Sleep
Does Mouth Taping Help You Sleep Better?
Image courtesy Sleep Seal UK/Pinterest
Sleep
Does Mouth Taping Help You Sleep Better?
Mouth breathing getting you down? A piece of tape could be the answer to your bedtime woes.
We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to promote a better night’s rest. From following a soothing nighttime routine to curating a cozy sleep space, sometimes you need to put in a little work to reap the relaxing benefits.
But when you consistently wake up with a dry mouth, bad breath, and snoring complaints from your partner, it can all feel pointless. Perhaps a simple shift in how you breathe at night, from mouth to nose, is the simple change you need? There are a number of potential advantages to breathing through your nose, according to Dr. Mark Boulos, a stroke and sleep neurologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ont.
“It’s thought that when you breathe through your nose, you can filter allergens through the mucosa and hair in your nose, regulate the temperature of your breathing and air intake, and moisturize your throat,” he says. Some anecdotal evidence has also shown that nose breathing can decrease anxiety and even lower blood pressure.
While this all sounds ideal, mouth breathing is the unintentional automatic sleep setting for many. A rising sleep trend claims that it could have the ability to reset that default.
Enter: mouth taping. This social-media-loving trend claims to not only help you sleep better but has been reported to reduce the appearance of puffiness around your eyes and jawline, improve skin tone and quality, and even reduce symptoms of jaw pain.
Dr. Boulos breaks down how this trend works and if medical experts actually recommend it.
What is mouth taping?
@devonkelley_ I’m a mouth taping pro at this point 🤪 #skincaretips #mouthbreathing #mouthtaping ♬ original sound - Devon Kelley
As the name suggests, this trend involves placing a piece or pieces of tape across your lips to prevent them from opening while you sleep. The goal is to force you to breathe through your nose by limiting air access to your mouth.
Does mouth taping work?
With hefty anecdotal claims touting this as life-changing, mouth taping certainly seems like an attractive practice. Some report that it’s transformed their face shapes and jawlines, while others suggest that it can improve symptoms of sleep apnea.
And yet, the science isn’t quite there to back it.
“Some trials have been done, but there’s nothing that really supports it as an overall recommendation,” says Dr. Boulos. “There’s no strong evidence behind it.”
If anything, early research suggests that mouth taping may have potential risks, particularly for those with sleep conditions. A 2024 study following 54 people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) found that while mouth closure during sleep improved air flow for some, air flow overall worsened for those who relied the most on mouth breathing.
This could be particularly troublesome, and even dangerous, for those with blocked nasal passages. Nasal congestion from a cold or allergies or a deviated nasal septum can make it difficult to take in air through the nose. By mouth taping, “you’ve lost the avenue for proper breathing,” says Dr. Boulos.
So, is mouth taping safe to try?
Beyond the potential risks for those with sleep apnea or blocked nasal passages, tape can irritate the skin around your mouth. Mouth tape can also lead to a higher risk of aspiration, especially for those with reflux or heartburn.
“The overall medical recommendation is not to bother with it,” says Dr. Boulos. “It’s very unlikely that it’ll be beneficial.”
If you do want to try mouth taping, Dr. Boulos suggests introducing it gradually in short bursts to see how your body reacts. Use hypoallergenic tape to prevent skin irritation.
However, the symptoms that you’re trying to treat by engaging with this therapy—particularly severe snoring—could point to a more serious condition. “It’s about finding the root cause of things rather than taping the mouth,” says Dr. Boulos.
Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and dementia, among other harmful effects. Consulting your physician or visiting a sleep clinic can help determine if you're experiencing something beyond the scope of mouth tape. In the short term, trying out nasal strips to open up your nasal passages is a safer way to try to promote breathing through your nose.
That said, Dr. Boulos says that mouth taping overall needs more research.
“It's not fair to shoot it down as a potential therapeutic option,” says Dr. Boulos. “While we can’t make a general recommendation for everybody, especially for those with sleep apnea, maybe it will benefit some people."
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