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Telegraph
2 days 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
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists shocked as deep-sea expedition captures 'enigmatic' discovery at bottom of Pacific Ocean: 'Might otherwise be missed entirely'
A crew conducting deep-sea explorations off the coast of Japan was shocked to discover a new species of sea snail living at depths never before seen for that family of animal, Discover Wildlife reported. Researchers from the Japan Agency for Earth-Marine Science and Technology made the discovery at a depth of 3.72 miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, per Discover Wildlife. The sea snail was measured at 1.6 inches in diameter, which may not sound massive but is a surprising size for that depth, where the pressure is nearly 600 times the average air pressure at sea level. The researchers found the sea snail, also known as a limpet, attached to underwater volcanic rock, per Wildlife Discovery. Limpets use their tough tongues to scrape algae off rock and to aid in decomposition, playing a vital role in the ocean's ecosystem. In a study detailing the discovery, the researchers noted that most true limpets live in shallower, intertidal areas, but that scientists previously had identified two other species of deepwater true limpets. One was sighted in waters off Chile and the other in Antarctica. Due to characteristics distinguishing the newly discovered sea snail from its deepwater cousins, the researchers concluded that they had identified a new species altogether — calling it "enigmatic" and "mythical," per the Miami Herald. They named it Bathylepeta wadatsumi, inspired by the god of the sea in Japanese mythology, noting that "it is also a reference to the fish-man character 'Lark Monk' Wadatsumi from Eiichiro Oda's manga series 'ONE PIECE,' whose enormous body size is reminiscent of the large size that B. wadatsumi sp. nov. reaches for a deep-water patellogastropod." The discovery highlighted the benefits of using crewed submersibles for deep-sea explorations. "Even in the age of sophisticated remotely operated vehicles, there's often an edge to the human eye on the seafloor," said Chong Chen, the study's lead author, per Wildlife Discovery. "Crewed submersibles like Shinkai 6500 let us explore with intention and nuance – spotting lifeforms … that might otherwise be missed entirely," he added, referring to the vehicle in which the researchers had ventured to the sea floor. Should we be harnessing the ocean to power our homes? Absolutely Leave it be It depends I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The deep sea remains a massively underexplored and little understood region of the planet, with the sea bed being less well-mapped than the surface of Mars, according to the USGS. Exploring the world's oceans "allows us, collectively, to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives," explained the federal organization NOAA Ocean Exploration. Particularly in the midst of rising global temperatures, better understanding oceans is vital to sustaining the world's economy and food supply. According to the U.N. Conference on Trade & Development, the cumulative value of "ocean-based economic sectors" is a staggering $3 trillion to $6 trillion every single year. Further, more than "3 billion people rely on the oceans for their livelihoods and more than 350 million jobs are linked to oceans worldwide," per UNCTAD. There are plenty of actions that can be taken at the individual level to protect the world's oceans. For example, NOAA has recommended reducing the use of pollutants and hazardous chemicals that can run off into the ocean, supporting sustainable fishing practices, and boating responsibly. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
