Proper Swallowing Mechanics Can Improve Your Digestion
Swallowing & Your Digestive Issues schedule examHow Good Are You At Swallowing?
If someone asked you if you were good at swallowing, what would your answer be? You would probably think they were a bit nutty! Did you know there is a right and wrong way to swallow? Yes, there is! The tongue plays a lead role in the proper swallowing technique.
How To Swallow / Swallow Guide
The tip of the tongue starts in the roof of the mouth, just behind your front teeth. As you begin to swallow, the middle (or body) of the tongue continues to rise up to the roof of the mouth. It is almost like a “wave” pattern, with the very back of the tongue contacting the roof of the mouth last. Aerophagia is the swallowing of air. When a person swallows improperly, air is swallowed leading to digestive issues such as frequent stomach aches and acid reflux.
How Myofunctional Therapy Helps
As a myofunctional therapist, I teach correct swallowing mechanics. This includes learning how to slow down, chew slowly and bilaterally and swallow without compensation of any additional muscles.
Learning the correct tongue posture can improve digestive problems by stimulating the vagus nerve ending located at the “spot”. The vagus nerve is responsible for the regulation of breathing and digestion.
Learning how to breathe properly will also help decrease or eliminate digestive issues, due to the balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system response.
How Digestive Problems Are Related?
Solving digestive issues at the root is one of the most rewarding outcomes of my therapy.
Many of my clients have digestive issues because they chew inadequately, eat in a hurry because chewing and swallowing are not enjoyable, and they swallow incorrectly. I always tell my clients, IF your digestive issues are caused by myofunctional impairment you should see improvements in your digestive symptoms. Many of my clients see improvements right away, while others take a little bit longer.
Mouth breathing can also cause digestive issues because the body is in chronic fight or flight mode, which causes more sympathetic nervous system response, instead of the “rest and digest” response of the parasympathetic nervous response.
Read the Ultimate Guide to Breathing
Visit our archive of Breathing Articles
Things You Can Consider
Do you have rapid eating behaviors?
Are you medicating and why?
Are you chewing slowly & adequately?
Are You Medicating For the Wrong Reasons?
Putting a “bandaid on a bullet wound” is a common phenomenon in my practice. What is meant by that? So many of you are medicating to “fix” hiccuping, belching, bloating, flatulence, stomach ache, acid reflux, or other digestive issues.
The truth of the matter is that your digestive issues may be caused by your swallow or how you breathe. When you breathe with your mouth, you are constantly stimulating the sympathetic nervous respsonse. This is your “fight or flight” response. When your body is preparing for a perceived emergency, it is not worried about your digestion.
