Latest news with #OSApatients
Telegraph
a day ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Blowing into a shell can stop you snoring
The ancient ritual of blowing into a large shell could help stop you from snoring, a study has suggested. 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.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Shells could stop snoring condition 8million suffer from in UK
An ancient ritual which involves blowing into a large shell could tackle the symptoms of a common sleep disorder, a study suggests. The practice of conch blowing, also known as shankh blowing, could improve sleep for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) without the need for uncomfortable machinery, 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 small trial, led by researchers in India, involved 30 people aged with 19 and 65 with OSA. OSA happens with the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close, with symptoms including choking noises, loud snoring and waking up a lot. The condition is thought to impact about eight million people in the UK. READ MORE: Drivers urged to fill up tanks with Petrol and Diesel before Monday READ MORE: Will strikes disrupt Ryanair flights to Alicante, Ibiza, Mallorca and Tenerife? For the trial, 16 people were provided with a traditional shankh used in yogic practices and trained in how to use it properly before taking it home, while the remaining 14 people 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. After six months, the study found those who practised shankh blowing reported sleeping better and were 34% less sleepy during the day. They also had higher levels of oxygen in the blood during the night and had four to five fewer apnoeas, where breathing stops during sleep, per hour on average. They also had higher levels of oxygen in their blood during the night. 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. 'This action 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. '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 first line of treatment for OSA. They involve patients wearing a mask that blows pressurised air into the nose and throat while they sleep. However, they can be uncomfortable. Speaking of Cpap, Dr Sharma said: 'While effective, many patients find it uncomfortable and struggle to use it consistently.' He suggests shankh blowing could be a 'promising alternative'. 'Shankh blowing is a simple low-cost, breathing technique that could help improve sleep and reduce symptoms without the need for machines or medication,' Dr Sharma said. Researchers are now planning a larger trial involving several hospitals. Dr Sharma added: 'This next phase will allow us to validate and expand on our findings in a broader, more diverse population and assess how shankh blowing performs over longer periods. 'We also want to study how this practice affects airway muscle tone, oxygen levels and sleep in greater detail. 'We're particularly interested in comparing shankh blowing with standard treatments like Cpap, and in examining its potential help in more severe forms of OSA.' Reacting to the findings, Professor Sophia Schiza, head of the ERS group on sleep disordered breathing, based at the University of Crete, Greece, said: 'We know that OSA patients have poor quality of sleep, and higher risks of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease. 'A proportion of patients experience sleepiness during the day. 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 which could be of benefit as a treatment option or in combination with other treatments in selected OSA patients.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Looking for a snoring cure? Researchers are blown away by this ancient hack
An ancient hack could finally help relive the dreadful symptoms of snoring, a new study has revealed. The practice of blowing through a conch shell, also known as shankh blowing, could assist patients struggling with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which blocks the airways and can lead to snoring. Affecting an estimated eight million people across the UK, common symptoms of the condition include choking noises, loud snoring, alongside disrupted sleep that can increase the risk of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease. In a small trial undertaken by a specialist team of researchers in India, 30 people aged between 19 and 65 with OSA were encouraged to blow into a conch shell for a mimimum of 15 minutes, five days a week. Those who blew into the shell for six months were found to be 34 per cent less sleepy during the day and also had better quality of sleep than those who practised deep breathing exercises. The findings represent a dramatic breakthrough in treatment options for OSA, with Dr Krishna K Sharma, of the Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute in Jaipur, India, stating they serve as a 'promising alternative'. Currently, the most common treatment option for individuals suffering with OSA is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that blows pressurised air into the nose and throat while they sleep via a mask, that is often uncomfortable. But now, those in desperate need of a snoring cure may be in luck - with the results finding that those who practiced the historic hack also had higher levels of oxygen in their blood during the night. They also reported an average four or five less apnoeas, where breathing is paused during sleep at night, per hour. Dr Sharma described shankh blowing as a 'distinctive' exercise that 'involves a deep inhalation followed by a forceful, sustained exhalation through tightly pursed lips'. Explaining how the decades-old method works, Dr Sharma added: 'This action 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. 