It is so much fun to run across others who love their Singing for Snorers.
I was diagnosed with OSA almost three years ago. I got a very nice APAP right at the start, didn't have too much trouble sleeping with it, and loved not waking myself up all night with my snoring. Unfortunately, it pushed so much air into my stomach every night that I looked like i had swallowed a balloon, was very worried about embarrassing myself gassily in public, and developed terrible reflux. I looked into surgery, but I didn't find anything with a great probable success rate.
I was searching the internet for any kind of reasonable solution when I saw Singing for Snorers mentioned. I should add that I was a little overweight and post-menopausal, so I had already read about the likelihood that the tissues in my throat were loose and collapsing as I slept. Singing just appealed to me as a cool way to tighten things up.
I pretty much gave up singing when I was 13 because I was self-conscious about my unlovely voice, but I was just desperate for sleep, so I decided I was going to be fearless in pursuing the exercises. I started in August 2010. I was very consistent in my practice for the initial period, but I had also gotten a recommendation for an dentist who specializes in helping snorers (it rains, it pours). Once I started to work with him on fitting an appliance to hold my jaw forward at night, I slacked off on the singing. Big mistake.
The appliance did help my snoring improve even further. In a follow-up sleep study the techs never even woke me to check me with a CPAP. I thought I had the solution, and I stopped singing regularly. Until the snoring started up again.
Turns out for me no one solution is enough. And, when I got back to my morning Singing for Snorers exercises on a regular schedule, I realized how much better my mood was during the day and that I felt like I had gotten something important done before I even got my clothes on.
My husband teases me about making "dolphin noises," but I can't imagine not singing. I often do two CDs a day, usually CD1 to warm up, then 2 or 3. Sometimes I do all three in a row. When I'm feeling really spunky, I'll do CD1 then CD3 twice. (Tough for me still.) I could maybe get away with less, but if I don't do at least two discs' worth, I don't get the great mood for the day.
