Watch your tongue! Exercises for the tongue muscles during snoring

Ronchopathy is being treated and this is already good. In addition, you can get rid of it in a very cheap way - with the help of tongue gymnastics. By choosing effective exercises, they will prevent its return after therapy. This technique is also suitable for preventive measures. A complex for the tongue is exactly what you need to do every day, then there will be a lasting effect.

So, with the help of physical education, you can significantly strengthen the muscles of the tongue, which your illness will not like. Of course, we are not talking about a complete treatment of apnea - what we offer is only part of a large therapeutic complex. Half an hour of exercise a day for a month, and you and your household will like the results.

Basic set of exercises for the tongue

Pull your tongue down and forward to its maximum length. If you feel tension in the muscle fibers in the root area, then the movement is done correctly. Stay in this position for a couple of seconds. At the same time, you can pronounce drawn out, as if in a chant, “and-and-and.” At least 30 approaches. This will make the muscle fibers stronger.
Using your tongue, press on the palate until you feel slightly tired.
If you stretch your tongue far forward and move it vigorously to the sides, then over time the muscle corset will become toned, and snoring will disappear from the patient.
Close your mouth tightly and inhale and exhale through your nose. At this time, tighten your tongue and point it towards your throat. The approximate number of approaches is 15. Regular exercise will definitely give a long lasting effect.
Tilt your head up a little and try to touch the uvula with your tongue.

Alexander Gerasimenko

There are terms “lazy tongue” and “lazy lips”, which are considered to be the cause of slurred speech. In fact, the tongue and lips are not lazy, but cannot relax and therefore cannot be easily moved. Clear speech is the ability to quickly tense and relax different muscles of the articulatory apparatus. Relieving unnecessary tension in the muscles of the face and body can significantly and most importantly immediately improve speech and voice. Today I will tell you how to get rid of this tension.

The “voice system” has three levels: the face, the larynx (including the tongue, which is attached to the larynx) and the diaphragm. Tension accumulated in any of these departments prevents the voice from sounding, crumples speech and takes away the importance of what is said.

The exercises listed below are part of what I have collected while working with the best coaches on speech and voice production, which is suitable for self-study.

1. Part your lips

This exercise releases tension from places where it often hides - the jaw muscles, the muscles around the mouth and the eyes (when the mouth is open, we stop squinting and wincing). Parted lips are the easiest exercise, but it works. It relaxes all facial muscles, directly or indirectly.

Photographers ask girls to open their mouths slightly to give their image more sexuality and sensuality. With their mouths open, girls not only look sexy, they look more relaxed and therefore more attractive.

2. “Snorting Horse”

Another effective exercise for the lips, leading to relaxation of the entire face. Close your lips together and move them forward slightly, keeping them together on the inside. Exhale with lip vibration. Let your lips vibrate, like a horse exhales in the cold (while they shake their head, you don’t have to do this). The exercise will relieve tension from the lower part of the face (tense lips cannot vibrate, which means you will have to relax them), and also allows you to feel the boundaries of your lips so as not to make unnecessary efforts to close them during speech.

A good boxer does not dodge a blow by half a meter, he goes 10 - 15 centimeters, this is just enough for the enemy’s blow to not reach him. This way he can launch a counterattack faster and does not waste extra energy on dodging. Like a boxer, too much force when closing your lips will only hinder you. When speaking the sounds B, P, M, you just need to close and quickly open your lips, to do this you need to feel their boundaries and they must be relaxed.

3. “Radio Operator”

Cover your ears with your palms and make small circular movements, massaging your head in the ear area. A lot of tension often accumulates in this area of the head.

To avoid being attacked from behind, our animal ancestors had to keep their ears sharp. “Prickly ears” is not just an old-fashioned expression, it is a description of the situation when, during times of stress, we experience a spasm of the muscles around the ears. Today, many people have lost the ability to move their ears, but those who can do this even a little must learn to relax these muscles.

4. “Yawning Lion”

The best exercise to relax the jaw muscles and relieve tension from the vocal cords. Tilt your head back and open your mouth as wide as you can. At the same time, make a sound that resembles a loud yawn with a change in tone. If at the same time you want to actually yawn, yawn. Yawning is better than just keeping your mouth open; it relaxes the larynx, which controls the vocal cords.

On a subconscious level, baring the throat and raising the chin is the behavior of an individual in a state of complete safety, when it cannot be attacked. Our body reads its own signals and calms down. Think of a yawning lion and a fearful dog in a pack and you will immediately understand the connection between an open throat and calmness (and therefore relaxation and a better voice).

