Recently, a viral trend known as mouth taping—the practice of sealing the mouth with adhesive tape while sleeping—has gained traction on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where it is promoted as a natural method to improve sleep quality and reduce snoring. Promoted by influencers and wellness gurus, this practice claims to encourage nasal breathing at night and optimize oxygenation during sleep.
However, its growing popularity has raised concerns in the medical field, where many specialists warn about the potential risks of restricting the oral airway without a prior professional evaluation. Although mouth taping may seem harmless, it is not.
Ten studies analyzed on its risks
An evaluation of 10 previously published studies suggests that the recent trend of covering the mouth with adhesive tape while sleeping to prevent mouth breathing may have few benefits and pose serious risks of suffocation, according to Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The findings are presented in the open-access journal PLOS One.
When nasal passages become blocked, breathing shifts from the nose to the mouth. Mouth breathing has been linked to sleep-disordered breathing, including conditions ranging from snoring to obstructive sleep apnea, where breathing frequently stops and resumes during sleep.
A recent trend, amplified by social media, has led some people to tape their mouths at night to treat sleep-disordered breathing by preventing mouth breathing. Despite this trend, the safety and efficacy of nighttime mouth sealing have been unclear. To clarify the existing evidence, researchers systematically reviewed studies that have explored this practice. Their analysis included 10 studies that employed different research methods to evaluate the potential benefits of mouth sealing (with tape or other devices, such as masks) in a total of 213 patients.
Of the 10 studies, two suggested that, in a subgroup of people with mild obstructive sleep apnea, the use of mouth tape might be associated with a slight improvement in a standard measure of sleep apnea severity, known as the apnea-hyopnea index. However, other studies found no evidence that the use of mouth tape could help treat mouth breathing, sleep-disordered breathing, or sleep apnea.
Four of the 10 studies included information about the potentially serious risk of suffocation posed by sealing the mouth during sleep in people whose mouth breathing is due to severe restriction or blockage of the nasal airway. Severe nasal obstruction could be due to conditions such as hay fever, chronic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum, sinonasal disease, or enlarged tonsils.
