweight.

If your snoring starts with a stuffy nose, see nasal strips vs. nasal dilators.

What a dentist or doctor can do

A physician can check whether your snoring is simple snoring or sleep apnea. Loud snoring with pauses, gasping or heavy daytime sleepiness needs that check before you rely on exercises. Take our “Should I get tested?” checklist.

A speech-language pathologist or myofunctional therapist can coach the exercises, as in the trials. If exercises aren’t enough, a jaw-advancing mouthpiece Strong has strong evidence for snoring once apnea is ruled out.

A dentist trained in dental sleep medicine can talk with you about a custom appliance. See do snoring mouthpieces work?