Schnarchen und Schlafapnoe | Dr. Berndsen FaceFormer

In controlled pilot study, the success of the Face Former Therapy in Patients with snoring and sleep apnea was determined. A three-month long phase of therapy of four exercises daily was necessary. One exercise unit included 20 repeats of a basic exercise and 20 repeats of minimally one circuit exercise. After three weeks if nose breathing improved through the exercise, the Face Former device was also used during night. The goal was to make a habit of nose breathing.

Date of Evaluation

2002/03/25 – 2003/01/30

Evaluation Interval

Six evaluation appointments
Entry examination, afterwards four appointments after the first three weeks and one after three months.

Test Persons

Thirty-eight test persons began the evaluation
Only 30 test persons were evaluated, who took part in six control appointments and reported regularly with protocol to the exercise course (N=30).
Selected patients: Diagnosed with sleep apnea symptoms
RDI > 18, Independent of sex, 8 w, 22 m

Evaluation Procedure

Patient were chose who had files about their polysomnographical evaluation results from sleep laboratories or from outpatient evaluations. The data were chose as base values for the evaluation. All diagnoses were not older than six months. The patients had guaranteed that they were not to undergo other therapy treatments during the Face Former Therapy. Some patients, whom were handled with NCPAP and BIPAP, no longer used or stopped using the devices for reasons of poor acceptance. None of the test persons had undergone an operation for snoring.

During the control appointments, the patients recorded their own assumptions to the changes in sleep, daily tiredness, vigilance and to the effect on the general state of being in a scale from one to ten (1 = worst, 10 = best).

During every appointment measurement of lip strength were taken with the ISST Myo Bar Meter and recorded as real-time diagnostics. Thereby, the assumption was made that an improved lip strength increased the probability that the mouth closed during the sleep phase and through the nightly closure of the mouth, nose breathing could become habit.

After 12 weeks, every patient took part in an outpatient polysomnographical evaluation. The evaluation was repeated again after three months (six months after therapy start). The results were used as the final evaluation data.

Age of Test Persons

Age of the test persons
n = 30

Age values

Age values
n = 30

Body Mass Index (BMI)

taken during entry examination

Body Mass Index
n = 30
max = 39
min = 19

Snoring Episodes divided into 4 Levels

Before therapy, all patients had noticeable snoring episodes

No snoring (level 1)
before: 0 test persons
after: 16 test persons

Nightly Snoring episodes before and after therapy
n = 30
Wert 1 = none
Wert 2 = few
Wert 3 = some
Wert 4 = many

Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI)

RDI before and after Therapy
n = 30
RDI before Therapy = 18-25
RDI after Therapy = 1-14

RDI: Progress within 12 weeks

RDI: Progress within 12 weeks
n = 30

RDI: Progress in percent

RDI progress within 12 weeks in percent based on
N = 30
Average improvement = 70.81%
Minimum improvement = 50%
Maximum improvement = 88.89%

Duration of nightly respiration interruption

Dauer der nächtlichen Atemaussetzer in Sekunden

Respiration interruption in secons
n = 30
before therapy = 8-48
after therapy = 1-14

Average oxygen value during sleep phase

Average oxygen supply
Before and after therapy
n = 30
before therapy = 71-99
after therapy = 89-99

Measurement of lip force with ISST-Myo-Bar-Meter

Lip force before and after therapy
n = 30
before therapy = 18-35 mBar
after therapy = 45-68 mBar

At the beginning of the study, no participants reached the minimum standard value of 36 mBar. At the end of the study, all were significantly higher and no one was below 45 mBar.