Can Tongue Exercises, Humming & Nasal Breathing Improve Sleep? Yes, Say Experts
Some of the statistics and data that we have about sleep are quite alarming: between 50 and 70 million American adults have a sleep disorder. A whopping 48% say that they snore, and about 38% say that they tend to fall asleep unintentionally during the day. More than a third of Americans get less than seven hours of sleep a night. My podcast guests James Nestor, Patrick McKeown, Jonathan and Andi Goldman, Roudy Nassif, and Erlene Chiang addressed the issue of sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep. In a specially curated episode, I bring you their combined insights into sleep and tips on how to improve quality and duration of sleep.
We have sleep issues.
10% to 30% of people have signs of chronic insomnia, and up to 30% have symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. So clearly we as a nation have sleep issues. As James Nestor explains, one of the causes of sleep apnea and snoring is the throat getting flabby and the tongue rolling back into the mouth obstructing the airways. Researchers have found that oropharyngeal exercises or tongue exercises can help prevent this. Significant improvements were noted after just a few weeks of doing these exercises in one study published in the Chest journal.
It isn’t just that we as adults are prone to low mood, low productivity, and lethargy because of poor sleep. Kids also suffer as a result of not sleeping enough and well enough. According to Patrick McKeown, sleep disorder breathing in kids can increase the risk of needing special education by up to 40% because it prevents the child’s brain from developing optimally. Again, this is backed up by research, and a Stanford-based doctor coined the phrase obstructive sleep apnea. Nasal breathing at night can go a long way to resolve these sleep issues among kids and adults, as he explains in the podcast.
Sleep as Mother Nature intended.
More than one of my podcast guests has spoken about the importance of circadian rhythms of the body. Roudy Nassif speaks about autophagy and apoptosis and explains how our cells are meant to cleanse and rejuvenate each time we sleep. The problem is, however, that we are surrounded by artificial light, and our eyes and brains continue to receive light even when they are meant to perceive darkness. Nassif speaks about the importance of exposing ourselves to natural light during the day and cutting out on certain kinds of light exposure at night to get better sleep and control chronic disease.
Erlene Chiang had a similar view to share about following the rhythms of sunrise and sunset to prevent premature aging and to stay strong. She speaks of humans functioning with less or poor quality sleep as functioning on inadequately charged batteries. Not following Mother Nature in the way that we rest and relax means that we are spending more time each day just playing catch up – both mentally and physically, she says.
Jonathan and Andi Goldman also share their insight into getting a good night’s sleep with the help of humming. They share their own experiences of how and why humming can help us get back to sleep when we have woken up in the middle of the night. Catch this special episode of The Adiel Gorel Show where these experts share their insights and tips on sleep. This can truly turn your life around.
