Medical News You Can Use: “Musician’s Friend” Edition – Wind Instruments Lower Sleep Apnea

Playing A Wind Instrument Could Help Lower The Risk Of Sleep Apnea

A study performed in India suggests wind instrument musicians are at lower risk for Sleep Apnea. Seen here, a B-flat trumpet.

A new study has found that wind instrument players have a reduced risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. The findings, presented at the Sleep and Breathing Conference held in April in Barcelona, Spain suggest that this could be considered beneficial to those individuals who are at high risk of developing sleep apnea.

Researchers in India conducted lung function testing in 64 people who played a wind instrument and compared results to a control group of 65 people who did not play any wind instruments. All participants also completed the Berlin questionnaire, an established method used to assess the risk of sleep apnea. When analyzing the results of the questionnaires, the researchers found that the group who played the wind instruments had a lower risk of developing sleep apnea. However, no difference was seen between the two groups in the lung function tests.

Based on the questionnaire, the relative risk of developing sleep apnea was 0.18 in the wind instrument players. The researchers believe this is due to the increased muscle tone in the upper airways, which wind instrument players are likely to develop.