5. Singing the letter “M”

This exercise will create vibrations in the head and relax the muscles of the larynx (the muscles of the larynx are attached to the vocal cords), followed by relaxation of the facial muscles. You will feel the timbre of your voice, and what is also very important is that it will lengthen your exhalation (read point number 9).

The criterion that you are doing this exercise correctly will be a slight tickling sensation from vibration in the area of the nose and lips.

If the diaphragm is tense, it reflexively transfers tension to the vocal cords and the voice sounds weak. The muscles of the face and lips try to take all the load on themselves, compensating for the poor functioning of the lower part of the “voice system” and the speaker begins to look unnatural, as if he or she is grimacing. The result is either a severe loss of diction or excessive facial expressions and loss of confidence. Without a relaxed, freely moving diaphragm, the voice lacks “support.” The diaphragm for speech is like roots for a tree, and neglecting its role in working on your voice is the same as wanting flowers to grow in your house, but not watering them.

6. “Pubby”

Lie on your back. Place one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach. Your task is to raise your hand on your stomach with each inhalation, and lower it with an exhalation. The hand on the chest should remain motionless. The more often and longer you do this exercise, the more correct breathing becomes a habit. When the exercise is completed, do the same in an upright position, trying to fill the front wall and sides of the abdomen with air, but in no case raise your shoulders or chest when breathing.

Breathe from your belly, just like babies do. Until the age of 3, children are not yet aware of the opinions of their environment about themselves and breathe naturally - with their stomachs. They even look like little potbellies. Then these children already want to look beautiful and fit... and the tightening, of course, occurs in the diaphragm area. From now on, self-imposed tension enters our lives and its consequence is a weak voice and unclear diction. Poor diction and weak voices usually affect boxers and bodybuilders due to their habit of holding their breath.

Breathe with your stomach and the diaphragm working at full amplitude will not only add beauty to your voice, but also relax you in general.

7. “Tremors”

Feet shoulder-width apart, arms and head hanging freely down, eyes closed, stomach protruded forward in complete relaxation. Start doing frequent vibration movements in your knees with a small amplitude. An even better option is a vibrating machine (a platform that shakes violently and frequently). The shaking of all the cells of the body makes you feel pockets of tension in the body, because tense cells and relaxed cells vibrate differently. The benefit is double: 1. You understand which part of your body is tense and you can consciously relax it or prevent further tension 2. Tense muscles relax from vibration themselves.

This exercise is secret and advanced speakers do it behind the scenes. Prominent speaker Tony Robbins always stands on a vibration machine and jumps on a small trampoline backstage before his speeches (the trampoline, in addition to the benefits of vibration, raises his energy level upon first contact with people after leaving the stage).

At the same time, striated muscles (such as biceps and triceps) become pleasantly toned, and smooth muscles (muscles of the vocal cords and larynx) relax.

8. “Get out of the closet.”

Stop holding your breath in any situation. Don't grunt or push. Tension accumulates and often in order to get rid of it you just need to stop accumulating it. Always exhale easily and freely.

As a child I had a friend who later ended up in drugs, prison and is now gone. What I clearly remember is that he was constantly grunting. I believe, in addition to the incorrect interpretation of the world and uninformed decisions, a simple thing summed up his life - he simply could not cope with the tension that he accumulated every day of his life when he needed to breathe - he did not know how to relax the diaphragm and was looking for a way out of chronic tension . Yes, everything can be as simple as in a movie about Dr. House.

9. Exhale longer

During exhalation, the entire body “goes into hibernation.” During exhalation, the heartbeat is 10-20% slower than during inhalation, and sometimes even slower. Doctors are familiar with the concept of arrhythmia in athletes, when the slowdown of the heart during exhalation exceeds acceptable limits. Remember your trainer’s instructions: “Exhalation must be accompanied by effort!” to smooth out the load on the body's systems.

There are two nervous systems in our body: sympathetic (tense) and parasympathetic (relaxing). Exhalation turns off the tense sympathetic nervous system and activates the relaxing parasympathetic (we are talking about tension of smooth muscles - blood vessels, intestines, and not striated muscles - biceps or triceps).

If, on the contrary, you consciously inhale longer and exhale sharply and briefly, your blood pressure will rise and your heart rate will increase, which will put you in a state of tension and stress. Most likely, you did this before you entered a state of overstrain, but not consciously.

