Exercises for Sleep Apnea Part 1
Posted on | October 31, 2009 | No Comments
For bodybuilders, gym rats and ‘health freaks’ the neck muscles often remain one of the most under-trained parts of the body. This is despite their prominence and the many benefits that come from having a powerful neck. Of those benefits, one of the greatest is improved sleep – and for sufferers of sleep apnea training the neck muscles is one of the fastest and surest ways to combat the problem.
The most common form of sleep apnea is known as ‘obstructive sleep apnea’. This means that the problem is caused by something physically blocking the airways (as opposed to central apnea which is more to do with psychological functions). In many cases this obstruction comes from excess flesh around the neck and weak muscles around the trachea (the throat). This becomes a problem when our muscles relax during the night, which in our horizontal position causes the flesh around the neck to collapse and squeeze shut the airways. By strengthening these muscles however, we can ensure that still they have enough power while we sleep to hold the airways open.
However one of the main reasons so few people normally train their neck muscles is that they simply don’t know how to target them. Well the good news is that many standard exercises – such as bench presses and squats will have an added impact on the neck muscles so anyone going to the gym will be helping their apnea. However there are some far more specific exercises you can do to.
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