15/03/2025
Myospots/myomunchies and lip taping.
At rest, we should have our mouths closed, breathing through our noses, with our tongue resting on the roof of our palate. In children this tongue position helps support the optimal growth of the skull whilst also stimulating the vagus nerve (the calming nerve). In adults this allows us to breathe through our nose meaning we get optimal oxygen and carbon dioxide saturation. Optimal oxygen means a healthy and thriving body.
So how often do we see kids who mouth breathe? Adults who snore? Teeth grinders?
There are a lot of tools out there to help but first let’s get to the root cause.
Things like tongue tie, low muscle tone, thumb sucking, dysfunction in the neck and cranium, orthodontics etc can all play a role.
So let’s make sure your cervical spine is working well, the cranial bones are moving optimally and your tongue has enough strength to sit where it should. Then we can use some tools like myospots, myomunchies, mouth tape and a barrage of exercises to help strength the tongue and allow the lips to learn how to seal.
These things on their own may give a small assistance to breathing, but generally a multifaceted approach to functional breathing is the best course.