Sleep apnea isn’t just about snoring or poor sleep, it’s often tied to the way your mouth and facial muscles work. Myofunctional therapy for sleep apnea offers a simple, non-invasive way to retrain those muscles and improve airflow naturally.
At Elizabeth L. Wakim DDS, we take a whole-body approach to oral health because better muscle function can mean better sleep, better breathing, and a better quality of life.
Here’s what you need to know about how this therapy works, who it can help, and what to expect along the way.
What Is Myofunctional Therapy?
An estimated 1 billion adults worldwide are affected by obstructive sleep apnea, making it one of the most common yet underdiagnosed sleep disorders. Myofunctional therapy offers a gentle, non-invasive way to address it by retraining the muscles in your mouth, tongue, and throat to function more effectively during sleep. Think of it as exercise for your airway just like stretching or strength training for your body.
- How it works: Guided by a certified provider, you perform specific exercises such as pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth or practicing proper lip closure. These movements enhance muscle tone, improve tongue posture, and help support open breathing passages at night.
- Why it matters for sleep apnea: Strengthening those muscles plays a key role in preventing airway collapse, which can reduce the number of apneas and hypopneas. Myofunctional therapy has been shown to lower the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which leads to better sleep quality in many cases of moderate sleep apnea.
Unlike CPAP machines or oral appliances, myofunctional therapy addresses the root muscle dysfunction and offers a complementary, long-term approach you can practice from the comfort of home.
Who Benefits Most from Myofunctional Therapy?
Myofunctional therapy can be a game-changer for people whose sleep apnea is linked to muscle weakness or poor oral habits. Studies show it can reduce the apnea-hypopnea index by around 50% in adults and up to 62% in children, making it especially effective for:
- Mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): When airway collapse is due to weak tongue or throat muscles, therapy can retrain those muscles for better tone and function.
- Children with oral habits: Thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, or mouth breathing can contribute to structural issues and sleep-disordered breathing.
- People who snore: Not all snorers have sleep apnea, but strengthening the muscles involved in breathing can reduce vibration and noise.
- Post-orthodontic patients: Myofunctional therapy can help maintain results by correcting tongue posture and swallowing patterns.
- CPAP-intolerant individuals: For those who can’t tolerate CPAP machines, myofunctional therapy may offer a supportive or alternative approach.
This therapy is most effective when guided by a trained provider and used consistently, often alongside other treatments like orthodontics, oral appliances, or lifestyle changes.
Benefits of Myofunctional Therapy for Sleep Apnea
Once your muscles learn to function the right way, the effects go beyond nighttime breathing. Myofunctional therapy helps retrain patterns that affect everything from jaw posture to energy levels.
Here’s how it makes a difference for patients with sleep apnea:
- Better Breathing Habits: Stronger oral and airway muscles support natural nasal breathing, which promotes a more stable oxygen flow.
- Less Mouth Breathing: Many people with sleep apnea rely on mouth breathing, which can worsen symptoms. Therapy helps break this cycle.
- More Comfortable Jaw Alignment: Patients often notice less tension and clenching as their tongue and jaw rest in healthier positions, a benefit especially helpful for those managing TMJ disorders and orofacial pain, where muscle strain and jaw misalignment can trigger chronic discomfort.
- Support for Other Treatments: If you’re weighing your options, understanding the differences between a CPAP machine and a dental sleep appliance can help you make an informed decision based on your condition and comfort.
- Improved Quality of Life: Better sleep often leads to better mood, focus, and resilience during the day, something every tired patient can appreciate.
Myofunctional therapy works gradually, but the benefits are cumulative. With consistency, many patients experience long-term gains in both sleep quality and daily well-being.
What to Expect During Myofunctional Therapy Treatment
Myofunctional therapy is a structured and personalized approach designed to retrain the orofacial muscles responsible for proper breathing, swallowing, and sleep function. For individuals who experience symptoms linked to obstructive sleep apnea, it’s becoming an increasingly important tool in improving airway stability and long-term sleep quality.
