If asked to think about muscle tone and posture, you might imagine a ballet dancer. Their rigorous training develops excellent muscle tone through their legs, core, shoulders and arms, enabling them to move with fluid grace throughout long performances.
Muscle tone refers to the amount of tension in a muscle. It enables you to hold your body in a certain position. It matters, not only in your obvious major muscle groups, but also in the smaller muscles you don’t see, such as those in your throat.
The tone of these muscles influences the position of your tongue – and that can influence your risk of sleep apnoea. Improving the tone of these muscles and the position of your tongue could help to treat sleep apnoea.
Sleep apnoea and tongue posture
Your oropharyngeal muscles are a group of muscles in your mouth and throat that help you speak, eat and breathe. These muscles support your soft palate, tongue and the side walls of your throat, holding them in the right position to keep your airway open so you can breathe easily.
Sleep apnoea happens when those muscles relax too much during sleep. This makes your tongue fall back, narrowing or blocking your airway. That can lower your blood oxygen levels and cause you to stop breathing for a few seconds – until your brain rouses you and restarts your breathing.
This can happen many times every hour throughout the whole night – and then again the next night, and the next. Sleep apnoea leads to persistently poor sleep and low oxygen levels. Not only are you tired, but you’re also at higher risk of heart problems, stroke and mental health difficulties.
Sleep apnoea treatment usually relies on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which forces air through your narrowed or collapsed airways under pressure to deliver enough oxygen to your lungs while you sleep.
CPAP is considered the gold standard for severe sleep apnoea treatment but it does not treat any of the underlying causes, such as excessive weight, nasal congestion or poor tongue or lip posture.
Myospots, in contrast, seeks to address one of the main underlying causes of sleep apnoea: your tongue posture.
Improving your tongue posture to ease sleep apnoea
Your tongue posture refers to where your tongue rests in your mouth. Ideally, it should rise up to rest on the roof of your mouth, which brings your lips together and forces you to breathe through your nose.
Clinical trials show that changing tongue posture can ease snoring or improve sleep apnea.
In one study, 20 patients with mild to moderate OSA were given oropharyngeal exercises to complete. The exercises were for their soft palate, tongue and facial muscles. Each exercise had to be repeated 10 times with 5 sets per day for 3 months. At the end of the study, the participants had narrower necks and better oxygen levels. Their sleep apnoea symptoms were less severe.
Another study explored how to reduce snoring, a common symptom of sleep apnoea. Patients wore nasal dilator strips and completed daily oropharyngeal exercises for 3 months. Snoring decreased considerably!
Try these tongue exercises
A third study explored the influence of tongue position on snoring. Patients learnt how to habitually breathe through the nose by positioning their tongue on the roof of their mouth. This did, indeed, reduce snoring.
These studies provide encouraging news for patients who struggle with CPAP treatment. It means there’s a potential alternative therapy option (subject to the advice of the treating clinician).
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How does Myospots help?
The Myospots nasal breathing range helps you breathe through your nose and strengthen your oropharyngeal muscles.
Our products helps you to:
- Correct your tongue posture using our tongue exercise spots
- Keep your mouth closed while sleeping using our lip tape
- Widen your nostrils so it’s easier to breathe through your nose when sleeping using our nasal strips.
Sleep apnoea is a serious health condition and should be treated by a doctor with relevant experience. Myospots products along with oropharyngeal exercises can support your treatment by helping you breathe through your nose and strengthen your muscle tone.
Disclaimer
All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. This product may not be right for you. Read the label before purchase.
References
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Mayo Clinic, Obstructive sleep apnoea, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352090, [Accessed 2 December 2024]
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Healthdirect, Sleep apnoea, https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/obstructive-sleep-apnoea, [Accessed 2 December 2024]
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Verma RK, Johnson J JR, Goyal M, Banumathy N, Goswami U, Panda NK. Oropharyngeal exercises in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea: our experience. Sleep Breath. 2016 Dec;20(4):1193-1201. doi: 10.1007/s11325-016-1332-1. Epub 2016 Mar 18. PMID: 26993338. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26993338/, [Accessed 2 December 2024]
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Ieto V, Kayamori F, Montes MI, Hirata RP, Gregório MG, Alencar AM, Drager LF, Genta PR, Lorenzi-Filho G. Effects of Oropharyngeal Exercises on Snoring: A Randomized Trial. Chest. 2015 Sep;148(3):683-691. doi: 10.1378/chest.14-2953. PMID: 25950418. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25950418/, [Accessed 2 December 2024]
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Engelke W, Engelhardt W, Mendoza-Gärtner M, Deccó O, Barrirero J, Knösel M. Functional treatment of snoring based on the tongue-repositioning manoeuvre. Eur J Orthod. 2010 Oct;32(5):490-5. doi: 10.1093/ejo/cjp135. Epub 2010 Jan 28. PMID: 20110305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20110305/, [Accessed 2 December 2024]
