What is an “Okuchy Exercise” to improve your quality of sleep?

We at Okuchy are focusing our research and development efforts on the health of the mouth as a starting point. Sleep is one of the most important topics in our research, and we especially think that the quality of sleep is very important.

Have you ever thought about the relationship between sleep quality and breathing?

One of the key factors in maintaining good “quality of sleep” is the condition of your breathing during sleep. Many of you have probably had complaints from family members about your snoring or have had nights when you just don’t feel like you are getting a good night’s sleep….
We have developed not only ZzzMeter, an app that records the sounds of breathing during sleep, but also “oral exercises” to help people breathe better while they sleep.

You have a inner core muscle in your mouth too.

Oral exercise, called Okuchy Exercise is a method to train a form of muscle in the mouth, in which the tongue is considered the core muscle of your mouth, and the surrounding muscles are also strengthened. The following is the story of a person who suffered from snoring and sleep apnea and what kind of changes he experienced after actually engaging in these oral exercises.

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How did you first become aware of the condition of your breathing while sleeping?

My wife pointed out that I had apnea. I went to a specialized respiratory clinic and after a test, I found out that I had sleep apnea and began wearing CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure therapy) when I slept.
However, I gave up wearing CPAP because I was sensitive to the discomfort caused by wearing CPAP and because it was bothersome due to frequent business trips.

What actions did you take in response to the family’s suggestion?

I had my uvula removed at a hospital in Tokyo. It was painful for about two weeks after the surgery and I had to endure it while taking strong painkillers. After that, the pain subsided, but I started choking a lot.
I convinced myself that the swishing symptoms were still better than the continuous apnea, but I did not feel that my sleep apnea had been completely cured, and I felt frustrated, wondering why I could not be cured even after the painful surgery. I also became concerned about the risk of aspiration pneumonia in the future because of choking symptoms.

We heard that you learned about our oral exercises and actually started practicing them. How did you engage in the exercises?

I worked on a 10-minute exercise program every day for about 4 months. Since it was a daily program, I used the time for my commute from home to the nearest train station to make it a habit. I found the exercises that opened the soft palate (the upper part of the oral cavity) to be particularly effective in stretching.

What kind of changes did you notice when you worked on the oral exercises?

I wanted to do something about my apnea, snoring, and choking, and I feel that my choking has decreased. I have also had an apnea test again, and the number of apnea have improved since the last time I had the test. In fact, in my daily life, I feel that my drowsiness while driving has improved too.

Do you think it is important to check and monitor your own sleep condition on a daily basis?

Yes, I personally watch my sleep condition as a barometer, and I check it every day via a smartphone app. It is my habit to start the day by checking the record of my sleep taken with a wearable device in the morning. I guess you could say that I check my daily physical condition from my sleep.

How do you continue your oral exercises now? Please tell us what else you are doing to maintain your health.

I am still working on it on an ongoing basis.It is difficult to perform all 10 minutes of exercise, but I continue to do so, using about 5 minutes of my commute. In those 5 minutes, I combine parts of exercises that I feel are necessary or that I feel I should do based on my own symptoms that I am aware of.
In particular, I am now focusing on swallowing (or the act of swallowing), and I am emphasizing exercises that improve the movement of my tongue.

It is quite hard to keep moving the mouth, tongue, and throat for 10 minutes, but we are very happy to see that the participant is continuing the exercises in a way that he can continue to do them, based on his own experience of the benefits.