Simple mouth exercises could be a new weapon against sleep apnea

NCT ID NCT05678088

Recruiting now Symptom relief Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether doing specific mouth and tongue exercises can help people with obstructive sleep apnea who cannot use a CPAP machine. Forty-five adults will be randomly assigned to real exercises, sham exercises, or unsupervised exercises for 10 weeks. The main goal is to see if a larger trial is possible, but researchers will also check if sleep apnea severity and daytime sleepiness improve.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: oropharyngeal exercises
What this could lead to: If this works, it could offer a simple, drug-free way to reduce sleep apnea severity and improve sleep quality for people who can't use CPAP.
What could go wrong: This is a small feasibility study, not a large effectiveness trial. The exercises may not improve sleep apnea enough to matter, and results may not apply to everyone.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Contacts and locations

Locations

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
RECRUITING

Toronto, Ontario, M4N3M5, Canada

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