You’re in for a surprise if you thought sitting straight without slouching was enough for a good body posture. How you hold your tongue inside the mouth significantly impacts your overall posture.
While being mindful of the “tongue posture”, also pay attention to your breathing pattern because people who inhale and exhale through the mouth instead of the nose may end up with a facial droop.
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How ‘tongue’ affects your overall posture
Toronto-based Chiropractor Dr. Sina Yeganeh explains in one of his TikTok videos what happens when you don’t maintain the posture of your tongue.
Resting your tongue in the right position is important to support the airway and let oxygen get to your lungs. The tongue is “deeply connected” to the postural structure.
According to Dr. Sina, the tongue forms the foundation support for your overall posture. Not maintaining the right tongue posture for a prolonged period can change the structure of your face and contribute to pain in the neck and shoulder regions.
The correlation between tongue placement and the body system is shown in a study at the National Library of Medicine, which notes that the tongue’s action is “not confined to the oral cavity, but it affects lower limb muscle strength and posture.”
The study further states that the tongue when positioned against the upper incisors “can enhance the postural stability during upright standing on an unstable surface and in the absence of vision in healthy young adults.”
๐จFIX YOUR TONGUE POSTURE๐จ – ๐ Proper tongue posture can affect the development and function of the oral and facial structures as well as overall body posture. Hereโs how they are related: 1. Dental and jaw alignment: The tongueโs position in the mouth can influence the alignment of teeth and the development of the jaw. When the tongue is in its proper resting position against the roof of the mouth, it helps to guide the growth of the upper jaw and support proper dental alignment. 2. Facial muscle development: Correct tongue posture can promote the balanced development of facial muscles. It can contribute to a symmetrical and well-defined facial appearance. 3. Airway and breathing: The position of the tongue can impact airway development. Proper tongue posture supports a wider palate and proper nasal breathing. On the other hand, incorrect tongue posture, such as mouth breathing, may negatively affect the airway and breathing. 4. Swallowing and speech: The tongue plays a crucial role in swallowing and speech. Proper tongue posture is necessary for efficient swallowing and clear speech production. Incorrect tongue posture can lead to difficulties in these functions. Mouth breathing can lead to various problems and health issues, including: 1. Dental issues: Mouth breathing can result in dry mouth, which increases the risk of cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. 2. Sleep problems: It may contribute to snoring and sleep apnea, leading to poor quality sleep and daytime fatigue. 3. Facial and dental development: Mouth breathing can affect the development of facial structures, potentially leading to long-term aesthetic and functional issues. 4. Speech difficulties: It can alter speech sounds and lead to speech impediments. 5. Bad breath: Reduced saliva production from mouth breathing can result in halitosis (bad breath). 6. Impaired sense of smell and taste: Breathing through the mouth may diminish the sense of smell and taste. 7. Sore throat and dry throat: Frequent mouth breathing can lead to a dry and sore throat. 8. Increased risk of respiratory infections: Mouth breathing can bypass the natural filtration and humidification of air by the nose, potentially increasing susceptibility to respiratory infections. 9. Allergies and asthma exacerbation: Mouth breathing may worsen allergy symptoms and asthma by allowing allergens and irritants to enter the airways more easily. 10. Fatigue and cognitive issues: Chronic mouth breathing can lead to lower oxygen intake, which may result in fatigue, decreased concentration, and cognitive difficulties. It’s important to address chronic mouth breathing, especially in children, as it can have long-term effects on oral and overall health. โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ ๐ฅ๐๐ป, ๐๐๐บ๐ฝ, ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ…๐๐๐ฉ๐! ๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ๐ก๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ! – โ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ โ ๐ฃ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ โ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต โ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ โ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ โ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ โ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ต & ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ – ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ ๐ฅ ๐๐๐.๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐.๐ฐ๐ฎ โ๏ธ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ช, ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ ๐ฅ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ. ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ, ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น, ๐ข๐ก โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ ๐ฑ(๐ต๐ฌ๐ฑ) ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฏ-๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ
Take note because the chiropractor’s step-by-step guide can improve your overall posture.
Place your tongue flat up against the roof of your mouth and seal your lips, meaning, keep your lips together when you aren’t eating or speaking.
Next, swallow while retaining the above position without clenching your teeth.
Repeat the above steps whenever you find your tongue resting at the bottom of the mouth.
According to the chiropractor, this helps relax your jaw, open your nasal passageway to support breathing, reduce snoring, and lift your overall posture with time.
Dr. Sina Yeganeh is the co-founder of Movability, which focuses on improving the lifestyle of people through movement, manual therapy, and mindfulness. Their services include chiropractor, physiotherapy, massage therapy and more.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in science from York University, Dr Sina Yeganeh went to Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College for his specialization. He boasts over
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