Mouth Taping for Sleep

Another day, another TikTok health trend. This time, mouth taping is trending as a sleep hack. What’s mouth taping? It consists of taping your mouth shut at night to promote breathing through your nose while you sleep.

Proponents of the method claim that nose breathing can improve your sleep while addressing common issues like snoring, bad breath and cavities. Some people even claim that it can help you combat brain fog and boost your immune system. So, is this sleep hack worth a try? Is it even safe? Here’s what experts have to say.

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Nose Breathing Has Real Benefits

First, let’s consider the main intention behind mouth taping: nose breathing. There are real advantages to breathing through your nose instead of your mouth. “Your nose is a sophisticated filtering system, warming and humidifying the air you breathe in,” says Dr. Naheed Ali at Sleep Bubble. This is why mouth breathers can often wake up with a dry mouth or even a sore throat.

Nose breathing at night can also help you sleep better. “When you breathe through your nose, you tend to enter deeper and more restful stages of sleep. This leads to waking up feeling more alert, with less brain fog, better concentration, and improved focus. On the other hand, mouth breathing can lead to cavities, gum disease, and bad breath,” adds Dr. Staci Whitman, who is a dentist and a partner at Hostage Tape.

According to a research paper written by Juliette Tamkin, a California-based dentist, mouth breathing has a negative impact on dental health by drying out oral structures and decreasing saliva production. Since saliva protects your mouth from bacteria, this leads to an increased risk of decay and other dental issues.

Finally, breathing through your nose can help increase oxygen absorption and even improve overall health, adds Whitman: “We can receive up to 20% more oxygen through our nose. [The nose] also offers immune benefits in the sinuses and releases nitric oxide, which is important for cardiovascular and immune health.”

Is Mouth Taping Safe?

Before you start taping your mouth at night, know that the practice is not without risks. “The skin around your lips is delicate, and tape adhesives can be irritants or allergens for some. More worrying is how it could affect people with conditions like sleep apnea, where unblocked airflow is critical. And, in the worst case, if you needed to vomit with a taped mouth, it could turn an uncomfortable situation into an emergency,” according to Ali.

Whitman, who is a fan of the trend and has been using mouth tape for the past four years, notes that “many healthcare professionals now recommend mouth taping in conjunction with a CPAP machine to enhance its effectiveness.” However, if you suffer from sleep apnea, she says that caution is indeed necessary — you should consult a sleep medicine doctor before considering mouth taping.

If you don’t have sleep apnea and can comfortably breathe through your nose, the practice is relatively safe, adds Whitman: “Essentially, it's no different from naturally keeping your lips sealed together while you sleep. However, some people face challenges due to various reasons.” Those reasons include structural issues around the shape of your face, jaw and tongue.

Whitman suggests trying a lip seal test, which involves testing if you can comfortably close your lips and breathe through your nose for three to four minutes without panicking. “If you can pass this test, you should theoretically be able to use lip tape or mouth tape overnight,” she says. “However, with children, I recommend seeking clearance regardless.”

The Bottom Line on Mouth Taping

The mouth taping trend is more than a TikTok fad — nose breathing comes with a host of benefits. As Ali notes, the trend “comes from wanting better sleep by encouraging nose breathing — which is the gold standard for rest and respiratory health.”

That said, mouth taping is not completely risk-free and it’s not for everyone. If you’re breathing through your mouth at night or constantly snoring, there may be other issues to rule out before grabbing tape.

“Before anyone tries taping their mouth at night, chatting with a sleep specialist is a must. For those with snoring or sleep disruptions, we have to treat or rule out underlying issues, sometimes with CPAP machines or custom oral devices,” says Ali, who adds that there is a wide range of remedies to address sleep issues, from lifestyle changes to high-tech devices. “The key is a tailored approach.”

If you don’t have any particular medical conditions and are just looking to optimize your health and well-being, mouth taping can be a pretty safe and beneficial practice — just consult your doctor first and keep in mind that there’s always a risk of obstruction while you sleep, even if it’s minimal.

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