'Try these exercises for a better night's sleep': Doctor explains how to stop snoring
By Nadia Scurria|
Sleeping can often be the best part of the day for many people but there's nothing worse than waking up well and truly before you have to, due to the sonic boom of your partner's snoring.
Snoring is very common and affects roughly 60 per cent of Australians. It is caused by the rattling and vibration of tissues near the airway in the back of the throat.
To help curb the problem, a doctor has taken to TikTok to share some handy exercises that people can do to help them stop snoring.
While a person sleeps, the muscles become loose and narrow the airways and when a person inhales and exhales, the moving air causes this loose tissue to flutter and make noise.
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UK surgeon Dr Karan Raj said by doing these five simple exercises, the whole household is in for a better night's sleep.
You can watch the video above.
1. Stick out your tongue and hold it out for five seconds
It's best to repeat this three to four times and if you want a bit more resistance, "push your tongue against a spoon," he says.
2. Move your tongue left and right
Swing your tongue from side to side inside your mouth.
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3. Place your fingers on your cheeks and push with your tongue
Raj also suggests pushing against your fingers.
"You should be able to feel a gentle strain in the side opposite to the cheek you're pushing against," he says.
This should also be done around three to four times on each side.
4. Push against your front teeth and try to swallow
Raj recommends if you want more of a stretch, "look up while you do it."
This one is also best to achieve results after repeating three to four times.
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5. Drop your tongue downwards and hold for five seconds
Place your fingers on your cheeks and push with your tongue.
By dropping the tongue, "your uvula (the dangling thing at the back) goes up strengthening the back of the throat," Raj says.
"These exercises are basically resistant training for your tongue and throat muscles to tone them up so they don't flap around or collapse when you sleep so you wake up feeling fresher and stops your partner giving you a sleep divorce," Raj says.
Raj told his followers that these simple exercises will allow everyone a better night's sleep.
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According to The Sleep Foundation, snoring can be caused by many different things including:
- Obesity
- Alcohol consumption
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Large tonsils, tongue, or soft palate and more
Experts recommend that maintaining a healthy weight as well as limiting use of alcohol and sedatives and just simple lifestyle changes can help prevent and help stop snoring.
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