10. Lie on your shoulder blades on a yoga bolster.

A bolster is a bag of soft contents that resembles a rolled blanket. Its diameter is 15 - 20 cm. Lie on it with your shoulder blades and throw your arms to the sides and up. This exercise will stretch the muscles of the chest, abdomen and arms (stretched muscles cannot be tense) and most importantly, stretch the diaphragm, which will send signals of calm to the entire body with every inhalation and exhalation. The body will listen to itself and calm down from its own breathing. Breathe, as always, from your stomach.

11. Breathing through one nostril

Alternately breathe 3 times through one nostril, then 3 times through the other. In a mode of oxygen deficiency, the body has to reduce its vital activity and calm will be imposed on your brain and body, even if it initially wanted to tear and throw.

12. Running

My favorite exercise. Helps achieve a healthy, even tone in the body while simultaneously relaxing the muscles of the face, larynx (voice muscles) and diaphragm. I highly recommend combining it with listening to audiobooks to “talk to a smart person” while you run.

Abundant oxygenation (oxygen saturation) of all body tissues nourishes the body with invisible “fuel” (oxygen is needed for the functioning of muscles and systems) and forces the brain to generate new ideas during and after a run. By speeding up blood flow, running removes toxins from muscles and systems. In addition, healthy vibration during running indicates to the body areas of tension and it gets rid of them on its own. On the downside, running is contraindicated for those who are bothered by pain and discomfort in the joints.

A friend of mine has replaced running with swimming, but swims exclusively with special headphones and audio books recommended by me.

Doctor in his field: control of communication with the client

3 more exercises

The “Pressing” exercise can strengthen the muscular corset of the tongue. You need to forcefully press it to the sky. Next, you should stay in this position for 10-15 seconds. Then, again with effort, pull your tongue towards the larynx. And again remain in the accepted position for 10 seconds. Next, press firmly with your tongue on the dental crowns of the upper row. Stay in this position for 10-12 seconds. There should be 3 approaches. Breathe through your nose and close your lips tightly.
An equally productive exercise is “Show off your tongue.” We need to show it as much as possible. Try to reach it first to the edge of your nose, and then to your chin. There must be at least 20 approaches.
The “Tongue Candle” exercise will also help. It is done very simply. You should open your mouth, just forcefully, to feel a slight stretch. Now try to reach the upper palate with your tongue. In this position, the hyoid part is quite tense. There are 10 approaches as usual. It is more productive to perform this task with your head tilted up.

A set of exercises to strengthen the tip of the tongue; methodological development

A set of exercises to strengthen

tip of the tongue

Recommendations for conducting exercises

1. Articulation gymnastics should be carried out daily so that the skills developed by the child are consolidated. It is better to perform the exercises 3-4 times a day for 3-5 minutes.

2. Each exercise is performed 5-7 times.

3. Static exercises are performed for 10-15 seconds (holding the articulatory pose in one position).

4. Go from simple exercises to more complex ones.

5. Of the exercises performed, only one can be new; the second and third are given for repetition and consolidation.

6. Articulation gymnastics is performed while sitting, since in this position the child has a straight back, the body is not tense, and the arms and legs are in a calm position.

7. Carry out gymnastics in front of a wall mirror.

Exercises

1. Biting the tongue with teeth over its entire surface, gradually sticking out the tongue and retracting it again.

2. A sluggish, calm tongue is inserted between the lips, the mouth is slightly open, but not wide. The child says: five-five-five.

3. "Comb". Scratching the tongue on the upper teeth.

4. Forcefully inserting the tongue between closed teeth

5. Spitting rice, peas, seeds from the tip of the tongue.

6. Licking drops of sweet water with the tip of the tongue from the concave surface of spoons (table, dessert, tea).

7. Licking plates

8. Counting the teeth, resting the tip of the tongue on each one.

9. Turning cubes of bread crusts and walnuts in your mouth.

10. Nut.

The tip of the tongue presses forcefully against one cheek or the other.

11. Hold a cocktail straw on the upward-curved tip of your tongue against your upper teeth, then against your upper lip.

12. Swing.

The mouth is wide open, the tongue moves up and down, behind the upper teeth - behind the lower teeth.

13. Delicious jam.

Licking the upper and lower lips alternately. Circular licking of lips.

14. Needle.

To make your tongue sharp - stretch your tongue towards the mirror.

