A growing number of people are using mouth tape as a DIY remedy to promote nasal breathing as they sleep. Individuals who tape their lips shut at night may be doing so to deal with problems like foul breath or snoring.
Read More: Mouth Tape for Sleep
As mouth taping has only been explored in a few limited scientific investigations, its supposed advantages for sleep are now mostly anecdotal. We go over the principles of mouth taping, the research that has been done on the subject, safe mouth taping techniques, and other choices for treating sleep-related problems.
Mouth Tapping: What Is It?
The process of taping your mouth shut at night before going to sleep is known as “mouth taping.” People who think they can prevent the bad consequences of mouth breathing by forcing themselves to breathe through their noses may attempt mouth taping.
By applying porous tape to the top and lower lips, mouth taping makes it difficult for a person to open their mouth. Before going to bed, tape your mouth tight to force yourself to breathe via your nose.
Is Mouth Taping Effective for Snoring?
One potential therapy for snoring is mouth taping. Wearing a porous patch over the mouth altered the angle of the palate and the tongue and made all of the participants in a study of adults with moderate obstructive sleep apnea breathe through their noses. Both snoring and occurrences of delayed respiration considerably decreased as a result of these modifications.
Researchers still need to investigate whether or whether mouth tape reduces snoring in individuals without obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, additional investigation is required to definitively determine if mouth tape is an effective treatment for snoring resulting from other sources.
Original Mouth Taping Benefits
Anecdotally, people report that mouth tape relieves a number of symptoms, including foul breath, snoring, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and nighttime excessive thirst. The majority of these assertions have not been investigated scientifically. Thus far, studies have only shown that mouth tape helps patients with obstructive sleep apnea feel less exhausted and snore less.
Research on mouth taping for asthmatics has not revealed any advantages, despite the fact that nose breathing reduces allergens, increases resistance that increases lung capacity, and brings warmer, more humid air into the lungs. However, mouth taping proponents assert that it might aid in lessening the adverse consequences believed to be connected to mouth breathing, such as:
Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
respiratory disorders caused by sleep
mouth dryness
Spaces
gum disease
foul breath
children’s slowed development
Diminished mental capacity
Adverse Reactions to Mouth Taping
Although mouth taping’s adverse effects have not yet been thoroughly investigated, anecdotally reported side effects include:
Anger on the lips or in the lip area
Anguish when removing the tape, particularly for people with facial hair
sleep disturbance brought on by tape discomfort or trouble breathing through the nose
Anxiety, among those who find it awkward to have their mouths sealed shut
Breathing discomfort or difficulty
Further investigation may reveal other possible adverse effects of mouth taping.
The Best Mouth Tape for Sleeping
If you want to attempt mouth taping, be sure the tape is permeable enough to be applied to human skin. It may be more probable for masking tape or any other tape that isn’t meant for external use to irritate or trigger an allergic response.
Adhesive strips made specifically for mouth taping while you sleep are sold by some businesses. The majority of pharmacies also provide porous tapes that are often applied to human skin, such as sports, surgical, and hypoallergenic tapes. Recently, several businesses have begun to provide mouth tape with the goal of minimizing mouth breathing.
Safe Mouth Taping Techniques
It is not a generally approved procedure, so consult your physician before attempting mouth taping. There aren’t any formal regulations describing safe mouth taping practices at the moment. Furthermore, there is no known risk associated with mouth taping without a doctor’s advise.
It is a good idea to test the mouth strips during the day before attempting mouth taping for sleep. You should not use mouth taping if you have trouble breathing via your nose because of allergies, nasal polyps, or any other reason.
By using an oil or gel that is suitable for food on the region surrounding your mouth before putting the tape, you can reduce discomfort and stickiness afterward. To make taking it off in the morning easier, think about folding the tape over at one corner before applying it.
Substitutes for Mouth Taping
Depending on your reason for being interested in lip taping, there are several alternatives to it.
Sleeping on one’s side
Rather than tape your lips shut, you should think about learning to sleep on your side to lessen snoring. Research has shown for decades that sleeping on one’s side reduces snoring in both obstructive sleep apnea patients and non-sufficiency cases.
You might want to think about getting a new mattress and pillow to make changing positions during the night more pleasant. When you lie in your preferred sleeping position, a well-designed bed supports spinal alignment and minimizes pressure spots.
Strips for the nose
An other approach for lessening snoring is to use nasal strips. Adhesive devices called nasal strips are applied to the nose to widen the nasal airway and promote nasal breathing. Research on nasal strips has shown contradictory findings; while some studies have shown no impact at all, others have shown a reduction in snoring.
Maintaining Proper Oral Hygiene
Some individuals are interested in mouth taping due to claims that it can treat foul breath. Regular brushing, flossing, tongue cleansing, and mouthwash gargling as part of an oral hygiene regimen can also help prevent bad breath.