Yuliya Rabinovich, DDS, a dentist in Castle Pines, Colorado, says it might be worth a try. Loosely taping your mouth shut is a low-cost, non-invasive strategy for sleeping more soundly. But why tape your mouth shut at night?The idea behind mouth taping is that it will force you to breathe through your nose. Nasal breathing does have some advantages, according to Dr. Rajkumar Dasgupta, MD, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. According to Dr. Dasgupta, breathing through your nose filters out dust and allergens, and it humidifies the air you breathe. “It makes the air easier to flow down into our lungs,” he explains. Breathing through your nose also releases nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, which means it helps widen your blood vessels, and it will improve oxygen circulation. With more oxygen, you will be more likely to get more restorative sleep, explains Rabinovich.
Why mouth breathing isn’t great for you
If you breathe primarily through your mouth, you won’t get the benefits of nose breathing listed above. You’re also more likely to develop dry mouth, which can cause a few different problems to develop. For one, thing, dry mouth can lead to gingivitis, Dr. Dasgupta notes. The Mayo Clinic lists dry mouth as one factor that can increase your risk for gingivitis, which is a mild form of gum disease that causes redness, irritation and swelling in the gums. Left untreated, gingivitis can lead to more severe gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss. “If you have dry mouth, it really predisposes you to bad breath–halitosis–and no one wants to have bad breath,” he adds. So, if you’re trying to train yourself out of mouth breathing, “mouth taping seems to be one of the more efficient and really super cheap ways to try to circumvent that and see if it helps,” says Dr. Rabinovich. But Dr. Dasgupta is skeptical. It probably won’t hurt you, he says, but it might not help you, either. He suggests a few other options that you could pursue if you’re breathing through your mouth:
Allergy treatments. Allergies are often the culprit behind nasal congestion, so if you can clear those up, you might be able to breathe through your nose better.Nasal strips. Nasal strips can also open up your nasal passages and improve the flow of air–and possibly reduce snoringStop smoking. Smoking can irritate your nasal passages and lead to a runny or congested nose, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Want to try mouth taping?
If you’re intrigued by the concept of mouth taping and want to give it a try, it’s first important to know when mouth taping might not be appropriate. For example, don’t try mouth taping if you have a nasal obstruction, like a deviated septum or nasal polyps, or otherwise can’t breathe through your nose, perhaps due to nasal congestion. “Mouth taping will not work if your nose doesn’t work,” says Rabinovich. It’s also important to rule out other possible health conditions that could be affecting the quality and quantity of sleep you’re getting. For example, could you have a thyroid condition or other hormonal imbalance? You might need treatment. Could you be affected by a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, which can’t be fixed by just taping your lips together? You might need some sort of appliance or device like a CPAP machine to help you breathe better. “I would definitely encourage you to have a conversation with your primary care physician about your sleep issues,” Rabinovich says. Dr. Dasgupta is even more direct. “Before you tape your mouth shut, please participate in a sleep study,” he says, adding that there is now home sleep apnea testing available so you might not even have to go to a lab. Once you’ve ruled out any conditions that might be a problem, then you can try taping. Dr. Rabinovich likes to put lip balm on her lips first, so the adhesive doesn’t rip the delicate skin there. Then she puts a piece of surgical tape vertically over both lips, just enough to help her keep her mouth shut. “You want to put it tight enough where you feel very mild tugging but not so tight that you can’t open your lips even with the tape on,” she says. In other words, you want the tape to be able to come off easily if you do need to breathe through your mouth. If you’re worried you might have a reaction to the adhesive on the tape, you could do a test somewhere else on your skin first. Next, climb into bed and see what happens. The good news is that if the tape bothers you, you’re not committed. “It literally takes two seconds to take it off your face,” says Dr. Rabinovich. Next up:Why Can’t I Sleep? Coronavirus Anxiety is Real, But Here are 10 Things That Will Help
Sources
Rajkumar Dasgupta, MD, pulmonologistYuliya Rabinovitch, DDS, dentist.Gingivitis. Mayo Clinic.Nasal congestion. Mayo Clinic.Recinto C. Effects of Nasal or Oral Breathing on Anaerobic Power Output and Metabolic Responses. International Journal of Exercise Science.
