Snoring? Get The Didgeridoo

Judy E. mailed me the other day to ask about using the Didgeridoo for snoring. Wanted to know my experience recommending this to my patients.
Judy, the didgeridoo has been quite successful for snoring and sleep apnea. A recent article in the British Medical Journal reported success for sleep apnea for person playing the didgeridoo.

My specialty group is Tower ENT and we have pioneered some of the methods used for snoring surgery. We have recommended the didgeridoo to our patients.

Our success at using the didgeridoo for snoring is largely because first we clear the nose/sinuses/postnasal drip by pulsatile wave action of the Hydropulse® Pulsatile Irrigator. That is because persons snore with a cold or a clogged nose. With the Hydro Pulse® the gentle wave action moves out the products of inflammation ¬¬– the same way that a muscle massage for a sore shoulder moves those unwanted products out.

In snoring or sleep apnea the problem is that the tonsils may be enlarged or swollen; the muscles of the soft palate may be soft and tend to let the soft palate fall back in sleep. When patients use the throat pulsation from the Hydro Pulse, that massage reduces the size of the tonsils, and makes the muscles firmer so that tissues
don’t fall backwards and block the airway in sleep. This is similar to massage for a flabby arm where you massage the fat away and strengthen the muscle.

By correcting the nose and throat first with the Hydro Pulse®, then if the patient still has snoring, the didgeridoo has a much higher rate of curing the sleep apnea problem.

Doctors today consider sleep apnea a major health problem and it is not one that should be put off. When the sleep apnea problem is severe, it means that there are periods of time where the brain doesn’t get any air! You don’t want to lose brain cells for lack of oxygen. People can die in their sleep and sleep apnea may be the cause.

In sleep apnea the person may fall asleep during the day from lack of sleep at night. Many motor accidents are caused by this. When the sleep study shows severe oxygen deprivation we go right to recommending CPAP. Here the person wears a mask and air is delivered into the nose at a pressure sufficient to overcome blockage from the throat muscles or the tongue. Unfortunately many persons can’t tolerate CPAP and discontinue it. With CPAP it is best to clear the nose of any difficulty.

If snoring is a problem, I would definitely recommend trying the Didgeridoo. This is a six foot long Australian horn. To play it you blow rather hard; this blowing action works to make the throat muscles strong. These are available on the internet and there are lots of places that give lessons. But first, try the Hydro Pulse® to clear the nose and strengthen the throat muscles, as this may completely clear the snoring problem without further aids.

There are other snoring therapies including surgical methods for opening the throat airway, and dental methods of advancing the tongue forward so that it doesn’t block the airway. But before going that route, personally I would do the didgeridoo first.

What is most important is that you don’t ignore a sleep apnea problem.