The tongue is an amazing muscle. Most people don’t realize that the tongue is all muscle, with a layer of nerves and special skin coated with taste bud receptors. The problem is that the tongue can get in the way of breathing at night, causing sleep apnea. Only when you are awake can you make the tongue get out of your airway, and you can’t be awake all night. Spark Sleep Solutions has come up with an ingenious way to strengthen your tongue and reduce your dependence on a CPAP machine.
The Excite OSA Tongue Strengthening Tool
While you certainly could try to exercise your tongue without this tool, you will get better results faster by using the tool. It is designed to work with exercises that oral and linguistic experts already use. The difference here is that the tool provides greater resistance so that the tongue gets stronger faster.
A Strong Tongue Doesn’t Slide Backward
When you are sleeping, your tongue becomes quite relaxed. A weaker tongue slides backward into the airway, blocking it and causing snoring and sleep apnea. That is why you have the CPAP machine.
The machine uses strong gusts of air to shove the tongue out of the airway and get air into your lungs. If your tongue were stronger, it would not slide backward. Your airway would remain open, and you wouldn’t have to rely on a CPAP machine as much, if at all.
The Exercises Are Already Proven
These tongue-strengthening exercises are already proven. They are in use with patients who have trouble speaking, drinking, chewing, and swallowing. For anyone who has concerns about tongue exercises being real, just ask a speech therapist. Then check out sleep apnea solutions in Santa Cruz.
Oral Devices for Sleep Apnea in Santa Cruz
You will probably have to continue your CPAP therapy until your tongue is strong enough. Usually, the Excite OSA device is used while you are awake and alert enough to do the exercises. It will take a few months before you can try to sleep without the CPAP to see how the Excite OSA and exercises are working for your tongue.
In the meantime, consult with your pulmonologist regarding oral devices for sleep apnea in Santa Cruz. If your pulmonologist is not against you trying it, most health insurance companies are willing to pay for the device.
Sessions with the Oral Therapist
In terms of sleep apnea solutions in Santa Cruz, you will have to meet with an oral therapist for several sessions initially. The therapist works with you to show you the exercises and make sure you are performing them correctly. When the therapist is certain you know what you are doing, you will be instructed to carry on at home for a while.
After a few weeks of continuously doing the exercises at home on your own, you will have a follow-up appointment with the oral therapist. The therapist will check the strength of your tongue and document signs of progress.
Schedule a Consultation Today!
Book an initial consultation with Spark Sleep Solutions today. The therapist will meet with you to discuss the Excite OSA and what to expect.