Myofunctional Therapy and Longevity

The word longevity seems to be everywhere right now with everyone hoping to find the key to a happy, healthy, and long life. While humanity has not cracked the code for eternal life yet, many prominent scientists have learned some key elements of how to improve the quantity and quality of life.

One renowned neurologist hoping to improve the quality of life of his patients is Dr. Majid Fotuhi. Throughout Dr. Fotuhi’s career he has come to the conclusion that with the right daily habits, the brain can grow stronger, more resilient, and more youthful—at any age. These habits Dr. Fotuhi has found success with focus on 5 particular pillars: exercise, proper diet, sleep, challenging the brain, and a positive mindset. Developing healthy habits in these categories have been proven to strengthen neural networks and even grow the hippocampus which is strongly connected to memory. 4 of the 5 of these pillars involve active decisions that we make throughout the day while quality sleep stands out as an element that sometimes feels out of our control. After all, how are we to control what we do while we are unconscious?

What Holds Many Back from Quality Sleep?

The most discussed suggestions to improve one’s sleep are to keep a regular sleep schedule, eat earlier in the evening, get exercise, turn off screens, and limit alcohol and caffeine intake. You have likely heard these time and time again, but what about the people who have tried all this and still feel exhausted after they get 8+ hours of sleep?

A possible reason for persistent grogginess could be the common ailment of Sleep Apnea which interrupts breathing while asleep. Interrupted breathing during sleep affects an estimated 30 million people in the U.S., yet many people don’t realize they have obstructive sleep apnea until a partner notices loud snoring, gasping or restless nights. In fact, only 6 million are diagnosed with sleep apnea, leaving 80% unaware they have the condition (Berg, 2025). This interrupted sleep impacts cognitive ability and longevity greatly which is demonstrated in studies that suggest sleep apnea is a large risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease (Andrade et al, 2019).

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

An option for treating Sleep Apnea that most have heard of is wearing a CPAP device during the night which can be noisy, large, and uncomfortable. Another option to treat sleep apnea without the clunky technology is Myofunctional therapy. According to the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, this approach provides one with the tools to strengthen the tongue and airway muscles which reduces the likelihood of airway collapse, trains people to maintain correct tongue posture against the roof of the mouth to keep the airway open, and reduces mouth breathing to improve airflow during the night. All these benefits of myofunctional therapy make treating sleep apnea and improving sleep possible to do independently rather than relying on machinery.

Sleep Apnea’s effects on sleep are clearly tremendous and hold literally millions of people back from achieving quality sleep bringing along all the health and longevity risks with it. While we still don’t have the magic elixir to invincibility, Dr. Fotuhi and many other neuroscientists agree that sleep is a key factor to a long and healthy life. Myofunctional therapy is an excellent option to take control back from ailments that impact sleep and enhance brain health ensuring better quality of life for years to come.

References

Andrade, A., Bubu, O. M., Varga, A. W., & Osorio, R. S. (2019, May 30). The relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Alzheimer's Disease. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6542637/#S15

Berg, S., MS. (2025, November 7). What doctors want patients to know about sleep apnea. American Medical Association. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/what-doctors-want-patients-know-about-sleep-apnea

Guyardo, G. (2025, December 18). The Five Pillars of the "Invincible Brain": How to stay sharp at any age. Bloom. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/the-five-pillars-of-the-invincible-brain-how-to-stay-sharp-at-any-age/

Johns Hopkins. (n.d.). Majid Fotuhi Adjunct Professor. The Zanvyl Krieger: Mind/Brain Institute. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://krieger.jhu.edu/mbi/directory/majid-fotuhi/

What is Myofunctional Therapy? (n.d.). Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from https://aomtinfo.org/myofunctional-therapy/