Wanting to Try the Viral Mouth Taping Trend? Here’s the Full Scoop
As a holistic skincare company, there are a lot of viral trends that we simply can’t get behind. Many are questionable, unreliable, unfounded, and have no real evidence to back them up.
But a viral trend we can get down with: mouth taping.
Whether you’ve come across this holistic-centered nighttime practice or not, it’s worth looking into. We couldn’t believe how many facets of your health this little hack can improve.
We’ve done the research + dug deep into the “why” behind the viral trend of mouth taping. It’s a topic you won’t want to miss.
What Is Mouth Taping?
Mouth taping is a popular trend that’s been encouraged by natural health experts for years. It’s also been documented in research for decades.
As many naturopathic doctors, health enthusiasts, and biohackers love to point out, breathing should be simple. Your nose is for breathing and smelling. Your mouth is for eating, tasting food, and talking.
Mouth taping manually prevents mouth breathing overnight.
Why does this matter? In excess, mouth breathing can cause a variety of issues.
Here are a few:
- Poor mouth health, including:
- Bad breath
- Decaying teeth
- Gum disease
- Limited jaw function
- Orthodontic issues
Your mouth has a specific PH maintained by your saliva. Mouth breathing dries up spit, throws off the delicate balance, and affects mouth health.1
But that’s not all.
If you’re exclusively breathing through your mouth, you may experience unwanted side effects like:
- Increased allergies since your body is not using its built-in air filter.
- Worsened anxiety since mouth breathing involves shorter breaths that activate chest breathing and sympathetic activity.
- Skin wrinkles + decreased volume from dysfunctional breathing that incorrectly utilizes the muscles around the lip and jaw.
Mouth taping is an excellent way to prevent these health issues from starting – or continuing.
Preventing mouth breathing overnight brings more oxygen to your body for deeper, more restorative sleep.
Let’s talk about the incredible benefits of this simple overnight hack.
Mouth Taping Benefits
If you tuned in for last week’s blog on nose breathing, you might not be too surprised by some of the mouth taping benefits.
Either way, read on. We’ve done our research + have a real-life testimony from our holistic esthetician Courtney, who swears by mouth taping.
Here are our favorite mouth taping benefits you should know about:
- Helps with snoring: Snoring is caused by blocked airflow in the nose or throat. Snoring is often made worse by mouth breathing. Studies show mouth taping can reduce the intensity or potentially eliminate snoring.
- Decreases anxiety: Taping off your mouth makes sure your nose does its job. If you know a thing or two about nose breathing, you know it deepens breaths, slows heart rate, and lowers blood pressure.
- Fixes bad breath: We know that mouth breathing causes a dry mouth and less saliva. And dry mouth is linked to bad breath.2 So mouth taping will help keep your saliva balanced.
- Maintains defined facial structure: Sleeping with the right “face posture” (aka mouth closed) makes all the difference. Correct facial positioning supports bone definition in the face, a sculpted jawline, straighter teeth, a straighter nose, and “alert” eyes (instead of wrinkles/sagging).3
- Better mouth health + gut health: As Beverly Meyer, a holistic nutritionist, points out in her podcast on mouth taping, this practice can improve the microbiome for your mouth and gut while improving your whole sinus cavity, including reduced teeth plaque.1
- Stronger immune system: Yep, mouth taping can be a natural immune booster. Nose breathing helps prevent colds, flu, allergic reaction, hay fever, and irritable coughing.4
- Better diaphragm function4: Your diaphragm is an essential muscle for proper breathing. Mouth taping ensures you’re using your diaphragm correctly.
- Increased CO2 intake: Breathing into a paper bag for hyperventilation/calming down is an old-time trick for a reason. Nose breathing similarly increases (and resets) CO2 levels in your body.1 CO2 is essential for releasing oxygen into your body so it can be absorbed + used by organs and tissues.3
- Promotes digestion4: Proper breathing activates the diaphragm and massages the organs, including your intestines.
- Slows heart rate and blood pressure4: Mouth taping forces you to breathe solely through your nose, which activates parasympathetic “calming” activity throughout your body.
- Stronger lungs: With mouth taping, your lungs are more deeply activated. So your breathing becomes more effective, and you’re also supporting an essential detox pathway.
→ Circulation
→ Inflammation
→ Sleep quality
→ Endurance
→ Aging effects
→ Digestion
Are you sold on the practice of mouth taping yet? Just wait til you read this testimonial from Courtney, our in-house holistic esthetician:
“I tried mouth taping.
I also did a 20 min workout, red light therapy, sipped golden milk while facial rolling and reading – then added my mouth tape right before falling asleep.
I fell asleep almost immediately, and I don’t think I moved until I woke up 7 hours later.
Literally woke up saying, ‘Woah. I *actually* feel rested.’ That’s an experience I haven’t had waking up in way too long.
I felt so much more rested moving into my morning routine and felt myself move more mindfully and intentionally – focusing on gratitude while I drank my green juice rather than rushing to do ten other things at the same time. I practiced new facial massage movements on my sweet self instead of rushing through my skincare routine.
Did mouth taping do all this? Not sure... but I do believe it’s another next step towards a better night's sleep – and I’m here for it. I’ll be keeping my mouth tape by my bed until further notice. ;)”
I fell asleep almost immediately, and I don’t think I moved until I woke up 7 hours later.
