Tongue posture is an overlooked topic that significantly impacts your well-being and health. Having correct tongue posture will not only provide you with multiple health benefits but also with appearance-based benefits as well.
In this article, we’ll go over the correct tongue posture, how to maintain it, and how to do it during sleep.
When it comes to sleeping, it’s best to keep your tongue up against the upper palate of your mouth. This allows air to flow freely and hinders your tongue from blocking the airway. Additionally, it helps maintain your jaw in the correct position and stops your teeth from grinding.
What Is Proper Tongue Posture?
Good sleep is essential for our mental and physical health. It helps us to stay alert and focused during the day and also helps to reduce stress levels.
But did you know that the position of your tongue can also affect your sleep quality?
Your tongue posture when sleeping is an essential factor in getting a good night’s rest and contributing to the effectiveness of mewing.
The proper tongue posture when sleeping is essential for breathing correctly and avoiding snoring. It also helps to keep the jaw and teeth in the correct position.
Improper tongue posture can lead to several issues, such as mouth breathing, snoring, and jaw pain.
What Does Tongue Posture Do?
Tongue posture is the position of your tongue when you are lying down. When you are sleeping, your tongue should be resting against the roof of your mouth.
This prevents your tongue from blocking your airway.
When your tongue is in the correct position, it helps to keep your jaw in the correct position and prevents your teeth from grinding.
It also helps to reduce snoring and mouth breathing. In addition, the proper tongue posture can help to improve your overall sleep quality.
In relation to mewing, having correct tongue posture throughout the night can help you achieve results more quickly.
Some claim that proper tongue posture while sleeping is required to see any results from mewing, and mouth breathing and poor tongue posture can revert your progress.
Sleeping accounts for one-third of the day, so you must practice correct tongue posture at night.
Correct Tongue Posture While Sleeping
The first step to achieving the correct tongue posture while sleeping is ensuring that your head and neck are in the right position.
Your head should be slightly elevated, and your neck should align with your spine.
This helps to keep your airway open and prevents your tongue from blocking your airway.
The next step is to practice the correct tongue posture while lying down.
You should practice pressing your tongue against the roof lightly of your mouth and your lips closed.
You should also practice keeping your jaw relaxed and your teeth slightly apart or gently touching.
The last step is to practice this posture while sleeping.
You can put a small cloth roll or a pillow under your neck to elevate your head.
This will help to keep your tongue in the correct position while sleeping.
If you have trouble maintaining proper tongue posture throughout the night, use tape that isn’t too sticky to keep the mouth shut safely.
This way, you can easily remove the tape if you cannot breathe out of your nose.
Disclaimer: This practice is not recommended for those with sleep issues, such as sleep apnea.
Practicing correct tongue posture while awake will gradually carry on into your sleep. With consistency, you’ll reap the benefits of enhanced sleep.
Maintaining Proper Tongue Posture
If you’re having trouble, here are a few tips that may help:
Suction hold: A suction hold is where you create a suction between the roof of your mouth and tongue.
This can be done by pushing saliva up against the top of the mouth using the tongue, then swallowing.
A suction hold provides extra assistance, which can help hold the posture throughout the night.
A video by Mike Mew, founder of Orthotopics, provides a guide on creating an effective suction hold.
Practicing keeping lips sealed: One way to change how you sleep is to change your habits while awake.
For example, someone who mouth breathes during the day would most likely mouth breathe throughout the night.
So, practicing keeping your lips sealed during the day can carry on into your sleep as muscle memory.
Good sleep: Good sleep can stop you from feeling tired and help you have a healthy tongue posture throughout the night.
Bad sleep quality can cause you to wake up at night and relapse into a state of mouth breathing.
Making sure that the quality of your sleep is ideal will have significant benefits on your overall health.
What Bad Tongue Posture Does
When your tongue is not positioned correctly while sleeping, it can lead to several issues.
Improper tongue posture can cause your airway to become blocked, which can lead to snoring and mouth breathing.
In addition, it can cause your jaw to be misaligned, leading to pain and discomfort.
Mouth breathing can also lead to dry mouth, which can cause bad breath.
In addition, it can cause your throat to become dry and irritated, leading to a sore throat.
Improper tongue posture can also cause your teeth to become misaligned, leading to teeth grinding and jaw pain.
Having improper tongue posture can cause the development of a long, narrow face with a less prominent jaw and recessed chin.
This creates an undesirable appearance and is usually permanent if actions aren’t taken quickly.
This is why proper tongue posture is vital, especially in the developmental years.
Benefits Of Correct Tongue Posture For Sleep
Having the correct tongue posture while sleeping can provide many benefits:
- Improved sleep quality: Having the proper tongue posture can help improve your overall sleep quality.
Mouth breathing, snoring, and other common sleep disorders can drastically reduce sleep quality.
Correct tongue posture puts you in a state of nasal breathing and can open the airways, leading to better breathing and better sleep overall. - Reduced snoring: When your tongue is in the correct position, it helps keep your airway open, reducing snoring.
- Improved facial aesthetics: When your tongue is in the correct position, it helps to promote the natural growth of the face.
Having the tongue at the roof of the mouth, commonly referred to as mewing, has many aesthetic benefits.
Correct tongue posture stops you from mouth breathing, which has been shown to negatively impact the overall facial structure. - Reduced teeth grinding: When your tongue is in the correct position, it helps keep your teeth in the correct position, reducing teeth grinding.
Conclusion
Having proper tongue posture is essential for achieving good sleep and is vital to practice while mewing.
With a bit of practice and patience, you can achieve the correct tongue posture while sleeping and enjoy the benefits it provides.