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Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

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Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#101

Post by n8henrie »

thfuran wrote: post #74
dmos62 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, if you breathe in an intensive manner for a few minutes, oxygen percentage in the blood won't change?

Blood oxygen saturation is always near 100% in a healthy person. 95% is the low end of normal. Dropping to 90% is considered hypoxemia, and 80% is a medical emergency. So there really shouldn’t be any room to increase it significantly.

In many people a momentary drop to the 80s or even below is not an emergency or anything close to it. Not saying that it is good. Someone that is awake, sitting up, and struggling to breathe should be considered an emergency regardless of oxygen levels (and in this situation 80% would be very concerning).

EDIT: your comment is otherwise entirely correct, particularly at sea level.

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#103

Post by elric »

joshspankit wrote: post #84
hks0 wrote: post #25

A friend of mine started "blowing air into water with an straw" (making bubbles) very seriously. I was very skeptical to say the least; but after a couple of months the effects have been very eye opening. Not only it has helped sleep apnea and snoring but also helped with reducing their weight. They had an online group and most participants reported the same. The wight loss was reverted when they stopped for some per…

Someone really needs to properly do the science on this I (presumably like the majority) assumed that sleep apnea was at least partially caused by weight gain, but if there is weight gain caused by sleep apnea it’s going to give doctors some new tools

There is plenty of proper science on this. Weight gain does not cause obstructive sleep apnea until you get into extremes (e.g. huge necked bodybuilders or people with so much fat on their chest that they physically struggle to move it to breathe). Sleep apnea makes it harder to lose weight and easier to gain weight. Having sleep apnea and being heavier can make sleep apnea worse. Losing weight quickly can make sleep apnea worse when you lose muscle mass along side fat (e.g. on ozempic).

There are plenty of tools for doctors to treat sleep apnea. The problem is that they refuse to use them. Many people on CPAP would benefit greatly from being on BiPAP instead, but doctors commonly refuse to prescribe it. Some cases of sleep apnea can be treated using positional therapy (typically side sleeping), but there's no prescription for that. Some cases can be solved by exercising throat muscles (with or without a didgeridoo), but there's no prescription for that either, and there are virtually zero speech/physical therapists who focus on that. There are some surgeries that can really benefit some patients, but most sleep labs and ENTs refuse to even to even perform a proper sleep endoscopy.

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#104

Post by elric »

ncruces wrote: post #42
wiredfool wrote: post #37

Unfortunately, digeridoo playing is just as disruptive to partner's sleep as snoring is. Perhaps they should try bagpipes?

I suspect bagpipes may be the worst wind instrument to learn in this regard, at least if the goal is to train circular breathing?

I don't think circular breathing is the goal. It's just a means to an end. The goal is strengthening the muscles that keep the airway open. The resistance from blowing into the didgeridoo seems to be what does that. I have no idea how that compares to bagpipes, however.

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#105

Post by elric »

jcul wrote: post #62
hks0 wrote: post #25

A friend of mine started "blowing air into water with an straw" (making bubbles) very seriously. I was very skeptical to say the least; but after a couple of months the effects have been very eye opening. Not only it has helped sleep apnea and snoring but also helped with reducing their weight. They had an online group and most participants reported the same. The wight loss was reverted when they stopped for some per…

Reminds me of that guy who started drinking water upside down to train his swallow muscles and cure his chronic heartburn.

There's some science on training those muscles, even without upside down drinking. "Dry swallowing" while on an incline seems to do the trick just fine.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9550520/

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#106

Post by TylerE »

thfuran wrote: post #74
dmos62 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, if you breathe in an intensive manner for a few minutes, oxygen percentage in the blood won't change?

Blood oxygen saturation is always near 100% in a healthy person. 95% is the low end of normal. Dropping to 90% is considered hypoxemia, and 80% is a medical emergency. So there really shouldn’t be any room to increase it significantly.

90% you should really be traveling to see someone. At least an urgent care, if not an ER.

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#107

Post by Ifkaluva »

hks0 wrote: post #25

A friend of mine started "blowing air into water with an straw" (making bubbles) very seriously. I was very skeptical to say the least; but after a couple of months the effects have been very eye opening. Not only it has helped sleep apnea and snoring but also helped with reducing their weight. They had an online group and most participants reported the same. The wight loss was reverted when they stopped for some per…

Would you happen to have more information about this online group? Would love to join it!

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#108

Post by andersmurphy »

j45 wrote: post #66
wiredfool wrote: post #37

Unfortunately, digeridoo playing is just as disruptive to partner's sleep as snoring is. Perhaps they should try bagpipes?

Both can practice in the other room.

Didge isn't that loud unless you're really going for it. Nothing compared to bagpipes.

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#109

Post by elric »

frankest wrote: post #90
hks0 wrote: post #25

A friend of mine started "blowing air into water with an straw" (making bubbles) very seriously. I was very skeptical to say the least; but after a couple of months the effects have been very eye opening. Not only it has helped sleep apnea and snoring but also helped with reducing their weight. They had an online group and most participants reported the same. The wight loss was reverted when they stopped for some per…

CPAP machines are essentially a hose that has you breathe into water.

Kind of, yeah. When I first got onto CPAP I was worried that it would cause my muscles to atrophy over time because it makes the inhale so much easier. But the pressure is still there on the exhale, which is exactly like breathing out through a straw into water (with 5-20cm water on top of the straw, depending on the CPAP pressure).

Re: Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (2006)

#110

Post by elric »

nubinetwork wrote: post #41

Yeah I dunno if I believe this, I played trombone when I was a kid... I didn't get sleep apnea until like 10 years ago. Unless it somehow takes like 30 years to develop, it seems implausible.

What are you saying? That you expected your childhood trombone playing would somehow protect you from sleep apnea forever? "Use it or lose it." Sleep apnea can certainly take 30 years to develop. Old age increases the chances of getting it. Menopause does too. Muscles get weaker.
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