In August 2022 Dan Go (@FitFounder on Twitter) published a thread with the summary of his own experiment: Using mouth tape during sleep for 6 weeks straight.
His experience? He loved it! In his own words: “I've always dealt with multiple sleep disruptions at night. After taping my mouth most nights I go to sleep with almost zero disruptions. Getting better sleep helps with recovery and heart health, which affects my energy and mental health the next day.”
Dan’s post is just one of many. More and more people are publicly embracing the practice of mouth taping. Mostly for sleep, but for some, other purposes too. But let’s take a step back. What the heck is mouth taping?
Quick explainer - what is mouth taping?
As the name clearly suggests, mouth taping is the practice of taping your mouth shut in order to stimulate your body to switch to breathing through the nose. This practice is often embraced by those who often tend to sleep with their mouth (wide) open, resulting in loud snoring. Some people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea tend to also use mouth tape in conjunction with their CPAP machine in order to prevent nighttime complications.
Why use mouth tape during sleep?
Often labeled a life hack, why would anyone choose to tape their mouth shut during their sleep? Does it actually work?
In 2012, researchers Tsung-Wei Huang and Tai-Horng Young published their seminal article with the results of their research in which a group of patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and classified as habitual open-mouth breathers (OMB), were observed as they slept using mouth tape (or referred to as ‘porous oral patches’ in the article). The results showed that using mouth tape helped reduce snoring and improved the quality of sleep.
How does mouth tape help?
Mouth tape encourages the wearer to switch to nasal breathing from mouth breathing. In this article, we already explained the many benefits of nasal breathing. When the body switches to breathing through the nose it improves the quality of sleep in two ways.
1- Less snoring
Those who sleep on their back and end up sleeping with their mouth open tend to also be the loudest snorers. Snoring occurs when you breathe and the flow of air makes the tissues in the back of your throat vibrate. The moment you tape your mouth shut with mouth tape, not only does it help slightly re-align the soft tissue which blocks the airflow, but as you breathe through your nose, the airflow is less obstructed. Now this is a bit of a short summary, so check out our in-depth article on snoring if you want to fully geek out on this stuff.
2- Better sleep
Using mouth tape in general results in better oxygenation of your body. This, in turn, improves the quality of your sleep by allowing your body to transition through the different cycles of sleep, without waking up and disrupting yoru precious sleep.
Now, imagine you’re one of those open-mouth sleepers who often wake up during the night due to dry mouth or having the urge to pee. Using mouth tape helps prevent this from happening, as the oxygenation in your body is very much improved as a result of using mouth tape.
Mouth tape and sports
Besides using mouth tape to improve the quality of sleep, many also use it to stimulate nasal breathing during their workout. Many elite athletes have been pictured using mouth tape during their workout, such as World No. 1 women’s tennis player, Iga Swiatek, as described in this Washington Post article.
But why? Well, the nose is built with a specific purpose: to support our respiratory system (the primary purpose of the mouth, on the other hand, is to start the digestive process). The nostrils, hair, and nasal passageways are designed to assist in filtering allergens and foreign bodies from entering the lungs. The nose also adds moisture and warmth to inhaled air for smoother entry to the lungs.
The other advantage is that breathing through the nose can allow for more oxygen to get to active tissues (which is very helpful, especially during your workout). That is because breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which is necessary to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, which, in turn, is what releases oxygen. Mouth breathing does not effectively release nitric oxide, which means the cells are not getting as much oxygen as through nasal breathing, which could lead to fatigue and stress.
Should you try mouth tape?
Mouth tape is not for everybody. If you suffer from a blocked nose or sleep apnea, it's best to first consult a doctor before considering mouth tape. If not, if you sleep with your mouth open, resulting in loud snoring, it might be something for you to try out. The same goes for those who often wake up at night during sleep. Switching to nasal breathing could help drastically improve the quality of their sleep.
Trying out mouth tape is very simple - especially with Releeves. We offer very affordable samples of our mouth tape so you can explore if mouth taping is for you. Check it out for yourself.
Sources used:
- Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/08/12/nasal-breathing-mouth-tape-exercise/
- Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/when-it-comes-to-breathing-during-exercise-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong/2019/01/23/b4d3c338-1e59-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html
