Why is tongue posture so important
Most people never give much – or any – thought to proper tongue posture. Yet it can be very important in terms of your breathing, your teeth positioning, and even your facial development. Having poor tongue posture can lead to issues with grinding your teeth or sleep apnea, which is a breathing disorder that particularly affects people during sleeping hours.
What is correct tongue posture?
According to FitPlan, proper tongue posture calls for having your tongue placed against the roof of your mouth rather than the floor, while the tip of the tongue rests against the hard palate. In a resting position, your lips and your mouth should both be closed, with your teeth fully aligned and slightly separated. You should also be breathing through your nose as much as possible, rather than through your mouth. When people breathe through their mouths, it often leads to poor tongue posture. This eventually opens up the door to some of the issues described above.
Issues associated with improper tongue posture
Here are some of the most common issues that can develop when an individual has poor tongue posture:
- dental issues
- orofacial development problems
- sleep apnea and other breathing disorders
- speech issues, for instance making sounds that are distorted or using inappropriate sounds
- malocclusion of the teeth (which means improper alignment), the most common example of which is when the front teeth do not touch when you mouth is closed.
Holding your tongue in an improper position for long periods of time is the usual culprit in the development of poor tongue posture. To correct the situation, it is generally necessary to perform some oral exercises that help to maintain appropriate tongue posture. All that’s really necessary is to consciously hold your tongue in the correct position, as often as you think about it.
Why is good tongue posture so important?
In addition to avoiding some of the problems that are associated with poor tongue posture, having good tongue posture can bring a number of benefits:
- better-defined jawline – the resting posture of your tongue can have a significant impact on the shape and structure of the facial area
- improved breathing – people with poor tongue posture often breathe through their mouths too much. Good tongue posture avoids these issues and allows for better breathing.
- straighter teeth – when you have poor tongue posture, it becomes easier to develop a narrow mouth with crowded teeth. Good posture helps to allow teeth to grow in comfortably, so overcrowding can be avoided.
Dealing with tongue posture issues
If you should develop sleep disordered breathing as a result of poor tongue posture, your best bet would be to visit the expert sleep doctors at the Breathing and Sleep Center in Colorado Springs. Misaligned teeth may have to be dealt with by wearing braces to straighten them out. If you catch your poor tongue posture in an early stage, you can usually correct any issues simply by consciously keeping your tongue in the right position as often as possible.
