Do you play a musical instrument? According to researchers in India, playing a wind instrument may reduce your risk of developing sleep apnea.
Presented at the Sleep and Breathing Conference 2015, the research team conducted lung functioning tests on 64 people who played a wind instrument, comparing them to a control group of 65 people who did not play any type of wind instrument. The volunteers also had their risk of sleep apnea evaluated by their answers to a specific questionnaire.
The interesting study revealed that there wasn’t any visible difference between the two groups on their lung functioning test, but the volunteers who play wind instruments still found themselves at a lower risk of developing the sleep disorder.
It’s theorized the findings could be due to the increased muscle tone found in the upper airways that wind players typically have.
In the future, the team says their research could lead to a cheap, non-invasive method of preventing sleep apnea among the millions of people around the world at risk, including those who are obese, have a larger neck size, snore and have high blood pressure.
Sleep apnea is chronic sleep disorder that is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. It has been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia, as well a shorter life span. Please speak with a licensed physician or sleep specialist if suspect you have sleep apnea, it’s never too late to change your life!
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