Mouth Taping at Night: Can This New Trend Help You Sleep, Breathe & Live Better?

Everyone from high-level “bio-hackers” to celebrities to TikTok influencers is espousing the benefits of mouth taping at night to upgrade your Zzzs, The claim? Sealing your lips will force you to breathe through your nose, snagging you an endless list of benefits, including improved blood pressure, negating bad breath and alleviating sleep apnea.

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Sounds great, right? Time to grab the tape and enjoy this instant health hack. Unfortunately, while the grand jury of influencers has jumped on the bandwagon of this new health trend, there’s little scientific evidence that mouth taping at night will reap these rewards.

How Mouth Taping at Night Work?

It’s dead simple: obtain skin-safe tape (the “skin-safe” part is super important), stick it over your lips before you hit the hay and settle in for some deep sleep. Doing this forces you to breathe through nose while you snooze, a habit that could yield some immediate benefits.

The hairs in your nose and nasal passages filter out pathogens, dust and allergens, acting as a natural line of defense for your respiratory system. According to some studies and anecdotal evidence, this practice can also help eliminate snoring. Plus, it may result in more efficient oxygen uptake.

What are the Risks of Mouth Taping at Night?

Before you reach for the tape to test drive this new trend, be warned: the practice isn’t without its dangers. One analysis found that sealing your mouth could “pose a serious risk” of suffocation if your nasal passages are obstructed. As such, you should always consult a sleep specialist before sealing the deal as there are plenty of conditions, such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps, that could obstruct these vital pathways.

Can Mouth Taping at Night Help Me Sleep Better?

You may have scrolled your way into a world of promises when it comes to mouth taping, especially big claims that this humble strip could improve the quality of your snooze time. However, there hasn’t been any significant research verifying these bold promises, so if you’re searching for a quick fix for your dozing woes, there are better (and more effective) methods to bag better Zzzs.

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We tagged in Barry Bridges, a qualified sleep recovery specialist who coaches guys on how to upgrade their shuteye itineraries, to share his top 3 most effective tips to upgrade your sleep:

1. Spend Time in Sunlight

In the first 90 minutes after waking up you should aim to expose yourself to 5 to 30 minutes of sunlight, says Bridges. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, snagging that golden glow at the right times will spark the release of serotonin to get your motor running and mood stabilised and jump starts your internal organs. That sunlight soak-up also ramps up the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating your sleep-wake cycle.

But not all sunlight is made equal. You’ll want to bask in around 1 000 lux of the good stuff. (You can measure this using an app like LUX Light Meter to carve out the best spot for your sun time.)

2. Breathe Easy

Stress is the enemy of good sleep, so bringing those levels under control is one of the best steps you can take for easier dozing. A solid breathwork itinerary with a focus on long exhales will help stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system to keep you in a calm and relaxed state. (It can also lower your blood pressure and heart rate.)

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Bridges recommends the following exercise, one you can do at any time of the day to help rein in stress:

1. Breathe in for 4 seconds;
2. Hold your breath for 2 seconds;
3. And exhale for 10 seconds.

3. Dump Your Negative Thoughts

Breathwork isn’t the only way to scupper stress, says Bridges. Scheduling an early-morning “brain dump” (i.e., unloading all your immediate stressors) can also help put you in a state of zen before you haul yourself to the office. “Do this before you even look at your phone,” says Bridges. “And use pen and paper or a journal. Write down anything that’s bothering you, and stick to the negative only.” The positive brain dump? Save that just before bed to end the day on a high.