- Habitual mouth-breathing is one of the common causes of sleep-breathing difficulties such as snoring and sleep apnea, where during sleep the mouth remains open and the mandible drops backwards causing the soft tissue (including tongue) to collapse the airway.
- Tongue elevation exercise improves nasal breathing, results in a better control of the extrinsic tongue muscles and habitually places the tongue in a ‘‘proper posture during function and at rest”.
- Changing tongue posture to remain elevated and resting on the palate while both awake and asleep, helps keeping airways open and prevent the tongue from falling backwards during sleep to block the airways resulting in snoring and sleep apnea (Chest, 2015,148(3), 683; Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2009, 179(10), 962).