What Is Myofunctional Therapy? How Training the Muscles of the Mouth and Face May Support Better Breathing and Sleep

Your tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw do much more than help you eat and speak. These muscles also play an important role in how you breathe and how your mouth and airway function during sleep.

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a type of exercise-based therapy designed to improve the strength, coordination, and function of the muscles of the mouth, face, and tongue. Therapy may include exercises that focus on tongue positioning, lip strength, swallowing patterns, and other oral-motor functions.

What Does Myofunctional Therapy Have to Do With Sleep?

During sleep, the muscles that help maintain the upper airway can become more relaxed. For some people, this can contribute to airway narrowing and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Research suggests that strengthening and retraining the muscles of the tongue and upper airway may help improve certain measures of sleep-disordered breathing. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Laryngoscope examined seven randomized controlled trials involving 310 patients. The researchers found that adults receiving orofacial myofunctional therapy experienced improvements in measures including the apnea-hypopnea index, daytime sleepiness, sleep-related quality of life, and minimum oxygen saturation.

A separate 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis also found that myofunctional therapy was associated with reductions in apnea severity and daytime sleepiness in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

Is Myofunctional Therapy Right for Everyone?

Not necessarily. Myofunctional therapy is not a replacement for every sleep apnea treatment, and researchers continue to study which patients are most likely to benefit. It may be used as part of a comprehensive approach to airway and sleep health, sometimes alongside other treatments.

At Airway Dental & More, we look beyond the teeth to consider how oral function, tongue posture, jaw development, and airway health may work together. If you experience symptoms such as mouth breathing, snoring, poor sleep, or other concerns with oral function, a professional evaluation can help determine whether myofunctional therapy may be appropriate for you.

Research Source:Saba ES, Kim H, Huynh P, Jiang N. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Laryngoscope. 2024. Read the study on PubMed