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
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.
Lip force measurement over 12 weeks
Progrees of lip force over 12 weeks
n = 30
average value = 102,93%
minimum increase = 41,18%
maximum increase = 172,22%
Own trend assessment of the test persons
Trend assessment of the test persons
n = 30
Rating scale 1-10
schlechtester Wert = 1
bester Wert = 10
ISST Unna – Institute for Special Systemical Therapy
ISST Unna
Wasserstr. 25
D-59423 Unna
Email: buero@isst-unna.de
Tel.: +49-2303/86888
