Can Myofunctional Therapy Improve Sleep? The Breathing, Airway & Oral Function Connection

Estimated Reading Time: 8–10 minutes

When people first hear what I do, I usually expect questions about tongues.

Tongue posture? Absolutely.

Tongue thrust? Sure.

Swallowing? Makes sense.

But then I start talking about breathing and sleep, and that's often where I get the puzzled look.

Wait...what does my tongue have to do with how I sleep?

More than you might think.

Your tongue, lips, jaw, breathing pattern, and airway don't stop interacting when you fall asleep. The way those systems function during the day can also be relevant when we're trying to understand what's happening at night.

But there's an important distinction:

Myofunctional Therapy isn't a cure for every sleep problem, and it isn't a replacement for medical sleep or airway care.

Instead, it can address one important part of a much larger picture:

function.

Let's unpack what that actually means.

Start With Something You Do All Day and All Night: Breathe

You can consciously change your breathing for a few seconds.

But most of the time?

Your body handles it without asking you.

When the airway allows, breathing through the nose is generally the preferred pattern.

Yet some children and adults regularly breathe through their mouths—during the day, at night, or both.

That may show up as:

• Sleeping with the mouth open

• Snoring or noisy breathing

• Waking with a dry mouth

• Drooling

• Restless sleep

• Daytime mouth breathing

• Difficulty comfortably keeping the lips together

None of those automatically means someone has a sleep disorder.

But persistent patterns can provide useful clues.

Face Value specifically works with children, teens, and adults experiencing patterns such as mouth breathing, snoring or restless sleep, tongue thrust, teeth grinding, and other concerns involving breathing and oral function.

So What Does the Tongue Have to Do With Breathing?

Here's a quick experiment.

Close your lips comfortably.

Let your tongue rest gently against the roof of your mouth.

Now breathe through your nose.

That's very different from the oral posture required to breathe through your mouth.

When someone regularly mouth breathes, the lips need to separate and the tongue often rests lower in the mouth to allow airflow through the oral cavity.

If that happens consistently, the body can become very good at maintaining that pattern.

This is one reason oral resting posture matters.

Your tongue isn't only doing something when you talk or eat. Where it spends all those hours between activities matters too.

And What Does That Have to Do With Sleep?

This is where the conversation gets more nuanced.

Healthy sleep depends on many factors, and sleep problems can have many causes.

Myofunctional Therapy doesn't diagnose sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. It also doesn't remove tonsils or adenoids, treat allergies, or correct structural airway obstruction.

But breathing pattern and oral muscle function can be pieces of the overall airway and sleep picture.

That's why someone evaluating oral function may look at:

• Nasal versus mouth breathing

• Tongue resting posture

• Lip closure

• Tongue mobility

• Swallowing

• Oral muscle coordination

• Long-standing oral habits

We're asking:

How is this system functioning when the person isn't consciously controlling it?

That habit-focused approach is central to the way Face Value describes its therapy model.

Can Myofunctional Therapy Actually Improve Sleep?

For some people, addressing dysfunctional oral and breathing patterns may be one component of care intended to support healthier breathing and sleep.

But the answer should never be:

"You're sleeping poorly, so you need Myofunctional Therapy."

That's much too simple.

A better question is:

"What is contributing to the sleep or breathing concern, and is oral function one part of it?"

If someone can't comfortably breathe through their nose because of an unresolved medical or structural issue, teaching nasal-breathing habits isn't going to solve the underlying problem.

That issue needs appropriate evaluation.

Once the airway is appropriately addressed and nasal breathing is comfortable, Myofunctional Therapy may have a role in retraining patterns the body has practiced for months or even years.

What Might Therapy Work On?

Every treatment plan is individualized.

Depending on the person's needs, therapy may address areas such as:

Nasal breathing patterns
Building awareness and establishing nasal breathing as the habitual pattern when medically appropriate.

Tongue resting posture
Helping establish an appropriate resting position rather than a persistent low-tongue posture.

Lip closure
Improving comfortable, relaxed lip seal without excessive effort.

Swallowing patterns
Addressing dysfunctional patterns such as tongue thrust when present.

