May 24, 2026
Blowhard cure or bedtime breakthrough?
Didgeridoo playing as alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnea(2006)
Science says a giant horn might help your snoring, and the comments absolutely lost it
TLDR: A 2006 study said practicing the didgeridoo could ease sleep apnea by training the upper airway muscles. Commenters were fascinated but hilariously divided, debating whether any circular-breathing instrument would work and whether neighbors should have veto power.
A real medical study found that learning to play the didgeridoo — yes, the long droning instrument — helped people with obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. But while the paper is serious, the community reaction instantly turned this into a full-blown internet variety show. Instead of calmly nodding along, commenters asked the question on everyone’s mind: does it have to be a didgeridoo, or will any instrument that forces you to master circular breathing do the trick? Suddenly the vibe shifted from sleep clinic to band practice.
That kicked off the main split in the comments. One side was intrigued by the core idea: maybe strengthening the mouth and throat really can help nighttime breathing. The other side immediately worried about the obvious victim here: the neighbors. One commenter dryly suggested simple tongue and throat exercises would be “better tolerated” than filling the building with haunting drone sounds, linking to a video like they were trying to prevent a suburban noise emergency.
And then the thread got delightfully nerdy. Someone spotted what looked like a typo in the paper’s mouthpiece measurements and started brainstorming a DIY PVC didgeridoo build, while another mocked the study’s ultra-formal mention of a “central telephone service” as if the researchers were assigning patients via Victorian bird mail. Even the site’s captcha caught stray fire. In other words: the science was interesting, but the comments turned it into a glorious mix of skepticism, practical advice, pedantry, and pure meme energy.
Key Points
- •The article describes a randomized controlled trial testing didgeridoo playing as a treatment for moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.
- •Participants assigned to the intervention learned and practiced the didgeridoo over a four-month period, while controls remained on a waiting list.
- •The study used a standardized acrylic didgeridoo developed with Creacryl GmbH in Ebmatingen, Zurich, Switzerland.
- •The intervention group showed reductions in daytime sleepiness and bed partner–reported sleep disturbance compared with controls.
- •The article concludes that regular didgeridoo playing may provide a useful non-invasive option for selected patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnoea.