Strengthen your digestive health with these exercises
What's the story
The upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is a critical muscle involved in swallowing and preventing the backflow of food or acid.
By strengthening this muscle, you can alleviate swallowing difficulties and decrease the risk of aspiration.
This article provides a detailed overview of five targeted exercises to strengthen the UES, serving as a comprehensive guide for individuals seeking to enhance their esophageal health.
Neck strength
Isometric neck exercises
Isometric neck exercises, where you contract the muscles without moving your head, can significantly strengthen the upper esophageal sphincter.
A simple exercise is to press your palm against your forehead and push back with your neck muscles, holding the tension for five seconds.
Do this 10 times, maintaining a steady pressure that's strong enough to work your muscles but not so intense that it causes discomfort.
Head lifts
Shaker exercise
The Shaker exercise, named after its creator, is a powerful tool for strengthening both the upper esophageal sphincter and neck flexors.
Lie flat on your back, then lift your head to look at your toes. Your shoulders should not lift off the ground.
Hold this position for three seconds, then relax.
Doing three sets of six repetitions daily can significantly improve upper esophageal sphincter function over time.
Swallow hard
Effortful swallow
By "effortful swallow" technique, I mean you need to consciously squeeze all your swallowing muscles as hard as you can during each swallow.
You can practice this with your saliva or with small sips of water throughout the day.
Try to do at least 30 effortful swallows every day. Over time, this will help to slowly but surely increase your upper esophageal sphincter strength and coordination.
Prolonged swallow
Mendelsohn maneuver
The Mendelsohn maneuver aims to improve swallowing control by intentionally prolonging the swallow.
While swallowing, you should try to feel when your Adam's apple is at its highest point, and then hold it there for two to three seconds before releasing it.
This exercise enhances both the timing and strength of the upper esophageal sphincter contractions.
Larynx lifts
Hyolaryngeal excursion exercises
The idea here is to strengthen the UES indirectly by working on raising the larynx and hyoid bone through repetitive motions.
One can easily do this by imitating the act of a deep yawn or as if gargling water. The key is to concentrate on raising these structures as high as you can with each repetition.
Do this exercise 10 times, twice a day for best results.