Can Mouth Taping Help with Sleep?

How often do you breathe through your mouth at night? It may not always be easy to tell if you do, unless you’re experiencing some of the telltale signs of mouth breathing while you sleep. Some of these may include dry mouth or a sore throat.

Breathing through your mouth while you sleep may seem generally harmless — or even necessary sometimes. We’ve all struggled to get a good night’s sleep with a stuffy nose. But if you often wake up with a dry mouth or a sore throat, you may be wondering how to train yourself to nose breathe at night.

Enter mouth taping— a health trend that’s been picking up steam in recent months. But is it safe, and does it actually work? Let’s take a look.

What is Mouth Taping?
Mouth taping is exactly what it sounds like—using surgical tape to tape your mouth closed. It may sound extreme, but it’s used to encourage nasal breathing (breathing through your nose) while you sleep. People who practice this treatment claim it can treat a number of health problems associated with mouth breathing while you sleep, such as:

- Snoring
- Bad breath
- Dry mouth or sore throat
- Grinding your teeth (bruxism)
- Gum disease and tooth decay

Along with these, mouth breathing may offer additional unpleasant side effects like nighttime coughing, worsened asthma symptoms, and even high blood pressure. According to other studies, including one published by Case Reports in Otolaryngology, mouth breathing in children can affect their growth by potentially affecting their craniofacial growth which could have negative effects on their mental development.


By taping your mouth shut before bed, you encourage yourself to breathe through your nose while you sleep. Of course, this is because with your mouth taped shut, you physically can’t breathe through your mouth so you shift to nasal breathing. (If you are going to tape your mouth before bed, there are specific ways to do it safely which I’ll discuss below.)


While it definitely sounds like a bizarre solution peddled by snake oil salesmen, many people swear by mouth tape for a better night’s sleep. It's recently been gaining traction on social media. But like many viral trends, it may be hard to believe. So is there any truth to this claim, and are there risks?

The Benefits of Mouth Taping
Many of these claims indicate that mouth taping for sleep can reduce health problems caused by mild apneas and prevent dental health problems. It can also be helpful in preventing snoring, dry mouth, and some sinus issues.

According to a study from the journal Healthcare, mouth breathing during sleep directly influences your oral health and behavioral health; however, more research is needed on the latter.

Is Mouth Taping Safe?
We’ve all seen TV shows or movies where someone has had their mouth taped shut with duct tape, and it never looks comfortable. That’s because it isn’t— especially if you do it improperly.

For best results, do not put a piece of tape horizontally across your mouth. Instead, simply place the tape vertically, in line with your septum—the cartilage in your nose that separates your nostrils.

Michael J. Breus, PhD, FAASM


Via The Sleep Doctor.