Didgeridoo and singing for snoring: what the trials found

Playing the didgeridoo and doing singing exercises both have small trials behind them for snoring. A 2006 BMJ trial found four months of didgeridoo practice left snorers' partners less disturbed at night, and a later trial found three months of singing exercises improved snoring frequency and sleepiness. The idea is that both work the muscles of your throat. The evidence is thin, but the practice is safe, cheap and, for many people, more fun than a list of exercises.

Why would a didgeridoo or singing help snoring?

A didgeridoo or singing could help snoring because both work the muscles of the soft palate, tongue and throat, the same tissues that relax and vibrate when you snore. The idea behind them is that stronger, better-toned muscles keep the airway from collapsing as easily during sleep. That's also the thinking behind throat and tongue exercises.

The authors of the didgeridoo trial set out to test whether playing could reduce the collapsibility of the upper airway. A pilot study on singing, published in 2000, framed its exercises the same way: as a way to increase muscle tone in the throat and so reduce snoring.

This makes singing and wind instruments a cousin of mouth and tongue exercises for snoring and of myofunctional therapy, which have more research behind them. What's different is the format. A song or an instrument gives you a reason to practise every day, and the trials suggest regular practice is what matters.

What did the 2006 didgeridoo trial find?

The 2006 didgeridoo trial, published in the BMJ, found that four months of lessons and daily practice improved daytime sleepiness and partner-rated sleep disturbance compared with a waiting list. It was a small randomized trial of 25 adults in Switzerland who had moderate sleep apnea and complained about snoring.

Participants had an apnea-hypopnea index between 15 and 30, the range usually called moderate sleep apnea. Most were men aged about 50, and their partners started out reporting badly disturbed sleep, around 5.5 on a 0 to 10 scale. People with obesity, heavy drinkers and anyone already using CPAP were excluded.

The didgeridoo group practised an average of 25.3 minutes a day on 5.9 days a week. Compared with the waiting list group, their partners' rating of sleep disturbance fell by 2.8 points on the 0 to 10 scale, and their daytime sleepiness score improved by 3.0 points. Their apnea-hypopnea index also fell by 6.2 events an hour more than the control group's. Self-rated sleep quality didn't change, and neither did overall quality of life.

The authors called regular didgeridoo playing an effective treatment alternative that patients accepted well. It's an encouraging result, but it comes from 25 people, and snoring itself wasn't measured with a microphone. The partner rating is the closest thing to a snoring outcome. Sleep apnea needs proper care from a doctor, and this trial isn't a reason to skip it.

What did the singing exercise trials find?

The singing exercise trials found improvements in snoring, but they relied on reports from snorers and partners rather than sleep studies. The largest was a randomized trial of 127 people who snored or had sleep apnea, where three months of self-guided singing exercises improved sleepiness and snoring frequency compared with doing nothing.

According to a 2024 summary by Australia's Sleep Health Foundation, the singing group got a self-guided exercise video, recommended for 20 minutes a day for 3 months, plus a phone call from a singing teacher after 4 to 6 weeks. The control group got a similar call from a researcher but no exercises. Snoring frequency and loudness were rated from 0 to 10 by the participant or their bed partner. Snoring frequency improved, and loudness tended to drop. The foundation points out that the study didn't objectively measure snoring or sleep and wasn't blinded, which could have influenced the results.

That trial followed a small pilot. In 2000, researchers at the University of Exeter recorded the snoring of 20 chronic snorers with a voice-activated recorder for 7 nights, before and after 3 months of singing exercises done for 20 minutes a day. Snoring fell on average. The people who did best did the exercises accurately and consistently, weren't overweight, had no nose problems, and had only started snoring in middle age.

Do singers and wind players snore less?

Singers seem to snore a little less, while the picture for wind players is mixed. These come from surveys comparing musicians with non-musicians, so they can't show that the music caused the difference. They're still useful for seeing whether the trial results line up with real life.

A 2008 London study compared 52 semi-professional choir singers with 55 non-singers, with snoring rated by their partners. Singers had significantly lower snoring scores after adjusting for age and body mass index, though daytime sleepiness was no different. A 2020 meta-analysis noted the gap was small, 2.5 against 3.6 on a 0 to 9 scale.

