How a Speech Therapist can Help Stop Snoring
Speech therapists can play a role in addressing snoring issues, using myofunctional exercises and proper breathing and swallowing techniques.
Here are ways in which a speech therapist can stop your snoring:
Myofunctional Exercises: Speech therapists who are trained in oral motor exercises and how they are used to eliminate snoring are not always available. This treatment requires special training and experience to be successful at stopping snoring. One must know exactly what is causing the snoring. Normally it occurs because the individual is mouth breathing and their tongue has not been trained to live on the roof of their mouth. Find the cause and only then can you find the cure.
Oral motor exercises will strengthen and tone the tongue. It will also stimulate the tongue in a way that makes the tongue skinnier so it can fit on the roof of the mouth. When you snore, your tongue gradually sneaks down to your airway and partially occludes it. If and when the tongue totally occludes your airway, you officially have sleep apnea which causes you to stop breathing. That can be dangerous for your heart and you must seek help from a sleep doctor.
If one can get their snoring treated, it will NOT be able to lead to sleep apnea. Snoring does not mean that you are getting good sleep. It means that you are not able to get into REM sleep or gain access to nitric oxide produced in your sinus area, which are both crucial to a good night’s sleep.
Education and Lifestyle Changes: Speech therapists can educate individuals about lifestyle factors that contribute to snoring, such as alcohol consumption and sleep position.
Collaboration with Sleep Specialists: In cases where snoring is associated with sleep apnea, speech therapists should refer the individual to a sleep specialist.
Customized Treatment Plans: Speech therapists create personalized treatment plans based on an individual's specific snoring patterns and underlying causes. These plans may include a combination of exercises and strategies tailored to the person's needs.
Symptoms that may be present in adults and children
- Wakes up irritable
- Wakes up tired
- Wakes up with dry mouth/sore throat/headache
- Has ADHD
- Has behavioral problems
- Has daytime sleepiness
- Has asthma
- Has poor academic performance
- Grinds teeth
- Frequent trips to the bathroom during the night
- Has enlarged tonsils/adenoids
- Has nightmares
- Bedwetting
- Sucks thumb/fingers
- Has open mouth posture
- Jumpy legs
- Stomach aches/Bloating
- Heartburn
- Has anxiety
- Chews food with mouth open
- Has a large tongue
- Breathes through mouth
NOTE: The first choice of treatment for children who snore or mouth breathe is the removal of tonsils/adenoids if the doctor agrees.
Contact Asheville Speech to cure snoring in Asheville and beyond
Reach out to Janet Bennett, M.Ed., Speech Pathologist at (828) 285-8814 or using the contact form below. Janet works with both adults and children. She has over 40 years of experience. Therapy is available for symptoms that may not always be identified as problematic. However, they can result in medical issues. The cause must be treated to find a cure.