Mewing for Sleep Apnea & Snoring: Does it Help?

Are you struggling with loud snoring every night, and does it feel like a never-ending nightmare? Fortunately, a proper oral posture can help. Let’s learn how mewing can help sleep apnea and snoring.
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Mewing for Sleep Apnea & Snoring: Does it Help?
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Waking up to your own snoring sounds can be bothersome. But there's a potential solution that can help you bring relief – proper tongue mewing posture! 

Doctor John Mew and his son Mike Mew have made a remarkable discovery - a single treatment that addresses tongue and jaw posture, improves breathing, and even aids with sleep apnea.

Besides some wonderful aesthetic benefits of mewing, it is also believed to help with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes interruptions in your breathing while you're trying to get some much-needed rest.

But, can mewing really help fix sleep apnea? And, if mewing does help with snoring, then what would the mechanism be like? 

If you consider mewing as a healthy oral posture technique, it can help treat many sleep apnea cases. By encouraging you to keep your tongue against the roof of your mouth, mewing prevents the tongue from relaxing and obstructing the airways, ultimately alleviating sleep apnea symptoms.

In this article, we will answer your main mewing and sleep apnea concerns, such as:

  • How to know if you have sleep apnea?
  • How can mewing help you fix sleep apnea?
  • How is mewing related to sleep apnea and snoring?
  • What are some other methods you can try to treat sleep apnea?

Before you know if mewing can help fix sleep apnea, let’s first understand what sleep apnea is.

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What is Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a prevalent sleep disorder that causes you to experience brief pauses in breathing multiple times during the night when you should be sound asleep. This can lead to poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. 

Sleep apnea interrupts the flow of oxygen to the brain and body, which further causes serious health risks like hypertension, strokes, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart muscle tissue), and heart attacks.

Interestingly enough, many individuals don’t even know of their obstructed airways. If you’re suffering from sleep apnea, you may feel confused and fatigued throughout the day, even after what seems like a full night of sleep.

In most cases, sleep apnea leads to loud snoring as the airway becomes partially blocked, and the individual struggles to breathe properly.

Types of Sleep Apnea with Severeness 

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most prevalent type, happens when the soft tissue at the back of your throat collapses, causing blockages in your airway. This, in turn, puts extra strain on your internal organs as they work hard to do what usually comes naturally while you're awake. 

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea is quite distinct from obstructive sleep apnea. In this case, the trouble arises from a failure of communication between your brain and respiratory system.

This particular type of sleep apnea is often seen in individuals who have experienced a stroke, those with neuromuscular diseases, or those facing central nervous system dysfunctions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or heart failure. 

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome lives up to its name as the most challenging type of sleep apnea. It's a combination of both central and obstructive sleep apnea, making it a complex sleep apnea type to handle. Unlike other types, this one typically calls for medical treatment rather than just exercises or simple solutions. 

What Causes Sleep Apnea

Here are some of the most common causes of sleep apnea.

  • Mouth breathing: When someone breathes through their mouth instead of their nose, it may cause the soft tissues in the throat to collapse more easily, increasing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
  • Improper tongue posture: Improper tongue posture can be a cause of sleep apnea. When the tongue is not positioned correctly during sleep, it can contribute to airway blockages and hinder proper breathing. What you can do is – make the mewing tongue posture a habit to alleviate symptoms of sleep apnea.
  • Respiratory diseases: Given that sleep apnea is closely related to the respiratory system, any malfunction or issue in the lungs may directly cause sleep apnea.
  • Being male: Sleep apnea is more prevalent among males, with a ratio of 8:1 compared to females.
  • Uneven heart rate/Nocturnal Cardiac Arrhythmia: Bradycardic arrhythmia and irregular heart rate during sleep give rise to both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
  • Neuromuscular diseases: Conditions like Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis increase the chances of developing sleep apnea.
  • Strokes: The relationship between strokes and sleep apnea works both ways. Strokes can cause sleep apnea, and sleep apnea can contribute to strokes due to the continuous lack of oxygen in the blood.

Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and vice versa. 

Sleep apnea can manifest differently in individuals. But here is how you can tell if you have sleep apnea:

  • You are snoring significantly loud every other night
  • You wake up with a dry throat and mouth
  • You have insomnia and restless sleep
  • You have gasping or choking sensations during sleep
  • You have developed daytime sleepiness despite getting enough rest
  • You wake up with morning headaches and dizziness

Now, let’s learn if you can fix sleep apnea with mewing. 

Mewing and Sleep Apnea 

By now, you already know what mewing is and how it focuses on correct tongue posture, encouraging individuals to rest their tongue against the roof of their mouth rather than allowing it to rest lower. 

Your main goals from the proper tongue posture include improving the alignment of facial structures and enhancing oral muscle function. Interestingly, this tongue posture may have implications for sleep apnea, particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Here is how mewing and sleep apnea relate to each other:

  • Airway Improvement: Mewing's emphasis on maintaining tongue posture against the palate may help prevent the tongue from falling backward and obstructing the airway during sleep. By actively engaging the tongue muscles, the airway may remain more open. This potentially reduces the frequency of airway blockages which is associated with sleep apnea.
  • Jaw Positioning: Proper tongue posture in mewing promotes better jaw alignment. A well-aligned jaw can lead to improved airway patency, which is crucial in preventing those annoying sleep apnea episodes.
  • Muscle Tone: Mewing encourages you to engage the muscles in the face and mouth. Strengthening these muscles can enhance the overall tone of the upper airway, which ultimately reduces the risk of airway collapse during sleep.
  • Improvement in Breathing: Those who regularly practice mewing know how this technique can positively affect breathing patterns. By promoting nasal breathing and discouraging mouth breathing, mewing may help address certain factors contributing to sleep apnea.

