Sleep apnea, or obstructive sleep apneoa (OSA) is a common breathing disorder which is characterised by a complete cessation of breathing during sleep for a period of time before breathing restarts again. It is usually caused by an obstruction in the airway when the muscles of the throat, soft palate and tongue relax during sleep. Although sleep apnoea does not usually cause death, if it is not well managed it can contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and increased risk of accidents due to daytime sleepiness (Rueda, et al., 2020).

A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is the main treatment option for people who suffer from sleep apnoea. Typically, a CPAP machine involves a nose piece or facial mask attached to some tubing which delivers continuous air pressure during the night to keep the airways open. Due to discomfort levels however, compliance with wearing a CPAP is often suboptimal (Rueda, et al. 2020).

Myofunctional therapy is a type of physical therapy that consists of specific exercises to increase muscle tone, coordination and endurance of the pharyngeal and peripharyngeal muscles (Koka, et al. 2021). Myofunctional therapy can be used as an adjunct to support healthy breathing during sleep. In a meta-analysis by Camacho et al. (2015) it was found that myofunctional can decrease the apnea-hyponea index (a measure that quantifies the number of pauses in breathing and reduced oxygen flow) by around 50% in adults and 62% in children. With improvements found in oxygen saturation levels, snoring episodes and daytime sleepiness.

While CPAP machines are still the recommended route to treat obstructive sleep apnoea, myofunctional therapy can improve quality of life, by improving sleep quality and reducing disruptive episodes during sleep and should be considered as a preventative approach in those showing early signs of developing apnea or sleep disordered breathing.

References:

Camacho, M., Certal, V., Abdullatif, J., Zaghi, S., Ruoff, C. M., Capasso, R., Kushidal, C. A. (2015). Myofunctional therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea: a systemic review and meta-analysis. Sleep. 2015.May1;38(5): 669-75.doi:10.5665/sleep.4652

Rueda, J-R., Aguinaga, I., Vilaro, J., Rueda-Etxebarria, M. (2020). Myofunctional therapy (oropharyngeal exercises) for obstructive sleep apnea. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2020. Nov.3,11(11): CDO13449

Koka, V., Vito, A. D., Roisman, G., Petitjean, M., Pignatelli, GRF., Podovani, D.,&;Randerath, W. (2021). Orofacial myofunctional therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A pathological perspective. Medicina 2021, Apr 1;57(4) 323.doi:10.3390/medicina57040323

Myofunctional therapy to help treat sleep apnoea

Did you know that swallowing correctly and tongue position is the foundation for aligned teeth and prevention of orthodontic relapse?