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Q:

Lately I haven’t been sleeping well and often wake up with a sore throat and dry mouth. When I researched my symptoms, I read that tongue exercises or using some kind of mouth tape can help. I love the idea of a natural sleep solution, but do these methods really work?

A: It sounds like you’re breathing through your mouth at night, which is causing you to snore. The strategies you mention are forms of orofacial myofunctional therapy—exercises that put an end to snoring by firming the loose tissues in the throat and mouth that vibrate while you breathe. And they work! Myofunctional therapy has been shown to decrease the severity of snoring caused by sleep apnea by 50%.

Mouth-taping is a good place to start. It involves using a special tape to hold your lips together while you sleep to prevent mouth breathing. To try it, cut five pieces of micropore tape (like 3M Nexcare, $4, Walgreens.com) to 3" to 4" long. Apply three pieces vertically across your lips from the bottom of your nose to underneath your chin, then one piece across the top of the vertical tape strips and another along the bottom. (Wait until after you’ve attached the tape to apply any facial moisturizers, so the tape stays in place.) It can take a week or so to get used to the tape, but it will make a difference.

And to strengthen and firm your tongue, throat and jaw, thereby eliminating snoring, I suggest practicing this exercise twice daily. To do: Try to touch your tongue to your nose and hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Next, try to touch your tongue to your chin and hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat, moving your tongue toward your left ear, then your right ear. Finally, playing a tongue-strengthening game (Soundly app, free in the App Store) for 15 minutes nightly can also help.