Exercises For Improving Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a number of factors all combining to create an airway that collapses during sleep. Given the many underlying causes involved, it makes sense that the optimal treatment will also be multifactorial. At the end of this talk, Dr Singh answers a question about myofunctional therapy by saying that it should be part of the DNA appliance treatment protocol.

In addition to myofunctional therapy, I’ve come across several other exercises which may be helpful in getting the most out of my RNA appliance. Here is a summary:

Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional therapy is a series of exercises intended to strengthen the muscles of the tongue, mouth and upper throat and help maintain the airway during sleep, improving obstructive sleep apnea. Research has shown that myofunctional therapy could serve as an adjunct to other obstructive sleep apnea treatment.

Not everyone agrees though, as demonstrated by this self-declared rant by a self-interested surgeon in the U.S. His claim that effective exercises for obstructive sleep apnea can only be learned by travelling to Brazil demonstrates the absurdity of his thinking; in fact they can be found right here.

Here are some myofunctional therapy exercises aimed specifically at obstructive sleep apnea:

Oropharyngeal Exercises

The orapharynx is the area at the back of the tongue with soft tissue which can collapse and block the airway during sleep. I had an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon put a camera down my nasal passage to confirm that this is where my airway obstruction is. Oropharyngeal exercises can help improve obstructive sleep apnea by toning the upper airway muscles so they don’t collapse during sleep. This has also been found in other studies.

The exercises from the Brazilian study are available here, but this is a much clearer video with similar exercises and slides that can be downloaded for easy reference:

Playing Didgeridoo

The circular breathing involved in playing the didgeridoo also improves obstructive sleep apnea, by improving muscle tone in the upper airway. Playing other wind instruments can also improve obstructive sleep apnea, but didgeridoo is quicker to learn.

Here’s a quick introduction to it:

Nose, Throat and Tongue Exercises

Here’s a series of nose, throat and tongue exercise videos intended to help reduce snoring and sleep apnea:

Nasal Muscle Exercises

The underdeveloped upper jaw that caused my obstructive sleep apnea can also cause nasal airway resistance, and this is likely to be made worse if the nasal muscles are weak. Nasal muscle exercises aim to help with that.

Here’s an introduction, and also see the second & third examples:

Tongue Chewing/Mewing

“Mewing” is a practice for developing proper tongue posture by training the tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth in order to promote oral cavity growth. It was developed by controversial U.K. expansive orthodontist Mike Mew, whose father John Mew was the first to demonstrate the link between retractive orthodontics and craniofacial underdevelopment.

Here’s Mike demonstrating Tongue Chewing:

Good Oral Posture Exercises (GOPex)

The Good Oral Posture (GOPex) exercises were developed by Dr Sandra Kahn to help children develop the correct tongue posture required to assist with proper craniofacial and airway development.

Here’s a playlist with the exercises, and a summary:

None of these exercises alone are likely to cure severe sleep apnea, but I see them as an adjunct to my mRNA appliance treatment which will hopefully combine to get me over the line and liberate me from my CPAP machine.