Mouth taping may help encourage nasal breathing for people who mouth breathe. But it may not be a technique suitable for everyone (including me).
Mouth taping is the practice of sealing your lips shut with tape while you sleep to encourage nasal breathing. I’ve known about this fad health trend for years, but it wasn’t until a recent trip to the dentist that I became interested in trying it out for myself.
According to my dental hygienist, my teeth showed signs of mouth breathing, including tooth erosion and bruxism (teeth grinding). It was news to me that mouth breathing causes these issues, and truthfully, I took it hard. After a cavity-wrought childhood, I had grown into an adult who takes extra good care of her teeth.
So, after a quick search of “Has anyone died from mouth taping?” (no one has — that we know of), I online shopped for some tape.
The tl;dr is that I didn’t make it through a single night with the tape still on my mouth in the morning. But the experiment wasn’t a complete failure. Here’s how it went after 5 days.
I opted for this Nexcare option, which has 6.8k+ reviews and was under $8. (Specialized mouth tapes like this use a gentle adhesive that keeps your lips together without causing discomfort or skin irritation.)
I tried the tape on as soon as it arrived and found it stickier than expected. Taped horizontally across my entire mouth, it firmly held my lips shut — too firmly. It would have been difficult to force my lips apart if I needed to take a gulp of air. I made a mental note to use a smaller piece and place it vertically across my lips come bedtime.
Ultimately, there wasn’t much to tell: I could fall asleep with the mouth tape on all 5 nights. But each morning, I woke up with the tape somewhere else in bed or stuck to my body.
(One morning, I found it wrapped around the end of my thumb, and I have no memory of how it got there.)
Using a small piece of tape probably made it come off more easily. But this felt safer than risking it not coming off at all.
The thing is (and I should have taken this into stronger consideration before the experiment), I don’t breathe well out of my nose.
According to my ear, nose, and throat doctor, I have a partially deviated septum that restricts airflow to my left nostril and enlarged turbinates that restrict airflow to both sides. To top it off, I have semi-constant nasal congestion from seasonal allergies.
Long story short, the only way I can breathe through my nose is by sleeping on my right side. It turns out this is difficult to do for the entire night.
To adjust to having tape on my mouth, I started using it for a couple of hours at a time while working at my desk.
I found this was a great way to train myself to breathe through my nose without committing to an entire night. My nose works best when I’m sitting straight up, so nasal breathing wasn’t an issue in that position.
I can’t say for sure if I experienced any of the purported benefits of nose breathing, but I found that I took deeper breaths overall, which did feel calming in the moment.
Very little research exists on the effects of mouth taping while sleeping, and no conclusive evidence shows this practice leads to benefits.
A small preliminary study from 2022 found that mouth taping during sleep may improve symptoms in mouth-breathers with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). More research is needed to back up these early findings.
Mouth taping is meant to encourage nasal breathing, which may help:
- filter allergens, dust, and bacteria through the tiny hairs (cilia) inside your nose
- humidify and warm air before it reaches your lungs, reducing irritation
- promote the production of nitric oxide, a compound that helps with circulation and oxygen delivery
- reduce the likelihood of snoring and sleep disturbances
- support better oral health by preventing dry mouth, which can lead to cavities and bad breath
It’s important to note that mouth taping while sleeping may cause:
- Breathing obstruction: If you have nasal congestion, allergies, or any airway obstruction, mouth taping can make it harder to get enough air while you sleep. (Noted!)
- Increased anxiety: You may find it uncomfortable or even anxiety-inducing to have your mouth taped shut.
- Skin irritation: The adhesive on the tape may cause redness or other color changes, irritation, or allergic reactions.
- Sleep disruptions: If your body isn’t used to nasal breathing at night, you might wake up frequently or feel unrested in the morning.
As I learned firsthand, mouth taping isn’t suited for everyone. You should avoid it if you:
- have frequent nasal congestion due to allergies or colds
- have obstructed nasal passages
- live with asthma or other respiratory conditions
- have diagnosed or suspected sleep apnea
- experience anxiety or claustrophobia that could be triggered by having your mouth taped shut
- have sensitive skin that reacts poorly to adhesives
If you’re curious about mouth taping while sleeping, I strongly recommend checking with a doctor or sleep specialist first, especially if you have any underlying respiratory or sleep conditions.
For myself, I’ll stick to other sleep-improving habits — like:
- getting morning sunlight
- keeping my bedroom cool
- avoiding screens before bed
After trying mouth taping for 5 days, I found it was more beneficial to do it during the day than at night. I had no trouble falling asleep with the tape on, but when I woke up every morning, it wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
During the day, however, it helped me breathe through my nose (having a partially deviated septum makes this difficult). But I don’t plan on continuing to tape my mouth.
Consider speaking with a doctor or sleep specialist before trying mouth tape, especially if you manage other respiratory or sleep conditions.