What you need to know about mouth taping, TikTok’s latest sleep hack

Snoring is a common problem for many sleepers. It can also be annoying for your partner or a symptom of a bigger problem, such as sleep apnea. But recently, social media claims to have found a solution: taping the mouth. TikTok users swear by the benefits of mouth taping, claiming that the practice does everything from helping you get better oxygen to improving your sleep. Some swear it’s the easiest solution to stop snoring. But of course this is TikTok – not a legitimate medical source.

So what’s the truth about mouth tape for sleep? Can mouth taping really provide all those benefits or is mouth taping dangerous? Sleep medicine experts break down the truth once and for all to make sure your sleep habits are healthy and safe.

What is mouth taping?

Mouth taping is as simple as it sounds: you use tape to close your mouth, usually placing a piece of tape in the center of your mouth to keep it closed. It’s mostly used during sleep, although some people do this while exercising or running to force themselves to breathe through the nose, says Chris Winter, MD, a neurologist, sleep expert, and host of the “Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter ” podcast. “People who engage in this practice generally do it because of the perception that it improves sleep,” he says.

Breathing through your nose all night is the main goal of mouth taping, says James McGuirk, MD, an assistant professor of sleep medicine at Vanderbilt Neurology. “The idea behind this is that when your mouth is closed while sleeping, your oropharyngeal anatomy stays together and tends to support itself better, so the airway becomes less occluded,” he says. “This could potentially help with snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea.”

Benefits of mouth taping

This is a bit tricky. TikTok is full of people who swear by mouth taping for a variety of reasons, but “only a few have actually been validated with any kind of research,” says Dr. McGuirk.

Mouth taping can help with mild snoring or mild obstructive sleep apnea, says Dr. McGuirk. Furthermore, the benefits are really unclear.

“While there are studies on mouth taping, the research involves very few patients — most of the studies have not been done properly,” says Ulysses Magalang, MD, director of the sleep disorders program at Ohio State University College of Medicine. .

Case in point: A small 2014 study found that those who taped their mouths snored less, but only involved 30 people. Another small study of 50 people with mouth taping showed no real effect on asthma control in people with the condition.

Obviously, mouth taping doesn’t work for everyone and it might not work for you at all. A study of 10 people with sleep apnea found that some continued to try to breathe through their mouths even when they were taped shut.

“There are a few studies that seem to suggest that mouth taping may indeed reduce snoring,” says Dr. Magalang. “But the effect on moderate or severe sleep apnea and other conditions is not clear.”

Is mouth taping dangerous?

It could be. Dr. Winter points out that there is an aspiration risk (meaning you could inhale something you shouldn’t) and that mouth taping could mask more serious sleep problems. Tapeping your mouth shut can also cause anxiety, says Dr. McGuirk. You could even choke. “If you tape your mouth and you have a nasal congestion, we don’t know what the effect would be,” says Dr. Magalang. On a less serious level, tape used for mouth taping can irritate your skin, Dr. McGuirk.

Best mouth tape for sleeping

There is no tape that TikTokers or doctors recommend for mouth taping. Some reviews suggest makeup tape; others use sports tape. If you’re going to try mouth taping, “you should look for tape that is medical or surgical tape,” says Dr. McGuirk. “The tape should be just big enough to bridge the lips and not cover the entire mouth.”

But then again, doctors really don’t recommend you try this sleep hack. “I generally don’t recommend it,” says Dr. Winter. “I think anyone considering the practice should consider a sleep study before doing so and work with a qualified sleep physician.”

Dr. Magalang agrees and urges people to see a doctor if they have symptoms of sleep apnea, including excessive snoring, feeling tired during the day after a good night’s sleep, someone notices that you stop breathing during sleep. sleep, or you have a morning headache.