Having your mouth taped shut is the stuff of nightmares \u2014 but some people are doing just that to themselves. And in an attempt to sleep better, no less.
\n<\/p>\n
Doctors say don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n
Some on social media say it\u2019s a hack for getting more and better sleep and to reduce snoring. The claims \u2014 which are not backed by science \u2014 are taking off on places like TikTok, sometimes pushed by people working for companies selling related products.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe studies behind mouth tape are small, the benefits are modest and the potential risks are there,\u201d said Dr. Kimberly Hutchison, a neurologist and sleep medicine expert at Oregon Health & Science University. Some of those risks include making sleep disorders like sleep apnea worse, or even causing suffocation.<\/p>\n
Mouth breathing in adults is not a major health problem, but it is better to breathe through your nose, experts say. Your nose is a natural filtering system, trapping dust and other allergens before they can get to your lungs.
\nIf you\u2019re breathing with your mouth open at night, you could wake up with a dry mouth and irritated throat, which can contribute to bad breath and oral health problems. Mouth breathing is also associated with more snoring.<\/p>\n
But even though breathing through your nose is better than breathing through your mouth, taping your mouth shut isn\u2019t the best way to fix the issue.
\nThere\u2019s no strong evidence it helps improve sleep. A few studies have been conducted, most of which showed little or no impact, but they were so small experts say conclusions should not be drawn from them.
\nAnd meanwhile, there are the potential dangers to be avoided.
\nDr. David Schulman, a sleep doctor at Emory University, said there are other things to try, like prescription mouth pieces that can open up your airway, or a CPAP machine. If you\u2019re a smoker or are overweight, for example, quitting smoking and losing weight can help.<\/p>\n
The safest approach is to figure out why exactly you are breathing with your mouth, because there could be something else going on.
\nYou may be breathing through your mouth because you have obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep because of a blocked airway. The disorder is linked to both open mouth breathing and snoring, and is typically treated with a CPAP machine.
\n\u201cThe reason sleep apnea can be bad is that any decrease in the quality of sleep can affect you day to day or over the course of your life,\u201d said Dr. Brian Chen, a sleep doctor at the Cleveland Clinic. \u201cDepending on how bad the sleep is, you may just feel sleep deprived or require more sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best thing to do, Emory\u2019s Shulman says, is get a sleep test, some of which can be done at home. \u201cIt\u2019s always better to know than not know,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you know that something\u2019s going on and you choose not to pursue therapy, at least you know you\u2019re making an educated decision.\u201d
\nThe Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n
Q: Is mouth taping effective for improving sleep?
\nA: There is no strong evidence that mouth taping helps improve sleep. In fact, it can pose potential risks such as making sleep disorders like sleep apnea worse, or even causing suffocation.
\nQ: Why is nasal breathing better than mouth breathing?
\nA: Nasal breathing is better because the nose is a natural filtering system, trapping dust and other allergens before they can get to the lungs.
\nQ: What are the alternatives to mouth taping for improving sleep?
\nA: Alternatives include prescription mouth pieces that can open up the airway, or a CPAP machine. Additionally, quitting smoking and losing weight can also help improve sleep.
\nQ: How can I identify underlying conditions that may be causing mouth breathing?
\nA: The safest approach is to get a sleep test, some of which can be done at home, to determine if there are any underlying conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Dangers of Taping Your Mouth Shut at Night Introduction to Mouth Taping Having your mouth taped shut is the stuff of nightmares \u2014 but some people are doing just that to themselves. And in an attempt to sleep better, no less. Doctors say don\u2019t do it. Some on social media say it\u2019s a hack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Be_Well-Mouth_Tape_63817.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,933&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20661,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20658\/revisions\/20661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}