For wind instruments, a 2012 internet survey of 906 musicians found that double reed players, such as oboists and bassoonists, had a lower risk of sleep apnea than non-wind players, and the more hours they played, the lower the risk. Other wind instruments showed no difference. An earlier survey of 1,111 professional orchestra members found wind players were no less likely to be at high risk of sleep apnea once age, weight and sex were taken into account.

How strong is the evidence overall?

The evidence for singing and wind instruments is limited: a handful of small studies, mostly surveys, with one didgeridoo trial and one singing trial. Two reviews published in 2020 both concluded the results are promising but too sparse to be sure. Here's how the main studies compare.

A 2020 systematic review in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology found four studies on musical instruments and sleep apnea and concluded that certain wind instruments are associated with improvement or lower risk, while calling for larger studies. A 2020 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found six studies and concluded that playing a wind instrument or singing may have a small positive effect, with the size of the effect zero to small and the certainty of the evidence low.

Throat and tongue exercises have a stronger base. A 2018 meta-analysis of 9 studies with 211 adults found snoring intensity fell by 51% and time spent snoring fell by 31% after therapy. Singing and the didgeridoo work in a similar way, so they're a reasonable choice if you'd rather make music than do drills.

How can you try it at home?

To try it at home, choose one practice you'll enjoy, do it for about 20 minutes on most days, and give it three to four months before judging the result. That matches what the trials asked of people. Track your snoring before you start so you have something to compare against later.

If you pick the didgeridoo, a teacher helps. In the 2006 trial, participants had four lessons over eight weeks. The first taught the lip technique for producing a note and holding it for 20 to 30 seconds. The second covered circular breathing, where you breathe in through your nose while keeping air flowing through the instrument, using your cheeks as bellows. Later lessons refined the technique. Participants used a 130 cm acrylic didgeridoo, which the researchers said is easier for beginners than a wooden one.

If you pick singing, the trial used a self-guided video of exercises for 20 minutes a day. Look for a program aimed at the soft palate and throat, or ask a singing teacher. The 2000 pilot found that people who did the exercises accurately and consistently did best, so a little coaching early on may pay off.

For a baseline, record a few nights with a snoring app or ask your partner to rate your snoring from 0 to 10, which is how the singing trial measured it. Repeat the same check every month or so. Our guide to snoring apps and sleep trackers explains what recordings can and can't tell you.

What can you combine with it while you practise?

You can combine singing or didgeridoo practice with anything that helps tonight, since the exercises take months to show results. Sleeping on your side, cutting back on evening alcohol, and keeping your nose clear all work alongside them. So do nasal strips and, for adults whose nose is clear, mouth tape.

Mouth tape keeps your lips together so you breathe through your nose, which suits people whose mouths fall open during sleep. Nasal strips help hold the nose open. Our guides to does mouth tape help snoring and how to stop snoring cover the options.

We don't recommend mouth tape for children. Take our nose test before your first night with tape.

When should you see a doctor first?

You should see a doctor first if your snoring comes with pauses in breathing, gasping or choking, or if you feel very tired during the day. The NHS lists these as symptoms of sleep apnoea and advises seeing a GP, because sleep apnoea can be serious if it isn't diagnosed and treated.

The didgeridoo trial included people with moderate sleep apnea, but it was a small study and not a reason to skip a diagnosis or proper treatment. If you already have a treatment plan, singing or an instrument can sit alongside it; ask your doctor before changing anything. Our guide to snoring vs. sleep apnea explains the difference.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

While you build up your practice, our pick for the nights in between is the Titan Sleep System. It suits snorers whose nose needs a little help and whose mouth tends to fall open.

Titan says the system combines TitanAir Nasal Strips and Titan Mouth Tape as one nightly routine. Titan describes the strips as drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, and the tape as a bamboo silk strip worn horizontally across the lips, with 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice suggested before the first night. Titan says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and it offers a 30-night guarantee that refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• Mouth and tongue exercises for snoring
• Myofunctional therapy explained
• Snoring remedies ranked

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.