Mouth and throat exercises (for snoring and sleep apnoea)

How to move

1. Tongue slide: put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth. Slide it backwards as far as it goes, then bring it forward again. Do this 20 times.
2. Tongue suck: suck your whole tongue up against the roof of your mouth, so all of it presses flat, then let it drop. Do this 20 times.
3. Tongue press down: keep the tip of your tongue touching the back of your bottom front teeth and press the back of your tongue down against the floor of your mouth, then relax. Do this 20 times.
4. Soft palate lift: open your mouth and say a short "ah" again and again, watching in a mirror as your soft palate and the small tag hanging at the back (the uvula) lift each time. Do this 20 times. After 3 to 5 weeks, lift them without a sound and hold for 5 seconds.
5. Cheek press: with clean hands, put a finger inside one cheek and push the cheek out against it, using your cheek muscle, then relax. Do this 10 times each side.
6. When you eat: chew on both sides in turn, and swallow with your tongue against the roof of your mouth and your teeth together, without squeezing your lips.

Form cues

• Firm and slow: you should feel your tongue and the back of your throat working.
• Use a mirror for the soft palate lifts.
• Breathe through your nose between repetitions.
• Avoid: opening your jaw wide or forcing it; these work the tongue and palate, not the jaw.

Practice and cautions

About 8 minutes, 3 times a day, every day for at least 3 months: the home programme in a trial of 39 adults with snoring or mild to moderate sleep apnoea, which reduced measured snoring (Ieto 2015). The first trial used a fuller programme of about 30 minutes a day with a weekly supervised session, and breathing pauses fell from about 22 to 14 an hour in 3 months (Guimarães 2009). In a 2025 trial, a programme done less often, with neck exercises added, made no difference. Trials measured results only up to about 4 months.

These exercises don't replace a breathing machine (continuous positive airway pressure), a mouth splint or weight loss: keep using the treatment your sleep service has given you, and don't drive while you're sleepy. Stop if your jaw clicks, locks or hurts, and see a dentist or our jaw pain guide. Leave out the cheek press if you have mouth ulcers or sore gums (our suggestion). If you have Bell's palsy or another facial palsy, check with a specialist facial therapist before doing mouth exercises (our suggestion; see our Bell's palsy guide). The trials didn't report on harms. This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.