Now, what does the research have to say?

It’s important you know that the relationship between mewing and sleep apnea is an area that requires further studies. While anecdotal reports suggest improvements in sleep apnea symptoms with mewing, there is limited scientific research specifically exploring this connection.

Let’s condense this information now.

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How Can Mewing Help Sleep Apnea?

Now that you know how the main principles of mewing relate to the causes of sleep apnea, you must be anticipating, “How can mewing help me fix sleep apnea?

If you're thinking about giving mewing a shot to tackle your sleep apnea, keep in mind that it requires patience and getting the hang of the right tongue posture.

Here's the deal with tongue posture – you either rest or gently push your tongue against the upper soft palate. It may sound a bit technical for beginners. But it's like creating a natural barrier in your throat that works wonders. This simple technique opens up your upper airway, which is a crucial step in taking on sleep apnea. 

And what’s more – proper oral posture ensures a smoother flow of oxygen to your brain and body, giving you much-needed restful sleep. It might take a little practice, but once you master this posture, you'll notice a significant difference in managing sleep apnea symptoms. 

How Fast Can You Fix Sleep Apnea with Mewing?

Wondering how fast can you see results with mewing?

Mewing is actually quite simple, and the best thing is you can do it quietly with your mouth closed, so it's easy to fit into your day wherever you are.

But just like every other exercise, you need to be consistent with mewing as well. If you want to see real results in fixing sleep apnea or improving your facial appearance, getting the technique right is where the ACTUAL outcomes lie. 

How long it takes to see improvements in your sleep and overall results depends on how quickly you can practice proper mewing techniques. 

Now, what can genuinely help you fix sleep apnea with something you can easily do without any appliance?

Use Mewing App to Help Fix Sleep Apnea

You can begin fixing sleep apnea with mewing through our holistic Mewing App where you will learn proper mewing techniques, tailored to your unique needs. 

Our app has:

And, the list just goes on… 

DOWNLOAD THE APP NOW FOR FREE and take a quiz to help us identify your unique goals. 

Does Mewing Help with Snoring?

You might be curious if mewing can actually help with snoring. Just like how it's known to help with sleep apnea, mewing will also have a positive impact on snoring.

Here's an interesting study to back it up: researchers in the European Journal of Orthodontics found that doing tongue-repositioning exercises, which are similar to mewing, helped reduce snoring in people with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. However, we still need more research to be absolutely sure about its long-term effectiveness for snoring. 

  1. Firstly, mewing promotes enhanced muscle tone, especially in the oropharyngeal region. This enhancement might help prevent the airway from collapsing during sleep, a common cause of snoring. This also facilitates smoother nasal breathing, a less snore-prone alternative to mouth breathing.
  2. Secondly, over time, mewing influences jaw positioning, possibly moving the mandible or lower jaw forward. This positional shift can provide more space in the back of the throat, helping keep the airway open during sleep, thus reducing the incidence of snoring.
  3. Lastly, mewing trains your tongue to rest on the roof of your mouth, which prevents the tongue from falling back into the throat while sleeping. This, in turn, decreases the chances of airway obstruction and the subsequent snoring often caused by it.

It’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for further studies to fully understand its snoring-fighting abilities. If you're dealing with snoring issues, it's best to talk to a healthcare professional who can give you the best advice.

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Alternative Ways to Fix Sleep Apnea 

Besides mewing, some common additional ways to fix sleep apnea include:

Sleeping on Your Side

Sleeping on your side is a simple and effective way to reduce sleep apnea. If you choose to sleep on your side, gravity will pull your tongue and soft palate towards one ear, keeping the airways clear and preventing both snoring and sleep apnea. 

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT)

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) closely relates to mewing when it comes to targeted exercises for the jaw, mouth, face, and throat. OMT is another successful method to treat sleep apnea. 

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

CPAP involves using a machine that delivers air pressure while you sleep, and you wear a mask for this. The machine generates higher air pressure compared to what you experience naturally, which helps open up your upper airway passage.

Using Other Dental Appliances

When it comes to treating sleep apnea, braces, and oral appliances can be pretty helpful. They work by gently pushing your soft palate to open up the upper airways.

But just like with anything worthwhile, remember that these methods might involve a higher cost and take some time to show noticeable results.

Recap – How Does Mewing Help Fix Sleep Apnea and Snoring?

Does mewing fix sleep apnea? Mewing can help fix sleep apnea by naturally expanding and opening up the upper airway. This further helps you control improper mouth breathing and encourages nasal breathing.

Tired of loud snoring ruining your sleep? Take charge of your oral health and attractive facial profile with the Mewing App!

The information provided in this article is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or a substitute for professional guidance. Mewing and other techniques mentioned on this website may not be suitable for everyone, and individual results may vary. We strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional, such as an orthodontist, dentist, or myofunctional therapist, before starting any new oral or facial exercises, particularly if you have existing dental, orthodontic, or health concerns.
Written by
Yury Nebyshynets
July 25, 2023