'The shankh's unique spiralling structure may also contribute to specific acoustic and mechanical effects that further stimulate and tone these muscles.' The medical expert explained that the technique is simple, low-cost and will help provide a snoring remedy that moves away from medication. Given the success of the initial study, the team of researchers are now planning a larger trial that is set to involve several hospitals. The hope, Dr Sharma adds, is that it will help the team 'assess how shankh blowing performs over longer periods', alongside determine whether it can help assist those with the 'most severe forms of OSA'. The innovative new study comes as amid shocking new research that suggested those suffering with OSA could trigger lung cancer, with a 'significant' link uncovered between the two. The findings represent a dramatic breakthrough in treatment options for OSA, with Dr Krishna K Sharma, of the Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute in Jaipur, India, stating they serve as a 'promising alternative'. The team are now planning a larger trial US researchers, who assessed the health records of more than 2.4million adults, said they cannot be sure exactly why the common sleep disorder raises this risk. But they believe it may be due to the lack of oxygen people get during the night - or lifestyle factors including smoking and even obesity. Presenting the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, scientists urged policymakers to consider screening those with the condition for the disease and tackle sleep apnea early, soon after a diagnosis. In the study, researchers at Marshall University in West Virginia, tracked lung cancer diagnoses separating those diagnosed with OSA and those without. After accounting for factors that could skew the results, such as age and other diagnosed health conditions, they found OSA patients were 1.21 times more likely to develop lung cancer compared to those without OSA. Dr Jowan Al-Nusair, study co-author and physician at Marshall University told the Daily Mail it was 'one of the first statistically significant studies' to prove a link between the condition and lung cancer. 'While further studies are definitely now needed to investigate just how the significant the link truly is, this suggests OSA may be a preventable risk factor for lung cancer. 'We should be more closely monitoring patients with OSA. Patients would definitely benefit from screening and early intervention to combat OSA. 'Additional studies are essential to understand exactly why OSA may increase this risk.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Ancient ritual of blowing into shell ‘could help with common sleep disorder'
An ancient ritual which involves blowing into a large shell could tackle the symptoms of a common sleep disorder, a study suggests. The practice of conch blowing, also known as shankh blowing, could improve sleep for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) without the need for uncomfortable machinery, 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 small trial, led by researchers in India, involved 30 people aged with 19 and 65 with OSA. OSA happens with the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close, with symptoms including choking noises, loud snoring and waking up a lot. The condition is thought to impact about eight million people in the UK. For the trial, 16 people were provided with a traditional shankh used in yogic practices and trained in how to use it properly before taking it home, while the remaining 14 people 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. After six months, the study found those who practised shankh blowing reported sleeping better and were 34% less sleepy during the day. They also had higher levels of oxygen in the blood during the night and had four to five fewer apnoeas, where breathing stops during sleep, per hour on average. They also had higher levels of oxygen in their blood during the night. 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. 'This action 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. '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 first line of treatment for OSA. They involve patients wearing a mask that blows pressurised air into the nose and throat while they sleep. However, they can be uncomfortable. Speaking of Cpap, Dr Sharma said: 'While effective, many patients find it uncomfortable and struggle to use it consistently.' He suggests shankh blowing could be a 'promising alternative'. 'Shankh blowing is a simple low-cost, breathing technique that could help improve sleep and reduce symptoms without the need for machines or medication,' Dr Sharma said. Researchers are now planning a larger trial involving several hospitals. Dr Sharma added: 'This next phase will allow us to validate and expand on our findings in a broader, more diverse population and assess how shankh blowing performs over longer periods. 'We also want to study how this practice affects airway muscle tone, oxygen levels and sleep in greater detail. 'We're particularly interested in comparing shankh blowing with standard treatments like Cpap, and in examining its potential help in more severe forms of OSA.' Reacting to the findings, Professor Sophia Schiza, head of the ERS group on sleep disordered breathing, based at the University of Crete, Greece, said: 'We know that OSA patients have poor quality of sleep, and higher risks of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease. 'A proportion of patients experience sleepiness during the day. '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 which could be of benefit as a treatment option or in combination with other treatments in selected OSA patients.'
