How tongue position can affect your posture?

“Shoulders back and tummy in” or how about “Neck long, chin in and look straight ahead”? All good tips for creating good posture. How about “Tongue resting on the roof of your mouth”? Whaaaat? Yet, it’s true, where you place your tongue has a bearing on your posture.

With your mouth open, the tongue lies low, on the bottom of your mouth. When the tongue is in this position it falls back slightly occluding the upper airway. To counter this, the head reaches slightly forward to open the airway. Although a small movement, your head is heavy… as heavy as a bowling ball, straining muscles around the throat and neck, as well as compromising the main breathing muscle, the diaphragm. (1) Over time, this will negatively change your posture as well as increasing your risk of jaw pain and teeth grinding.

Best tongue position

The best position for your tongue is known as the ‘spot’, resting on the roof of your mouth, just behind the front teeth. Find this position by smiling as widely as you can, teeth gently together, then swallow. You’ll find your tongue rises upwards, on the roof of the mouth, finding the ‘spot’.

Shoulders back, neck long, chin in… and tongue resting on the spot!

1. Okuro, Renata Tiemi, et al. "Mouth breathing and forward head posture: effects on respiratory biomechanics and exercise capacity in children." Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia 37.4 (2011).