Mouth Exercises to Help You Stop Snoring

Did you know that certain mouth exercises can help you stop snoring? Few people who snore are aware of it but there really are exercises that can offer this type of help.

Myofunctional therapy exercises are not specifically aimed at snorers but many people who snore find that these exercises help. So do a lot of people who suffer from sleep apnea.

Myofunctional therapy actually aims to correct any functionality issues concerning the tongue, lips, other facial muscles, and/or breathing.

Among other things, myofunctional therapy exercises can train the jaw to adopt a good position, improve speech, and provide cosmetic benefits such as filling out flattened cheeks and reducing wrinkles around the mouth.

How does any of this tie-in with snoring? The exercises improve the muscle tone of the tongue and help fortify the muscles at the back of the throat. The firmer, stronger muscles are less likely to sag during sleep causing airway obstruction and snoring.

There’s an additional benefit as well. With sufficient practice, myofunctional therapy exercises can train your mouth to remain closed during sleep. As you may be aware, mouth breathing can significantly influence snoring. It is always better when you breathe through your nose. That’s what it’s for. The mouth’s main functions are eating and talking.

12 Mouth Exercises You Can Do to Stop Snoring

Don’t worry, none of the anti-snoring exercises you are about to learn are strenuous. In fact, some of them, such as singing, can be fun. Yes, singing! Seriously! It’s probably such a surprising idea, let’s take a look at it first.

1. Singing

Singing improves muscle control in the throat. Blasting out a few of your favorite ditties also benefits the muscles in the soft palate.

Although it may sound like a crazy idea, the value of singing as an anti-snoring exercise has been proved in a clinical trial. How long do you need to sing? The results of the study suggest 20 minutes per day should be enough.

Twenty snorers took part in the study. Each of them exercised their vocal cords for 20 minutes every day. They continued doing this for three months.

The recordings taken after the 90 days of sing songs showed an acute drop in snoring volume when they were compared to the recordings taken at the start of the study. Reason indeed to sing “hallelujah.”

2. Vowel Repetition

Spending a little time each day repeating the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) is another good way to exercise your vocal cords and help prevent snoring.

Repeat the letters slowly and clearly, with adequate force in your voice. There is no need to whisper or shout.

3. Tongue Clicking

Tongue clicking is another one of the best exercises to stop snoring. Try to get some power behind each click it’s a better workout for the tongue. Aim to do this for 5-10 minutes per day.

4. Tongue Push

This one may feel more like an exercise. Instead of using your vocal chords or making clicking noises, you sit in silence and start flexing your tongue.

Begin by placing the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth (hard palate), just behind your top teeth. Then push the tongue upward. Maintain a constant pressure for five seconds, then relax. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

5. Nose Lick

Are you one of the few people who are capable of placing the tip of your tongue on the end of your nose? If so, place it there and hold it in place for 10 seconds. If you can’t make the connection, it doesn’t matter. Just stick out your tongue and try. Strain toward the desired contact point and then take a few seconds rest. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

6. Chin Lick

This is a variation on the nose lick exercise. Instead of trying to make contact with the tip of the nose, you aim for the bottom of your chin. It exercises a different set of muscles in the tongue.

Again, you need to keep the pressure on the tongue for 10 seconds, then relax and repeat the exercise 10 times.

7. Push It to the Left

This is another one of those stop snoring exercises that require you to stick out your tongue, so be careful where you are pointing your face. People may get the wrong idea.

Instead of pushing your tongue forward, strain it to the left. Hold for 10 seconds, relax, and then rinse and repeat until you have done the exercise 10 times.

8. Push It to the Right

Nothing too complicated to explain about this one. It’s the same as the exercise above except instead of pushing the tongue to the left you are pushing it to the right. 

9. Tongue Roll

Another stop snoring exercise that requires you to stick out your tongue. This one is a little more creative though.

Instead of just sticking your tongue out and keeping it flat, you need to fold the edges towards the center of the tongue so that it resembles a roll. Most of us have done this as a kid. If your tongue resembles a taco shell, you are doing it right.

Hold the position for 10 seconds, relax the tongue, and then repeat. Do this 10 times in succession every day.

10. Spoon Push

Now we’re getting a little more advanced. This tongue exercise requires apparatus in the form of a spoon.

Hold the bowl of the spoon in front of your lips then stick out your tongue and press against the spoon as if you were trying to push the spoon forward. Maintain pressure with the spoon, keeping the tongue straight at all times. Don’t let it sag or move to the side. After 10 seconds of pressure, relax the tongue. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

11. Spoon Hold

Don’t put away your spoon too soon. You are going to need it again. This time you are working the lips, though, instead of the tongue.

Place the handle of the spoon between your lips, grip it, and hold it in place. Don’t be tempted to use your teeth. This exercise requires you to use the spoon like a miniature barbell, placed lengthways into the mouth. There’s no need to curl it though. All your lips need to do is hold it in place. Do the exercise in front of a mirror and try to keep the spoon parallel to the floor. Hold position for 10 seconds then rest.

Again, you will need to repeat the exercise until you have done it 10 times. As your lips become stronger you can add extra weight to the spoon by placing sugar cubes or other objects into the bowl.

12. Button Pull

No need for your spoon. This exercise requires a button instead. You will also need a small length of strong thread or thin string, about 10-15 cm long.

Tie the button to the thread. Next, place the button behind your lips. Tug on the thread as if you were trying to pull the button from your mouth. Purse your lips at the same time to offer resistance.

Apply as much pressure to the thread as you can without actually pulling the button from your lips. Maintain lip pressure all the time and keep doing so for 10 seconds before relaxing. Do this exercise 10 times as well.

Bottom line is, exercises to stop snoring have helped many people around the world and can be a very effective method to deal with the snoring problem, so don’t judge the very obvious methods like this wrongly before giving them a real try.

Should you wish to consider more popular snoring solutions instead then take a look at our recommended anti-snoring mouthpiece page.