Blowing into a shell can stop you snoring
The practice of conch blowing, also known as shankh blowing, could increase oxygen levels and improve sleep for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) without the need for a machine, according to researchers.
Shankh blowing involves breathing in deeply before exhaling forcefully into a conch, the spiral-shaped shell from a species of sea snail.
The experts found that regular use helped improved participants' symptoms, potentially because it strengthened the muscles in the throat and airway that are prone to collapse during sleep.
OSA is a condition that causes the walls of the throat to temporarily relax during sleep, narrowing or closing the airway, and stopping the person from breathing.
As a result, symptoms include snoring, loud inhales or choking sounds, waking up a lot, as well as sleepiness during the day and brain fog as a result of oxygen supply to the brain being disrupted.
About eight million people are thought to have the condition in the UK but fewer than one in five have been diagnosed.
The small trial, led by researchers in India, involved 30 people aged 19 to 65 with OSA. They were split into groups, with half given a traditional shankh used in yoga and trained on how to use it before taking it home, while the other half were asked to carry out deep breathing exercises.
Both groups were encouraged to practice for a minimum of 15 minutes five days a week. They were monitored during sleep and asked questions about sleep quality and how tired they felt during the day.
Higher blood oxygen levels
After six months, the study found that those blowing into the conch shell were sleeping better and 34 per cent less sleepy during the day. They also had higher levels of oxygen in the blood during the night and had four to five fewer apnoea episodes, where breathing stops during sleep, per hour on average.
Dr Krishna K Sharma, of the Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute in Jaipur, India, said: 'The way the shankh is blown is quite distinctive. It involves a deep inhalation followed by a forceful, sustained exhalation through tightly pursed lips.
'[It] creates strong vibrations and airflow resistance, which likely strengthens the muscles of the upper airway, including the throat and soft palate, areas that often collapse during sleep in people with OSA.'
Dr Sharma added: 'The shankh's unique spiralling structure may also contribute to specific acoustic and mechanical effects that further stimulate and tone these muscles.'
Continuous positive airway pressure (Cpap) machines are the usual treatment for OSA, and involve wearing a mask that blows pressurised air into the nose and throat during sleep, but many people find them uncomfortable.
'Promising alternative'
Dr Sharma said people also 'struggle to use it consistently' and so blowing into these could be a 'promising alternative'.
He said: 'Shankh blowing is a simple low-cost, breathing technique that could help improve sleep and reduce symptoms without the need for machines or medication.'
Researchers are now planning a larger trial involving several hospitals.
Responding to the study, Prof Sophia Schiza, the head of the ERS group on sleep disordered breathing, based at the University of Crete, said: 'While Cpap and other treatments are available based on careful diagnosis of disease severity, there is still need for new treatments.
'This is an intriguing study that shows the ancient practice of shankh blowing could potentially offer an OSA treatment for selected patients by targeting muscles training. A larger study will help provide more evidence for this intervention.'
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