Myofunctional Therapy for Sleep Apnea “Obstructive sleep apnea, Mouth Breathing and Snoring”

Myofunctional therapy is a type of treatment that focuses on correcting oral muscle function. It includes tongue and breathing exercises for sleep apnea. These exercises improve tongue and jaw positions, thereby improving breathing and swallowing patterns.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes interrupted breathing when a person is asleep. Myofunctional therapy is used to treat sleep apnea. It works by strengthening the muscles responsible for breathing, reducing the severity of the sleep apnea symptoms. Studies have shown that myofunctional therapy can decrease the severity of sleep apnea by about 50% in adults and 62% in children.

Myofunctional therapy takes an adjunctive approach to CPAP and sleep apnea oral appliances. It employs sleep apnea exercises to address the underlying causes of sleep apnea and can be used in combination with other treatment options to achieve optimal results.

What Are the Types of Myofunctional Therapy Exercises and How Can They Help Treat Sleep Apnea?

Myofunctional therapy exercises include tongue exercises and breathing exercises. Both types of exercises play a crucial role in addressing various oral muscle dysfunctions that contribute to sleep apnea and other breathing disorders post sleep apnea diagnosis.

1. Tongue Exercises:

Tongue exercises for sleep apnea are a crucial part of myofunctional therapy targeted towards improving tongue posture. Sleep apnea may cause your tongue to collapse and block the airway, leading to breathing difficulties during sleep. Incorporating sleep apnea exercises in your daily routine, will strengthen your tongue and tongue muscles, ensuring it maintains proper posture and keeping the airway free of obstruction.

2. Breathing Exercises:

Sleep apnea breathing exercises are another myofunctional therapeutic approach for improving sleep apnea symptoms. These obstructive sleep apnea exercises improve breathing patterns and lung capacity, reducing the breathing interruptions caused by sleep apnea. In addition, these myofunctional breathing exercises can also help improve the oxygen levels in the body, which can assist in reducing the risk of complications such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Incorporating breathing exercises in your daily routine can improve respiratory function, leading to better sleep quality. This can also help reduce the need for other treatment options such as CPAP or oral appliances.

3. Throat Exercises:

Throat exercises for sleep apnea are necessary since sleep apnea can cause soft tissues in the throat to collapse or narrow, which contributes to breathing difficulties caused during sleep. Sleep apnea throat exercises work by strengthening the muscles of your throat, keeping the airway free of obstruction and reducing interruptions during sleep. Additionally, throat exercises have also been known to reduce snoring.

What Are The Benefits Of Myofunctional Therapy Exercises For Sleep Apnea?

Apart from myofunctional therapy exercises being the least invasive sleep apnea treatment, they also offer a variety of other benefits:

Improves sleep quality by addressing oral muscle dysfunctions that are contributing to sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring.

Reduces jaw pain & headaches by correcting oral muscle imbalances, thereby stabilising the jaw joint and posture that helps in reducing TMJ jaw pain and headaches

Improves digestive health by ensuring food is properly chewed and swallowed.

Improves mental health by reducing anxiety and depression often associated with poor breathing and sleep disorders and improving the overall quality of life.

If you are experiencing sleep apnea symptoms or other oral muscle dysfunctions, we advise you to seek sleep apnea treatment in Mumbai, India, from a reputed sleep apnea and tongue tie dentist.