An intriguing new study has found that symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be significantly reduced by regular sessions of blowing through a conch shell. And it's not the first time scientists have explored this.
Researchers from India's Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute conducted a randomized controled trial involving 30 participants with moderate OSA, aged 19-65 years, to assess whether conch-shell blowing could be effective in improving daytime and nighttime symptoms of the common condition.
“In my clinical practice, several patients reported feeling more rested and experiencing fewer symptoms after regularly practising shankh blowing – a traditional yogic breathing exercise involving exhaling through a conch shell," explained Dr Krishna K Sharma from the research institute. "These observations led us to design a scientific study to rigorously test whether this simple, ancient practice could serve as a meaningful therapy for people with OSA.”
Sixteen patients were trained to blow through the shell for a minimum of 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for six months. The remaining participants were assigned deep-breathing exercises to do for the same time period. The participants had their sleep monitored and gave feedback on a series of measures such as sleep quality and daytime tiredness.
The researchers found that the cohort practising the conch-shell blowing – traditionally known as shankh blowing – had notable improvements in their health – a 34% reduction in daytime sleepiness, fewer nighttime interruptions (up to five fewer disturbances per hour) and increased overnight blood oxygen levels.
"The way the shankh is blown is quite distinctive," said Sharma. "It 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 OSA. The shankh's unique spiraling structure may also contribute to specific acoustic and mechanical effects that further stimulate and tone these muscles."
Yes, this is a small study and self-reporting also has obvious limitations. However, it's not the first time researchers have looked into this curious shell-assisted breathing technique for OSA relief. A 2023 case study reported on its use with more detailed measures, while in 2020 a team of researchers also proposed it benefited cardiovascular and respiratory health.
In Hindu mythology, the conch shell (shankh) is a symbolic instrument, but its benefits to health have only recently attracted the attention of scientists. Currently, the frontline treatment for OSA is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which has its own drawbacks – especially adherence, with many users finding the cumbersome system difficult to sleep with. As such, other methods of managing OSA are desperately needed.
“For people living with OSA, especially those who find CPAP uncomfortable, unaffordable, or inaccessible, our findings offer a promising alternative," said Sharma. "Shankh blowing is a simple low-cost, breathing technique that could help improve sleep and reduce symptoms without the need for machines or medication."
The team believes that deep inhalation followed by forceful, sustained exhalation through the shell creates vibrations and airflow resistance that trains the respiratory pathway involved in OSA, reducing incidents of airway collapse during sleep.
While you might have questions about the sound produced by this bedtime routine, 15 minutes on the shell horn might be easy to deal with than eight hours of snoring. Plus we hear it's also a useful tool in calling family meetings (well, according to William Golding's classic Lord of the Flies).
Of course, further and more expansive research is needed.
“This is a small study, but we are now planning a larger trial involving several hospitals," Sharma said. "This next phase will allow us to validate and expand on our findings in a broader, more diverse population and assess how shankh blowing performs over longer periods. We also want to study how this practice affects airway muscle tone, oxygen levels and sleep in greater detail. We’re particularly interested in comparing shankh blowing with standard treatments like CPAP, and in examining its potential help in more severe forms of OSA.”
The study was published in the journal ERJ Open Research.
Source: European Respiratory Society via EurekAlert!
