Conch blowing involves a deep inhalation followed by a forceful, sustained exhalation through tightly pursed lips
| Photo Credit: AP
Blowing into a conch might be more effective in easing symptoms of sleep apnoea — in which one faces trouble breathing properly during sleep — compared to deep breathing exercises, according to researchers from Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Obstructive sleep apnoea is marked by muscles in the throat which relax and narrow one’s airways during sleep, thereby impacting breathing and oxygen levels in the blood. This results in a poor quality of sleep and fatigue or sleepiness during the day.
The team, led by researchers from the Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute, looked at 30 people, aged 19-65 and having moderate obstructive sleep apnoea.
The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal Open Research, randomly assigned about half of the people to be trained in conch blowing, and they practised for a minimum of 15 minutes, five days per week. The rest were asked to perform a deep-breathing exercise.
Blowing into a conch is a traditional yogic breathing exercise, lead researcher Krishna K Sharma, director and head of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Department, Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute, explained.
After a follow-up period of six months, the researchers “observed greater improvement in sleepiness with 34 per cent reduction in (daytime sleepiness)” in the conch-blowing group.
Conch blowing was also associated with improved oxygen levels in blood during sleep, with participants reporting a better quality of night-time sleep.
“(Conch blowing) involves a deep inhalation followed by a forceful, sustained exhalation through tightly pursed lips.
“This action 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 (obstructive sleep apnoea),” Dr Sharma said.
The standard line of treating the common sleep disorder involves a ‘continuous positive airway pressure’ machine — or ‘CPAP’, in which pressured air is delivered to a patient via a mask to keep airways open and prevent an ‘apnoea’, or a break in breathing.
“While effective, many patients find (CPAP) uncomfortable and struggle to use it consistently. In my clinical practice, several patients reported feeling more rested and experiencing fewer symptoms after regularly practising shankh blowing,” Dr Sharma said.
This led to designing a scientific study to “rigorously test whether this simple, ancient practice could serve as a meaningful therapy for people with (obstructive sleep apnoea),” the pulmonologist said, adding that a larger trial involving more hospitals is being planned.
Sophia Schiza, head of the European Respiratory Society’s group on sleep disordered breathing and a professor at the University of Crete in Greece, said, “This is an intriguing study that shows the ancient practice of shankh blowing could potentially offer a (obstructive sleep apnoea) treatment for selected patients by targeting muscles training.” “A larger study will help provide more evidence for this intervention which could be of benefit as a treatment option or in combination with other treatments in selected (obstructive sleep apnoea) patients,” added Schiza, not involved in the study.
Published – August 12, 2025 02:32 pm IST
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