Notes on Sleep Apnea and Exercises to Improve Airway Function

Introduction

Daily Postural Exercises: Strengthening muscles around the throat and tongue.
- Pullbacks Exercise:
  - Position: Sitting up straight.
  - Action: Gently press against hands, holding for 10 seconds to strengthen neck muscles.
  - Goal: Strengthen weak neck muscles that may lead to misalignment during sleep.
- Back Stretch:
  - Use hand over head to stretch the trapezius muscle and the back of the neck.
  - Perform one stretch on each side.

Forehead Rotation Stretch:
- Rotate head backward to stretch the sem muscles in the front of the neck.
- Perform rotations on both sides.

Jaw Stretch:
- Use the tongue to push jaw down while opening mouth wide (10 seconds while breathing deeply).
- Notice engagement of neck and throat muscles during this stretch.
Tongue to Floor Exercise:
- Push the tongue down to the floor of the mouth, aiming to control tongue muscle position.
- Involves engagement of neck and jaw muscles.

Three-Step Tongue Exercise:
1. Tongue Out: Extend tongue to chin.
2. Tongue Up: Raise tongue toward the nose.
3. Head Back: Point tongue upward, feeling a stretch in the front neck.
- Benefits: Strengthens tongue muscles that keep the airway open at night.

Perform these exercises regularly over 30, 60, or 90 days to see improvements.
Sleep Tracking:
- Consider tracking sleep patterns to monitor progress (snoring, deep sleep quality).
- Scale: 1 to 10 for subjective sleep quality assessment.

Dentist Consultation:
- Consider a dentist specializing in sleep apnea for oral devices to aid in tongue and jaw placement.
Weight Considerations:
- Excess weight can contribute to airway obstruction; rotational fasting may help.