Muscle coordination
Helping the muscles of the tongue, lips, mouth, and face work together more effectively.

Habit formation
This is a big one.

Learning an exercise during an appointment is not the ultimate goal.

The goal is helping the body develop a healthier pattern that becomes increasingly automatic.

That's why Face Value's therapy is structured around individualized exercises, habit-based training, ongoing support, and coordination with dental and medical providers when appropriate.

What About Snoring?

This is one I want parents to pay attention to.

Snoring can become so familiar that families start thinking:

"Oh, that's just how he sleeps."

Or:

"She's always snored."

But frequent snoring or noisy breathing—particularly when accompanied by restless sleep, open-mouth sleeping, or other concerns—is worth mentioning to an appropriate healthcare professional.

It does not automatically mean your child has obstructive sleep apnea or another specific condition.

It means it's worth asking a question.

The same is true for adults.

You don't need to diagnose the cause yourself.

You just don't want to ignore a persistent pattern because you've gotten used to hearing it.

This Is Why Collaborative Care Matters

I love Myofunctional Therapy.

But I don't believe Myofunctional Therapy should try to be everything.

Depending on what someone is experiencing, the care team might involve:

• A pediatrician or primary-care provider

• Dentist

• Orthodontist

• ENT

• Allergist

• Sleep professional

• Other appropriate specialists

• Myofunctional therapist

Different providers look at different pieces of the puzzle.

An ENT may be evaluating anatomy.

A dentist or orthodontist may be looking at oral structures, development, or bite.

A sleep professional may be investigating what's happening physiologically during sleep.

A Myofunctional Therapist is looking closely at function and habit.

Put those perspectives together when needed, and we get a much better picture than any one of us trying to answer every question alone.

That collaborative model is also part of Face Value's current approach to care.

What Does a Myofunctional Evaluation Look For?

At Face Value, an evaluation isn't simply a test of whether your tongue is "strong enough."

We're looking at how things work together.

That can include observations of:

• Breathing patterns

• Oral resting posture

• Tongue position and mobility

• Lip function

• Swallowing

• Oral habits

• Muscle coordination

From there, we can talk about what we're seeing and whether Myofunctional Therapy appears appropriate.

Sometimes another provider needs to be involved.

Sometimes therapy makes sense.

And sometimes the most useful outcome is simply helping a family understand the next question they should ask.

Better Sleep Isn't About Chasing One Symptom

It's tempting to look for one answer.

"My child snores. What's the exercise?"

"I wake up tired. Where should my tongue go?"

"My child mouth breathes. How do I make them stop?"

Human bodies don't usually work that neatly.

The better approach is to understand the pattern.

Can this person breathe comfortably through their nose?

What is happening with their airway?

Where does their tongue rest?

How are their lips and oral muscles functioning?

Are there structural or medical concerns that need another provider?

And once those pieces are understood, is there a functional pattern we can help retrain?

That's where Myofunctional Therapy can fit beautifully into a larger care plan.

The Big Takeaway

So, can Myofunctional Therapy improve sleep?

The most responsible answer is:

It may help address breathing and oral-function patterns that can be relevant to sleep, when those patterns are actually part of the problem.

It isn't a substitute for appropriate medical evaluation.

And it shouldn't be treated as a one-size-fits-all sleep solution.

But when oral function, breathing habits, and resting posture are part of the picture, Myofunctional Therapy gives us a structured way to work on something very important:

teaching the muscles a healthier pattern—and helping that pattern become a habit.

And sometimes, that's an important missing piece of the puzzle.

About the Author

Reviewed and Written by

Emilee Hyland, RDH

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist
Founder, Face Value Myofunctional Therapy

Emilee helps children and adults improve breathing, tongue posture, swallowing patterns, oral function, and airway health through personalized Myofunctional Therapy. Her approach emphasizes education, individualized care, and collaboration with dental and healthcare providers.

Wondering Whether Breathing or Oral Function May Be Affecting You or Your Child?

If you've noticed mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, open-mouth posture, tongue thrust, or other concerns involving oral function, Face Value can help determine whether a comprehensive Myofunctional evaluation may be an appropriate next step.

Schedule a consultation with Face Value Myofunctional Therapy to learn more.