Mouth Taping: What to Know About This Dangerous TikTok Trend

Users of TikTok say that a recent viral fad is improving their quality of sleep. We refer to it as mouth taping. Videos with the hashtag #mouthtaping have received close to 25 million views; they talk about a purported sleep remedy that performs exactly what you would presumably expect.

According to Carleara Weiss, PhD, MS, RN, postdoctoral fellow in sleep and circadian rhythms at Aeroflow Sleep and advisor on sleep research, “mouth taping consists of using tape to keep the lips together during sleep.”

In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (Trusted Source) (AASM) advises adults between the ages of 18 and 60 to get at least seven hours of sleep per night. However, a 2019 survey indicates that almost one-third of American adults in the workforce don’t receive that much.

TikTokers are also praising mouth tape for reducing snoring, which can interfere with a snorer’s ability to sleep as well as that of any sleeping partners. The AASM reports that compared to 24% of women, almost 40% of adult men snore regularly.

Good sleep hygiene is crucial. It can reduce the risk of mental health problems, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, according to the CDCTrusted Source. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that those who struggle to fall asleep would stop at nothing to increase their sleep duration. However, doctors concur that mouth taping shouldn’t be one of them.

Reasons not to try mouth taping

The promise of mouth taping is to keep the mouth closed while you sleep. Is it dangerous to sleep with your mouth open, though? If so, does sleeping with your mouth open pose a greater risk than the concerns associated with mouth taping?

Dangers of opening your mouth while you sleep

Sleeping with your mouth open is “somewhat unhealthy,” according to a sleep specialist.

Clinical psychologist and sleep specialist Michael Breus, PhD, explains, “You are breathing in cold, unfiltered air.” “Noses are uniquely fitted with tissue intended to warm, moisturize, and filter air before it enters your system. Those who breathe via their mouths often have foul breath and greater dental damage.

A 2022 reviewTrusted Source on snoring states that mouth breathing may indicate nasal blockage. Furthermore, snoring may be lessened by mouth closures, according to 2020Trusted Source research.

While mouth tape may theoretically lessen snoring and mouth breathing while you sleep, according to Atlantic Health System sleep medicine specialist Dr. Federico Cerrone, the hazards are too great.

He claims, “It’s extremely dangerous and probably a band-aid solution rather than treating the underlying cause.”

The dangers of using mouth tape

Among the dangers of mouth taping, according to experts, are:

breathing obstruction
worsening of sleep apnea and the associated risks
allergic responses to the tape’s disruptive effects on sleep or discomfort

According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD, and double board certified in both psychiatry and sleep medicine, nasal congestion can make a person sleep with their mouth open since it facilitates breathing. Snoring may also result from it.

The following are common reasons of nasal congestion:

allergies colds, infections, or deviated septums swollen turbinates (tiny nose structures that filter and moisturise air as it enters the nasal cavity and travels to the lungs)

Thus, even though supporters of mouth taping may claim that it facilitates breathing, Dimitriu cautions that it will probably have the opposite effect.

It’s crucial to remember that lying down tends to constrict the nostrils, according to Dimitriu. People occasionally have good nasal breathing while standing, but worse breathing when lying down. The reason for this is blood clotting. There is less congestion in the nose when we stand because more blood flows to the legs.

Snoring may indicate sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing stops and resumes regularly while a person is asleep. Although mouth taping may reduce snoring, Weiss cautions that it can exacerbate sleep apnea by making breathing more difficult. It thus increases the person’s likelihood of experiencing the negative effects of sleep apnea, such as heart attacks and even death.

Weiss continues, “The tape may irritate the lips and face or trigger an allergic reaction.” According to Dimitriu, there are very rare instances where the tape causes someone to choke or throw up.