Literally woke up saying, ‘Woah. I *actually* feel rested.’ That’s an experience I haven’t had waking up in way too long.
I felt so much more rested moving into my morning routine and felt myself move more mindfully and intentionally – focusing on gratitude while I drank my green juice rather than rushing to do ten other things at the same time. I practiced new facial massage movements on my sweet self instead of rushing through my skincare routine.
Did mouth taping do all this? Not sure... but I do believe it’s another next step towards a better night's sleep – and I’m here for it. I’ll be keeping my mouth tape by my bed until further notice. ;)”
Considering how much time you spend sleeping, mouth taping presents a huge opportunity to improve your health. But there are situations where it might not make sense.
How to Tape Your Mouth Correctly + Precautions
Mouth taping can be really beneficial for various health concerns + aging gracefully. All while supporting your body to do its best breathing. But not everyone is a candidate for mouth taping.Like any health practice, we recommend consulting your doctor first – just to be safe.
Risks + Precautions
While the risks are minimal, here’s the full scoop on mouth taping – as promised.- Reaction from the tape material – be mindful, and discontinue use if irritation occurs.
- Obstructed airways or nasal obstruction may be worsened if you try to mouth tape. This includes nose structural issues like small nostrils, a deviated septum, or adenoid enlargement.
- Sleep apnea symptoms should always be addressed with your doctor. Maybe the best route for you to take in this case is to start with nose breathing exercises during the day. After all, breath expert James Nestor references how he practically healed his sleep apnea through nasal breathing.
- Pregnant women may not be well-suited since congested noses are common. Consult your doctor first, but maybe you can try mouth taping for 10 min during the day. See how your body responds.
- Congestion you can’t clear may be a sign that you shouldn’t engage in mouth taping until congestion subsides. Stick with nose breathing exercises for now.
- Chronic allergies or sinus disease can cause unwanted congestion, irritation, and difficulty with nose breathing.
- Intense exercise may require some mouth breathing, so don’t try mouth taping while performing any amount of exercise.
- Adjusting to nose breathing can be challenging – you might need time to work up to overnight mouth taping.
- Do not use normal tape, duct tape, or scotch tape. If you’re looking for a cheaper version than pre-cut strips, try surgical tape first. Many standard tapes contain harmful chemicals and irritants.
Tips for Mouth Taping
While the concept of mouth taping is fairly simple in practice, here are a few extra tips + tricks to support you.
→ The tape should be soft and gel-like – easy to remove and hypoallergenic.6 You want your mouth to be shut by the tape but not tightly sealed. You should be able to slightly part your lips for coughs, sneezes, etc.
→ Apply a lip balm beforehand if you struggle with a “sticky” feeling after removing mouth tape.
→ Look for a mouth tape with tiny pores that’ll allow you to breathe through your mouth if your nasal airway becomes blocked unexpectedly.
→ Don’t force it! Get familiar with nose-breathing techniques to train yourself to breathe through your nose. This will help your transition to mouth taping.
→ Use a neti pot to clear your sinuses – maybe all you need is a good saline solution rinse to open up your airways.
Still deciding? We’ve got you covered with some alternative practices + options to get more oxygen through your nose.
Alternatives if Mouth Taping Doesn’t Work for You
Luckily, mouth taping is not the only way to practice nose breathing. Here are some easy alternatives that might feel more approachable for you.- Try nose strips at night. Nose strips are shown to increase the airflow through your nasal cavity, increasing your chances of breathing in and out of your nose while sleeping. You can find inexpensive strips on Amazon or at your local drugstore.
- Practice nose breathing exercises throughout the day to build a habit. Once you feel comfortable nose breathing on-demand, you can start mouth taping for short periods during the day. That way, you can closely monitor how you’re feeling and responding.
- Learn how to unblock your nose, to have better nose breathing access. (Read about it in our previous post on nose breathing.)
- Avoid back-sleeping by using side pillows to keep you from rolling onto your back. Back sleeping is known to cause an open mouth/mouth breathing.
- Meditation and yoga are both great ways to practice more efficient, slower breathing. You’re sure to get in some solid nose breathing.
Of course, we aren’t providing medical advice here. So if you’re curious whether mouth taping is right for you but you experience/struggle with some of the above, consult your doctor or a holistic sleep specialist.
Every individual has a different set of circumstances and different needs.
We’ll Be Keeping Tape at Our Bedside Til Further Notice ;)
Who knew mouth taping could be such an easy swap to modify how you breathe? When you incorporate this simple practice, you’re encouraging a healthier body and mind.
It may not be for everyone, but there’s a big takeaway in the benefits of exclusive nose breathing. Are you curious to try mouth taping?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments! What other viral health trends do you want to see us touch on?
Sources:
- Primal Diet – Modern Health Podcast | The Benefits of Mouth Taping at Night
- Healthline | What Causes Common Types of Bad Breath Smells?
- The Path to Awesomeness | The Art of Mouth Taping: Sleep with Buteyko
- Lenus – The Irish Health Repository | The Health Benefits of Nose Breathing
- Bridgit Danner | 5 Mouth Taping Benefits and Why You Should Try It Out
- Ask the Dentist | Mouth Tape: End Mouth Breathing for Better Sleep and a Healthier Mouth
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