15. Horse.

Smile, click your tongue loudly and energetically. The lower jaw is motionless, only the tongue moves.

16. Turkey.

Smile, open your mouth, raise your tongue to your upper lip and curl it up. Move your tongue back and forth along your upper lip, saying: blah blah blah.

17. Brushing our teeth.

Move the tip of your tongue left and right along the upper and lower teeth.

18. Get some candy.

Imagine that the toffee is stuck behind your lower teeth and use the tip of your tongue to move as if you were taking the toffee out from behind your lower teeth.

17. Hill.

Smile, open your mouth, rest the tip of your tongue on your lower teeth, your tongue should not stick out forward.

18. Painter.

Smile, open your mouth, lift your tongue up and move the tip of your tongue back and forth across the palate.

18. Paint the walls.

Run your tongue along the inner surface of one or the other cheek up and down.

19. Woodpecker.

Smile, open your mouth, lift your tongue up. With the tip of your tongue, forcefully touch the tubercles behind your upper teeth, saying “d-d-d.”

Speech error correction

When a child is 3-4 years old, correction of speech errors occurs quickly - this is a flexible age for correction and formation of new skills. It is important not to “force” the exercises - first there must be correct placement of the organs of articulation, then an increase in the tempo of the exercise.

The production of sounds is based on gymnastics. Static and dynamic tasks for the language are the basis for many sounds, especially such problematic ones as “r”, “l” and others. Before making sounds, the tongue and lips are warmed up, then the child is explained how to hold/direct them in order to get this or that sound.

If at home you cannot develop articulation, move your tongue correctly and make sounds, it is better to immediately contact a speech therapist. Prolonging the problem will lead to longer work on speech. In addition, the cause of the problem may not be hidden in articulation at all, but in the brain structures, which can only be determined by a pediatric specialist.

Dynamic gymnastics for children

fence - pipe (frog - elephant)
open and close your mouth, slap your lips, making a soft sound
“air kiss”, we stretch our lips forward (as for a kiss) - then we retract our cheeks so that the corners of our mouth touch, like a fish’s

bite the upper lip, then the lower, “comb your lips”
smile - tube
the house is open - closed, close your lips, straining them, open your mouth wide, relaxing, show first the upper lips, then the lower ones, then all at once, a fence
make faces - move your jaw left and right
snout - tube
window - house open - tube - fence - O - A - U - I
charge for the trunk, twist the tube clockwise and counterclockwise, up and down, left and right. Look at the elephant, how it moves its trunk.

Static exercises of articulatory gymnastics

tube with lips, also called “trunk” or “elephant”, lips stretch forward, as when pronouncing the sound U
fence, open smile, show teeth, as when pronouncing the sound I
closed smile with just lips
the house is open, also called “window”, open your mouth wide - “open the window in the house”
the house is closed - lips together, pressed tightly
lock, cover the lower lip with the upper lip, which is pulled slightly into the mouth
key, on the contrary, lower upper
Whoa, close your lips, stretch them forward slightly and make a vibrating sound
show your upper teeth, raise your upper lip and show your upper teeth
show your lower teeth, lower your upper lip, pull back your lower lip
snout, pull your lips forward, widen them slightly
mouthpiece, also called “window” or “donut”, lips as when pronouncing O

Finger games for speech development

The essence of the finger motor skills lesson is to teach the child to use his fingers to depict some objects or living beings. In this case, all finger movements must be explained to the baby. This will help the child understand concepts such as “top”, “bottom”, “right”, “left”, etc. After the child learns how to do the exercises himself, you can try to act out scenes or short fairy tales, distributing the roles among yourself and your little actor (for example, a meeting between a hedgehog and a bunny in the forest). Here are some examples of such exercises.

Finger game\
. The index and middle fingers are straightened, the rest are clenched into a fist. Little man. “Run” with your index and middle fingers on the table.
Finger game\
. Clasp your hands, straighten the fingers of one hand and the thumb of the other. Cat. Connect the middle and ring fingers with the thumb, raise the index and little fingers up. Horned goat. The index and little fingers are straight, the thumb is on the bent ring and middle fingers. Butterfly. Cross your hands at the wrists and press your palms with the backs of your hands facing each other, fingers straight; palms with straight fingers make slight movements in the wrists - “butterfly flies.” Glasses. Fold the fingers of your right and left hands into rings and bring them to your eyes.

In addition to these examples, you yourself can come up with many interesting and entertaining exercises for your child to develop speech.