Could the answer to a sound night sleep be a simple tongue exercise? A/​Prof Danny Eckert and the Sleeping & Breathing team at NeuRA, will be conducting research to find out whether strengthening your tongue improves snoring habits. 

The study builds upon Brazilian and Swiss studies that have shown playing the didgeridoo, and other tongue exercises, can reduce snoring in some individuals. A/​Prof Eckert will be bringing the research to Australian shores with hopes of helping patients with sleep apnoea as well as everyday snorers.

There are a range of exercises that have been created in collaboration with speech pathologists; Try lifting the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth, then slowly moving it backwards to the back of your mouth. Or, lifting the whole tongue to the top of your mouth and sucking it up, flattening it against the roof of your mouth.

These exercises can be done at anytime of the day and are most effective if performed several times a day over a 3 month period.

This next phase of research aims to discover how and why this workout helps breathing during sleep, and A/​Prof Eckert is hopeful that this will be a simple solution to snoring conditions.

Hear A/​Prof Danny Eckert discuss the Study with Richard Glover below