7 Celebrities Who Helped Raise Awareness About Airway Health, Tongue Ties, Sleep Apnea, and Myofunctional Therapy

Most people don’t think about how they breathe until something goes wrong. Yet healthy breathing, proper tongue posture, quality sleep, and oral muscle function play an important role in overall health from infancy through adulthood.

Over the past several years, awareness of airway health, tongue ties, sleep-disordered breathing, and myofunctional therapy has grown significantly. Part of that increased awareness has come from well-known public figures who have openly shared their personal experiences or those of their families. Their stories have encouraged conversations that help people recognize symptoms, seek professional evaluations, and better understand the importance of healthy breathing and oral function.

While not every celebrity on this list has completed myofunctional therapy, each has helped shine a light on conditions closely related to airway health, sleep quality, or oral development. Their experiences remind us that these concerns can affect anyone, regardless of age or background.

1. Kourtney Kardashian - Bringing Myofunctional Therapy Into the Mainstream

Kourtney Kardashian is one of the few well-known celebrities who has publicly spoken about using myofunctional therapy herself.

Through her lifestyle platform, Poosh, she shared how myofunctional therapy focuses on strengthening and retraining the muscles of the tongue, lips, and face to support healthier breathing, swallowing, and oral function. By introducing the therapy to millions of readers and followers, she helped many people discover a treatment they had never heard of before.

Her openness also helped dispel the misconception that myofunctional therapy is only for children. In reality, adults may also benefit when oral muscle dysfunction contributes to issues such as mouth breathing, poor tongue posture, snoring, or jaw discomfort.

Kourtney’s willingness to discuss her experience has made myofunctional therapy more visible to families looking for answers beyond traditional dental or orthodontic care.

2. Shaquille O’Neal - Using His Platform to Raise Awareness About Sleep Apnea

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has spoken publicly about living with obstructive sleep apnea after years of loud snoring and poor-quality sleep.

He has shared how his diagnosis encouraged him to seek treatment and improve his overall health. By speaking openly about a condition that many people ignore, Shaquille helped reduce the stigma surrounding sleep apnea—especially among men who may dismiss chronic snoring as harmless.

Although sleep apnea has many possible causes and treatments, airway health and healthy breathing patterns are essential parts of the conversation. Depending on the underlying cause, some patients may also benefit from therapies that improve oral muscle function as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Shaquille’s story reminds us that loud snoring should never be ignored.

3. William Shatner - Encouraging Others to Take Sleep Problems Seriously

For decades, William Shatner has used his public platform to discuss his own experience with sleep apnea.

After being diagnosed, he became an advocate for recognizing the warning signs of sleep-disordered breathing. He has spoken about the importance of seeking medical evaluation rather than assuming chronic snoring or daytime fatigue are simply normal parts of aging.

His advocacy has helped many adults realize that untreated sleep apnea can affect energy levels, heart health, cognitive function, and overall quality of life.

William Shatner’s message has been simple but powerful: healthy sleep begins with healthy breathing.

4. Dr. Nicholas Perricone - Highlighting the Connection Between Facial Muscles, Breathing, and Healthy Aging

Best known as a physician and bestselling author in the field of healthy aging, Dr. Nicholas Perricone has publicly discussed learning myofunctional therapy after exploring ways to improve sleep apnea and facial muscle function.

He has explained that strengthening the muscles of the face, tongue, and throat may support healthier breathing and contribute to improved muscle tone. While myofunctional therapy is not a cure for every airway disorder, it can play an important role for appropriately selected patients as part of a comprehensive treatment approach.

His interest has helped introduce myofunctional therapy to people who may have first learned about it through wellness and longevity discussions.

5. Sandra Bullock - Raising Awareness About Tongue Ties and Infant Feeding

Sandra Bullock has spoken publicly about the challenges her son experienced with a tongue tie during infancy.

Her openness helped bring attention to an issue that many parents may not recognize. Tongue ties can sometimes affect breastfeeding, bottle feeding, swallowing, and oral development, although not every tongue tie causes functional problems.

Today, healthcare providers increasingly emphasize evaluating not only the physical restriction but also how the tongue functions before and after treatment. This is one reason many families are introduced to myofunctional therapy as part of comprehensive care when appropriate.

Sandra’s story encouraged parents to trust their instincts if feeding doesn’t seem quite right.

6. Amy Poehler - Helping Normalize Conversations About Sleep Apnea

Comedian and actress Amy Poehler has shared that she was diagnosed with sleep apnea, bringing attention to a condition that is often overlooked in women.

Many people associate sleep apnea primarily with older men, but Amy’s experience helped demonstrate that sleep-disordered breathing can affect adults of many ages and backgrounds.

By discussing her diagnosis publicly, she encouraged more people to recognize symptoms such as loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, and poor sleep quality.

Greater awareness leads more people to seek evaluations that can identify the underlying causes of disrupted breathing during sleep.

7. Rosie O’Donnell - Speaking Openly About the Importance of Sleep Health

Rosie O’Donnell has also helped raise awareness about obstructive sleep apnea by discussing her own diagnosis and treatment journey.

Following significant health challenges, she emphasized the importance of identifying sleep disorders that may contribute to long-term health risks.

Her story highlights an important lesson: sleep apnea is more than just snoring. Untreated breathing disorders during sleep may affect cardiovascular health, energy levels, concentration, and overall well-being.

Public figures like Rosie encourage others not to ignore persistent symptoms and to seek appropriate medical care.

Why Celebrity Stories Matter

Celebrities don’t replace medical advice, but their willingness to share personal health experiences can spark important conversations.

When public figures talk about mouth breathing, tongue ties, sleep apnea, or myofunctional therapy, they help people recognize symptoms they may have ignored for years. These conversations encourage parents to ask questions, adults to seek evaluations, and families to better understand the connection between breathing, sleep, and oral function.

Awareness is often the first step toward healthier habits and earlier intervention.

Final Thoughts

The growing conversation around airway health, tongue ties, sleep-disordered breathing, and myofunctional therapy is helping more people recognize that these issues are far more common than many realize.

Whether it’s Kourtney Kardashian sharing her experience with myofunctional therapy, Shaquille O’Neal and William Shatner speaking openly about sleep apnea, or Sandra Bullock and Gwyneth Paltrow helping parents understand tongue ties, these public figures have encouraged millions to pay closer attention to breathing, sleep, and oral function.

If you or your child experience chronic mouth breathing, snoring, tongue-tie concerns, feeding challenges, or other signs of oral muscle dysfunction, speaking with qualified healthcare professionals can be an important first step toward understanding your options. Early awareness and appropriate intervention can make a meaningful difference in long-term health and quality of life.