Step 1: Initial Evaluation
Your journey begins with a thorough assessment by a specialist trained in oral myofunctional therapy. They’ll evaluate your tongue posture, upper airway muscle tone, breathing patterns, and any signs of sleep-disordered breathing, including daytime sleepiness or snoring. Tools like the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) or Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index may be used to establish baseline measurements.
Step 2: Personalized Exercise Plan
Based on your needs, the therapist will create a customized set of oropharyngeal exercises. These include isotonic and isometric exercises that strengthen the soft palate, tongue, lips, and cheeks, key areas involved in upper airway remodeling. Studies have shown that these exercises can lead to a significant reduction in snoring frequency, snoring intensity, and excessive daytime sleepiness, especially in adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Step 3: Daily Practice at Home
You’ll be guided through simple exercises, many of which can be done in just minutes a day. The key is consistency. Repeating these exercises, often twice daily, helps promote proper tongue positioning and supports long-term upper respiratory tract health.
Step 4: Ongoing Progress Checks
Regular check-ins, whether in person or virtual, allow your therapist to adjust your routine and monitor progress. These sessions are essential for reinforcing correct technique and tracking primary outcomes like reduced tongue fat, improved tongue muscle function, and better subjective outcomes such as improved sleep quality.
Step 5: Collaboration With Other Providers
If you’re also being treated for severe obstructive sleep apnea or related issues, your therapist may work alongside your sleep physician, speech therapy provider, dentist, or ENT. This team approach ensures the therapy complements any intervention group strategies and addresses broader systemic health concerns, including cardiovascular diseases.
Step 6: Long-Term Maintenance
Once you’ve met your goals, your plan may shift into a maintenance phase. Continued attention to tongue tip posture and entire tongue mobility helps preserve gains and prevent regression. Many patients report significant improvement in breathing and energy levels with continued practice even those with pediatric sleep-disordered breathing or pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.
Things to Consider With Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy may be gaining traction in sleep medicine, but it’s not a universal solution. Before diving in, here’s what patients and providers alike should consider:
- Not a replacement for CPAP in all cases: While some people seek myofunctional therapy as an alternative treatment, those with severe OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) often still require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP treatment) for effective relief. Oral myofunctional therapy may complement CPAP, but it doesn’t replace it for everyone.
- Evidence is promising but still developing: A growing number of systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials suggest that orofacial myofunctional therapy can help treat obstructive sleep apnea especially mild to moderate cases. Still, future studies with more diverse control groups and fewer issues like incomplete outcome data are needed to strengthen the evidence base.
- Consistency is critical: Myofunctional therapy exercises, particularly tongue exercises that strengthen upper airway muscles, require daily effort. Skipping sessions can limit the benefits and delay results.
- Results vary by individual: Factors like body mass index, baseline tongue tone (measured by tools like the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument), and comorbid conditions can influence how well a patient responds to therapy. Not all patients achieve the same level of improvement.
- It’s best used as part of a multidisciplinary plan: For long-term success, therapy should be supervised by a trained provider and may involve collaboration with ENT specialists, dentists, and sleep physicians especially in cases of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.
According to the World Health Organization and other global health agencies, sleep health plays a vital role in overall wellness. If you’re considering orofacial myofunctional therapy, weigh the benefits, limitations, and major risks with your care team to make the most informed decision possible.
Ready to Explore Myofunctional Therapy?
Whether you’re newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea or looking for an alternative treatment to complement CPAP, myofunctional therapy could be a natural, noninvasive option worth considering. By strengthening the muscles that support your airway and retraining key habits like tongue posture and nasal breathing, it aims to improve sleep from the inside out.
At Elizabeth L. Wakim DDS, we believe in whole-health dental care that looks beyond your teeth. If you’re curious about how orofacial myofunctional therapy fits into your sleep treatment plan, we’re here to guide you, no pressure, just personalized care.
Call our Pennsylvania office at (724) 558-8222 or use our contact form to schedule a visit. We’ll help you make confident choices that support better sleep, better breathing, and better health.