Myofunctional Therapy and Nasal Breathing Exercises

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What is - Myofunctional Therapy and Nasal Breathing Exercises

Myofunctional therapy is a set of tongue and throat exercises that aims to increase the tone and strength of your tongue and throat muscles. For obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients, their throat muscles and tongue are more relaxed during sleep, resulting in a collapse of their airway. Myofunctional therapy exercises can help to increase the tone and strength of these upper airway muscles, thereby reducing the collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Myofunctional therapy reduces sleepiness and snoring, and improves OSA. It complements other OSA treatments.

Nasal breathing exercises

Nasal breathing exercises are exercises that encourage nasal breathing. Nasal breathing is important for stabilisation of the upper airway. OSA patients often breathe through their mouths during sleep. This causes their tongues to collapse backwards which will narrow their upper airway and reduce airflow.

Upper Airway Anatomy

Here is a set of myofunctional therapy and nasal breathing exercises. It takes about 5 minutes to complete one set of exercises. It would be ideal to achieve 2 sets of exercise per session (10 minutes total), at least twice daily. It is recommended to practice these exercises in front of a mirror so it is easier to see what is happening.