Some people are taping their mouths shut at night in an effort to sleep better, reduce snoring, or otherwise improve how they feel after bedtime. Doctors caution that the practice is risky and that the evidence cited online does not amount to a strong case for trying it.
The trend is being promoted on social media, including on TikTok, where some users describe mouth taping as a “hack” for better sleep and less snoring. The claims, doctors say, are not backed by science, and the activity has sometimes been pushed by people who work for companies that sell related products.
Dr. Kimberly Hutchison, a neurologist and sleep medicine expert at Oregon Health & Science University, said the research behind mouth taping is limited and that potential harms exist. “The studies behind mouth tape are small, the benefits are modest and the potential risks are there,” she said, adding that risks include making sleep disorders like sleep apnea worse or even causing suffocation.
Doctors also advise against treating mouth taping as a substitute for addressing the underlying reason someone breathes through their mouth at night. They said that, while breathing through the nose is generally preferable, mouth taping is not the best first step for solving the problem.
Experts said it is better to breathe through the nose most of the time because the nose filters dust and other allergens before they reach the lungs. They also said that if a person breathes through their mouth at night, they could wake up with a dry mouth and irritated throat, which can contribute to bad breath and oral health problems. Mouth breathing, experts said, is also associated with more snoring.
Even with the online enthusiasm, doctors said there is no strong evidence that mouth taping improves sleep. They pointed to a small number of studies that showed little or no impact, with experts saying the studies were so limited that conclusions should not be drawn from them.
Dr. David Schulman, a sleep doctor at Emory University, said doctors recommend other approaches instead of taping the mouth. He said there are other things to try, such as prescription mouth pieces that can open up the airway, or a CPAP machine, and he noted that quitting smoking and losing weight can help some people, depending on their situation.
Doctors also said mouth breathing can be a sign of a more serious condition and that the safest approach is to find out why it is happening. They said mouth breathing can occur with obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to a blocked airway.
The reporting said obstructive sleep apnea is linked to open mouth breathing and snoring and is typically treated with CPAP. Dr. Brian Chen, a sleep doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, said the reason sleep apnea can be serious is that poorer sleep can affect a person day to day or over the course of their life.
“The reason sleep apnea can be bad is that any decrease in the quality of sleep can affect you day to day or over the course of your life,” Dr. Chen said. “Depending on how bad the sleep is, you may just feel sleep deprived or require more sleep.”
Schulman said the best way to proceed is to get a sleep test, noting that some tests can be done at home. “It’s always better to know than not know,” he said, adding, “And if you know that something’s going on and you choose not to pursue therapy, at least you know you’re making an educated decision.”