Five Key Benefits Of Strengthening The Tongue

Thursday, March 14, 2024

When it comes to physical fitness, we often focus on the larger muscle groups, such as the biceps, triceps, and quadriceps. We also pay attention to our cardiovascular health by doing regular cardio exercises such as running or cycling. Additionally, we work on our flexibility by doing stretching and yoga. However, one muscle that's often overlooked in our fitness routine is the tongue.

The tongue is made up of many muscles that play a crucial role in our overall health. It helps us chew, swallow, and taste food. It also helps us speak clearly and communicate effectively. However, like any other muscle in our body, the tongue can become weak and flabby if not exercised regularly.

Strengthening the tongue can help improve breathing, reduce snoring, and even alleviate symptoms of sleep apnea. Strong tongue muscles can also help with swallowing and prevent choking. In fact, tongue exercises are often recommended by speech therapists and are considered an effective treatment for speech disorders.

In this article, we’re diving into the benefits of strengthening the tongue.

Understanding The Role Of The Tongue

Before we explore the benefits of tongue strengthening, it's essential to understand the role this muscle plays in our overall health. The tongue is crucial for various functions, including speech, taste, swallowing, and oral hygiene. Strengthening this muscle can have a plethora of positive impacts on your health and daily life.

Five Reasons To Strengthen Your Tongue

1) Strengthening Your Tongue Can Lead To Improved Speech Clarity And Communication

One of the most noticeable benefits of a stronger tongue is enhanced speech clarity. A well-toned tongue can articulate words more precisely, leading to clearer communication. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who struggle with speech impediments or wish to refine their elocution.

Enhanced pronunciation and articulation
Reduced speech impediments
Boosted confidence in public speaking

2) Strengthening Your Tongue Can Lead To Enhanced Swallowing Mechanism

Swallowing may seem like a simple, automatic process, but it's a complex mechanism that can be improved through tongue strengthening. A stronger tongue aids in the efficient movement of food, reducing the risk of choking and improving the overall eating experience.

Safer swallowing with reduced risk of choking
Improved management of swallowing disorders
Enhanced enjoyment of a variety of foods

3) Strengthening Your Tongue Can Lead To Better Oral Hygiene

The tongue plays a pivotal role in maintaining oral hygiene. A strong, agile tongue can more effectively remove food particles and bacteria from the mouth, reducing the risk of bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease.

Effective removal of food particles and bacteria
Reduction in bad breath
Lower risk of tooth decay and gum disease

4) Strengthening Your Tongue Can Lead To Sleep Quality Improvement

For those suffering from sleep apnea or snoring, tongue-strengthening exercises can offer a significant improvement. A toned tongue is less likely to obstruct the airway during sleep, leading to a more restful night and reducing the health risks associated with sleep apnea.

Reduced snoring
Improvement in sleep apnea symptoms
Enhanced sleep quality for both the individual and their partner

5) Strengthening Your Tongue Can Lead To Better Athletic Performance

Athletes may be surprised to learn that tongue strength can influence their performance. A strong tongue contributes to better breathing patterns and can enhance endurance and efficiency in sports that require precise breathing control, such as swimming or singing.

Improved breathing control
Enhanced endurance and performance in sports
Better oxygen utilization

Strengthening The Tongue Can Help Solve Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrust, a condition where the tongue presses too far forward during speech or swallowing, can lead to speech impediments, misaligned teeth, and other oral health issues. Correcting tongue thrust is crucial for both children and adults to prevent long-term problems. Surprisingly, the key to overcoming this condition lies in strengthening the tongue.

Understanding Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrust, often identified in childhood, persists due to habitual patterns or underdeveloped oral muscles. It can result in orthodontic issues, such as an open bite, and affect speech clarity. Recognizing and addressing this issue early is vital for effective correction.

The Importance Of Tongue Strength

A strong tongue can maintain its position within the oral cavity, preventing it from pushing against the teeth or protruding during speech and swallowing. Strengthening the tongue helps in retraining these muscle patterns, ensuring they function correctly.

Correcting Tongue Thrust Through Strengthening

Correcting tongue thrust involves exercises designed to enhance tongue strength and improve muscle control. These exercises not only bolster the tongue's muscle tone but also retrain the tongue to sit properly within the mouth, aiding in the normalization of speech and swallowing processes.

The benefits of strengthening your tongue extend far beyond oral health, impacting speech, swallowing, sleep quality, and even athletic performance. By integrating tongue exercises into your daily routine, you can unlock these unexpected benefits and contribute to your overall health and wellbeing.

IJustWantTo® Correct My Tongue Thrust

IJustWantTo Correct My Tongue Thrust is a tongue exercise program that can help you strengthen your tongue and correct tongue thrust.

This program is the only solution of its kind. It is a 7-week tongue exercise program that has proven results in correcting a tongue thrust and fixing an incorrect tongue position. This is accomplished by building the tongue muscles with specific exercises and making the new tongue position a habit.

When this happens, nasal breathing should replace mouth breathing while sleeping, stopping snoring and other symptoms of mouth breathing.

If you want to harness the benefits of corrected tongue thrust, reach out to us today.

Written by: Janet M. Bennett

Janet Bennett, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, is a Speech Pathologist in private practice in Asheville, NC, since 1977. She specializes in treating tongue thrust, a swallowing disorder that can result in buckteeth, an open bite, a lisp, snoring, and other problems that have not yet been made known to most people.