Author and human guinea pig A.J. Jacobs tries snoring solutions

Author A.J. Jacobs has a snoring problem. His wife kicked him out of the bedroom because he was “as loud as an outboard motor, the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, and a stadium full of Justin Bieber fans.”

In his new article “The End of Snoring,” published in the latest issue of parade magazine, Jacobs enlisted AASM member Dr. Steven Park to help him on his quest to gain re-entry to his bedroom.

If you've read anything by A.J. Jacobs, you'll know he tries to take on the role of human guinea pig. Like in his New York Times bestselling book “The Year of Living Biblically,” he made lifestyle changes for his story. On the advice of Dr. Park, he tries a slew of snoring solutions, from making lifestyle changes to visiting a sleep center.

Some of his attempts are comically unconventional. After reading a study about using an Australian aboriginal didgeridoo to treat sleep apnea, he orders one online.

It took Jacobs an entire day to learn how to use the four-foot long wind musical instrument. He never figured out if it worked, but he did note it kept the neighbors from snoring.

He tried tongue and throat exercises he found on the internet. The only effect there was a quip from his wife.

With mixed success using various at-home remedies, he booked a visit to a sleep center, where he learned he had a mild form of sleep apnea. Dr. Park said Jacobs woke up 185 times in his sleep study, the primary reason why patients with sleep apnea don’t get restful sleep.

Jacobs tried an oral appliance and CPAP therapy. Both worked, significantly cutting down his snoring. Jacobs reported trouble getting comfortable with both treatments, especially CPAP.

That’s a common issue reported by new CPAP users. On the CPAP Central section of our website you can find tips on how to make this effective therapy a better experience.

In the end, Jacobs settled for a mix of remedies, not entirely cutting out his snoring. The AASM recommends anyone with more advanced cases of sleep apnea continue their treatment. Sleep apnea can lead to deadly complications.

His wife eventually allowed him back in the bedroom, but surely she’s learning what its like to be one of the many “Real Wives of Sleep Apnea.”

Learn on sleepeducation.com what you can do to stop snoring

Can You Treat Sleep Apnea with Tongue and Throat Exercises?

Obstructive sleep apnea involves pauses in breathing during sleep. These breathing pauses occur when the tongue and soft tissue of the throat collapse and block the airway.

What if you exercised the tongue and the throat muscles each day? Would strengthening and toning these muscles prevent your airway from collapsing?

This idea gained support from a small study in 2006. Sleep apnea severity improved in people who learned to play the didgeridoo.

A new study from Brazil used an exercise regimen to put this theory to the test. The small study involved people with moderate sleep apnea; 16 participants performed daily exercises for three months.

The British Medical Journal Group reports that the exercises were developed from speech therapy. One technique was to repeatedly press the tongue up against the roof of the mouth. Participants also practiced sucking in the cheeks. Another technique was to repeatedly blow up a balloon after breathing in through the nose.

Results show that sleep apnea symptoms improved after performing the exercises each day for three months. Snoring intensity and frequency decreased. Daytime sleepiness and sleep quality improved. Neck circumference even decreased by about 1 cm.

Sleep apnea severity also improved; the average number of breathing pauses dropped from 22.4 pauses per hour to 13.7 pauses per hour.

"These data suggest that the exercises were able to promote remodeling of the upper airways," study author Dr. Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho said in a prepared statement. “This indicates to us that these exercises have significant potential to improve symptoms in sufferers of OSA.”

It is important to note that the treatment was not tested on people with severe sleep apnea. And 14 of 16 participants still had mild or moderate sleep apnea at the end of the study.

Lorenzi-Filho noted that it is unclear if all of the exercises were essential. One of the techniques may have been more effective than the others.

The most effective treatments for sleep apnea are CPAP and oral appliances. A sleep specialist at an AASM-accredited sleep center can determine which treatment option is best for you.