Key Takeaways

Blowing a conch shell improved moderate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms in a small randomized trial.

Sleep quality and apnea-hypopnea index also improved with conch blowing.

A larger, more diverse trial is needed to confirm the benefits observed.

The forceful breathing involved in the traditional Hindu practice of blowing a conch shell, or shankh, improved moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms, a small randomized trial showed.

Regular practice of the yogic breathing exercise over 6 months cut daytime sleepiness by 34% compared with baseline, as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS; change -5.0 points, 95% CI -8.06 to -1.93), and there was a significant change in mean difference of ESS score (-4.69 points, 95% CI -8.39 to -1.007) compared with a sham c

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