How can you improve sleep apnea using myofunctional therapy?

Posted by Marry Grover on December 29th, 2022

For those of you who are not aware, sleep apnea is a disorder that might be responsible for keeping you up through the night. In this condition, due to the obstruction in the airway, the patient finds it hard to breathe. The problem is caused when the muscles located at the rear of your throat and responsible for supporting the soft palate, tonsils, tongue, and side walls over-relax. The action narrows your airway and prevents you from drawing enough oxygen. This, in turn, leads to lower oxygen levels in the blood that causes your brain to wake you from sleep.

For those of you seeking ways to treat this condition, we have summarized the effectiveness of myofunctional therapy on sleep apnea. Have a look!

What is myofunctional therapy?

The oropharynx refers to your body parts, including your mouth and throat. These muscles help you in chewing, talking, and breathing. Besides, they are also responsible for keeping your airway open while you are asleep. But, once they become weak, the oropharynx muscles can disrupt airflow and cause snoring. They can make your tube collapse and block the airway, which is precisely what happens during sleep apnea. This is where myofunctional therapy comes into use.

Sleep specialists use myofunctional therapy to treat sleep apnea. It includes specific exercises that primarily focus on your face muscles used for chewing and swallowing. Research suggests that your apnea-hypopnea index can drop from 24.5 to 12.3 by using these exercises, which means reduced severity levels. Moreover, this physical therapy for sleep apnea is a viable treatment method as it is non-invasive, inexpensive, and does not pose any major risks. In addition, practising it can also improve your headaches, neck pain, the habit of sucking your thumb, and heartburn.

What are some effective myofunctional exercises?

For treating sleep apnea, here are some recommended myofunctional exercises that you should perform ten times-

1. Push up tongue-

Put your tongue against the hard palate just behind your teeth and push upwards. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Ideally, you need to perform this regime ten times for results.

2. Touch chin-

For this exercise, stick your tongue out and try to touch your chin. Hold this position for 10 seconds and relax for a while before doing it again.

3. Push tongue-

Take your tongue out, move it as far as you can on your right, and hold it there for 10 seconds. Then, repeat it ten times before pushing your tongue on your left.

4. Roll tongue-

Roll your tongue towards the middle by folding the edges. Next, stick it out as far as you can and pause for 10 seconds. Then, relax and repeat.

So, these are some effective myofunctional exercises that you should perform at least ten times for the best results.