You have likely seen the viral beauty trend of mouth taping on TikTok – a process where you tape your mouth shut whilst sleeping. Amongst the very few areas of improvement echoed by TikTokers online trying the trend for themselves was the reduction in snoring, sleep apnea and dry mouth.
But with very few studies around the efficacy of this trend, the question is, does this really work or this it just another beauty fad better off forgotten?
Although there has been no scientific evidence proving the efficacy of mouth-taping as a general one-size-fits-all approach to sleep apnea and snoring, the online hype from social media may lead you to believe otherwise.
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, told CNN, “If you have obstructive sleep apnea, yes, this can be very dangerous”. He also encouraged people to speak to their healthcare provider due to the lack of evidence around the efficacy of this trend.
The theory behind mouth taping is when you tape your mouth shut when you sleep, your body is forced to breathe through the nose, which, in theory, is beneficial for several reasons. Journalist, author, and former mouth-taping critic James Nestor shares this in his new book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.
After travelling the world to discover the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices, Nester criticised mouth taping, calling it “ridiculous and excessive”. But once he decided to try taping for himself, his sleep apnea and snoring disappeared.
In his book, he argues the benefits of nasal breathing and how it can help boost nitric oxide, a gas within the body that helps to increase blood flow. He wrote, “Nasal breathing alone can boost nitric oxide six fold, which is one of the reasons why we can absorb about 18 percent more oxygen than by just breathing through the mouth”.
There are a few studies that have shown mouth-taping to be effective. For example, there is a study performed by Huang and Young that tested 30 patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea, which resulted in decreased symptoms. However, this is one of very few studies on the subject involving a small group of participants; therefore, it is difficult to establish a general consensus regarding the trend and whether it actually works.
For those thinking about trying this trend, we recommend that you speak with a doctor or specialist before trying this at home.
