Tongue positioning

How does the position of your tongue help your posture and your nervous system regulation?

Photo by Michael Constantin P. on Unsplash

Resting tongue position plays a role in our nervous system activation, our jaw health, and our facial development and our ability to breathe well. The position of my tongue is something I never really thought about until after reading James Nestor’s book, Breath. It was an interesting book, and confirmed the benefits of alternate nostril breathing(Nadi Shodana) and resonance breathing. It also confirmed how breathing in a particular pattern can reduce blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, stress, cortisol production.

Having good tongue positioning helps reduce mouth breathing. It helps reduce clenching of the teeth which can cause problems with your TMJ(jaw point). It helps with facial development so that the lower jaw and upper jaw form with adequate width and length which allows for more adequate space for the soft structures at the back of the throat. Less space at the back of the throat contributes to sleep apnea, snoring and difficulty producing adequate voice sounds.

With good tongue positioning, the nervous system is more regulated. The optimal position of the tongue is having the middle portion of the tongue suctioned to the roof of the mouth with the front of the tongue resting behind the teeth but not pushing into the back of the front teeth. About a finger width space between the top and bottom teeth is preferred while the lips are held closed. If the tongue is pressed into the back of the top teeth or resting on the floor of the mouth, this signals the sympathetic nervous system and heightens our “fight or flight” response.

Here are some exercises for your tongue that can help reduce jaw pain, reduce your stress, and help you breathe better!

• Act as if you are going to click your tongue, but don’t let the tongue lose its suction off the roof of the mouth. With your tongue suctioned to the roof, open and close your mouth. Repeat 10-12 times allowing the mouth to open without letting the tongue come away from the roof of the mouth.

• Practice light suction of the middle of the tongue, not the tip, up into the hard palate of the mouth behind that ridged section along the roof of the mouth. Allow your teeth to have some space between the top and bottom but practice holding the lips together. Practice breathing in and out of the nose. Practice lengthening the exhales to help calm your nervous system.

• Stick your tongue out as far as you can and open the mouth. You don’t need to open as wide as you absolutely can, but open enough to allow the tongue to stick out.

• Suction your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Look upward tilting your head back comfortably. Now open and close your mouth noticing any changes in how the front of the throat and under the chin feel as you do this. Notice if your head tilts back as you open your mouth. If it does, you may be overusing your upper neck muscles to help you open your mouth. Doing that over time can cause neck tension and headaches, so try to be mindful of that.

As always, I’d love to know how this feels for you.

Take good care,

Sharon

PS: in case you missed these, here are some posts I’ve shared recently with similar topics! Thanks for reading!