![[For Seniors] Stay Healthy Through Your Mouth with the A-I-U-BE Exercises!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/NesI0JZbc3o/maxresdefault.webp)
[For Seniors] Stay Healthy Through Your Mouth with the A-I-U-BE Exercises!
I think exercise activities are common in senior care facilities and day services, but you may not have heard much about the “A-I-U-Be” exercises.
The A-I-U-Be exercises are designed to move the muscles around the mouth.
They strengthen the tongue muscles and naturally encourage nasal breathing.
Nasal breathing is great for relaxing both the mind and body.
It’s also said to help improve age-related sagging, so it’s full of benefits.
On top of that, it can improve oral health, making mealtimes more enjoyable.
[For Seniors] Stay Healthy Through the Mouth with the A-I-U-Ve Exercises! (1–10)
A-I-U-Be Classic Exercise
Let’s add a touch of classical music to the “AIUEBE” mouth exercise used to help prevent colds and influenza.
You can use a slow, gentle melody like Gymnopédies, or a classical piece that older adults enjoy.
Doing the exercise to one’s favorite classical music makes it more enjoyable for seniors, too.
Move your mouth widely to the melody—“a, i, u, be”—and stick your tongue out and lower it.
This exercise is especially recommended in dry seasons like autumn and winter.
Give it a try!
Preventing influenza with the A-I-U-Be mouth exercises
Many elderly care facilities likely implement measures against influenza.
They are probably taking thorough precautions such as diligent handwashing and disinfection, as well as wearing masks.
Here, we introduce the “A-I-U-E-BE Exercise,” which is easy for older adults to do and helps prevent influenza.
Open your mouth wide, stretch it sideways, and vocalize the sounds.
For the “be” part, stick out your tongue and extend it downward.
These movements of the mouth and tongue are said to help position the tongue so that you breathe through your nose rather than your mouth when inhaling.
By breathing through the nose, you can prevent foreign substances from entering the body and take in humidified air.
This can also help prevent influenza.
A-I-U-Be Exercise Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Many care facilities have residents do oral exercises before meals.
The goals of these exercises include preventing aspiration, reducing food spillage, and improving eating and articulation.
This time, we’d like to introduce an oral exercise set to the melody of the children’s song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Using familiar songs—like children’s songs that many older adults know—makes it easier to participate.
By changing the lyrics to “aiuebe” and vocalizing them, you can expect to strengthen the tongue and the muscles around the mouth.
Since it also trains the facial expression muscles, conversations with richer expressions may become smoother.
It’s an exercise that also supports communication, so please give it a try.
A-I-U-Be Exercises, Yokai Version
Let’s try doing the “Ai-U-Be” mouth exercise to a cheerful anime song themed around bright, upbeat yokai! Some older adults may have watched this anime with their grandchildren back in the day.
If the song feels familiar, it might make it easier to engage in the exercise.
The Ai-U-Be exercise is recommended for preventing mouth breathing, which can affect tooth alignment and lead to cavities.
By doing the exercise, the tongue’s position changes, making nasal breathing easier.
Adding a melody to a routine exercise may also boost motivation for older adults.
Please feel free to make use of this idea!
A-I-U-Be mouth exercise staring game
It’s an exercise that adds “staring contest” to the “A-I-U-BE mouth exercise,” so it includes lots of laughter.
It can of course be enjoyed at care facilities, and it also seems perfect to try at home with your grandchildren.
Some older adults may have limited interaction with others.
With a staring-contest version of the A-I-U-BE exercise, you can foster interaction and smiles through the activity.
It’s easy to do as a game for recreation, so it’s highly recommended.
Let’s enjoy doing mouth exercises while having fun.
Aiueo mouth exercises for preventing facial sagging and wrinkles
When you talk with others, the things you’re worried about can get resolved and your stress can be relieved.
Older adults also have concerns and things on their minds.
Through communication with the people around them, we hope they can lead vibrant, lively lives.
The “Ai-U-Be” exercises are recommended because they strengthen the muscles used for vocalization.
Try adding exercises that open the mouth wide, stick out the tongue, and stretch the throat.
Once you get used to them, it’s fine to make adjustments, like matching the movements to a song’s melody.
AIUE breathing/vocalization exercise
Because the tongue’s nerves are connected to the brain, moving the tongue is expected to help activate brain function.
Let’s also do some brain training with the “A-I-U-BE exercises,” which involve moving the tongue.
Open your mouth wide for “a,” stretch it sideways for “i,” round it for “u,” and stick out your tongue while vocalizing “be.” Once you get used to it, level up by tilting your face upward, sticking out your tongue, and doing the exercises in time with song lyrics.
Doing these exercises changes the tongue’s position, making nasal breathing easier.
This also helps prevent cold and influenza pathogens from entering the body.
Feel free to add your own variations and enjoy practicing!