What is Mouth Tape? And what does it do?
Are you tired of waking up with a dry mouth or snoring loudly at night? Have you ever wondered if there’s a simple solution to improve your sleep? If so, you’re not alone!
Snoring and drooling on the pillow is not a small problem. To take matters in hand, many TikTok users are seen recommending mouth tape.
Whenever we hear about someone talking about using mouth tape, it comes as absolute shock and horror. We might think of it as a useless strip or just another trend.
However, there's more to it than meets the eye. Studies suggest that sleeping with an open mouth can lead to snoring and disrupted breathing patterns, and mouth tape might be the simple yet effective solution to address these issues.
It turns out that snoring or noises while sleeping can occur when your mouth falls open, and using mouth tape might help solve the problem.
Not sure how it works? And you might need it too? Let us help you through this article.
First off, why is mouth breathing bad for you?
Due to congestion caused by allergies, your nose can have a blockage, leading to more breathing issues. Hence, the mouth breathing. But why is it bad for you?
-
Influencing the growth of the jaws and teeth.
-
limiting the amount of oxygen that enters the brain
-
This increases the risk of respiratory infections, leading to dry mouth and smelly breath.
Now, when you have such symptoms, you need special consultation with a professional medical expert to get to the root cause of your problem.
How does Mouth Tape Work?
It's not rocket science but a simple way of keeping your mouth shut when sleeping. Not only will your partner be grateful for you, but you can finally get your long-gone sleep, too.
How? Because it forces you to breathe through the nose.
If you ask the medical experts, they will tell you that we humans are naturally designed to breathe through our noses. When we have allergies or infections, we automatically tend to breathe from our mouth, which leads to more issues.
On the other hand, nasal breathing produces something called Nitric oxide.
Okay, if this is too technical for you. Dr. Rajkimar Dasgupta has simplified it for you.
“Nitric Oxide is something that widens your blood vessels (relaxing the muscles). It further helps you with things like hypertension, which is a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. And it improves circulation".
You can see why nasal breathing is important, even if you have to use mouth tape for it.
So, what are the benefits of Mouth Tape?
Since the main purpose of mouth tape is to help you with nasal breathing, it automatically improves oxygen uptake into the body. After filtering, humidifying, and warming, your lungs will benefit from the clean air.
As the nasal tube is made for airflow, it plays an important function in slowing down the amount of air that enters your lungs at once.
So, when you use mouth tape, it helps you sleep better while breathing with your nose.
Moreover, supporters of mouth taping argue that it may help lessen the harmful consequences known to be connected with mouth breathing, including:
-
Sleep-disturbed breathing
-
Dry mouth
-
Cavities
-
Gum disease.
-
Bad breath.
-
Slower growth in youngsters
-
Reduced cognitive abilities.
So, it is safe to say that using the tape can be quite useful in many ways. If you are treating the root cause of your problems side by side, there is no harm in using the tape for a good night's sleep.
Does Mouth Tape really work, or just another TikTok trend?
Social media trends are not always helpful, but sometimes, they just work. So, this might make us wonder if this helps or is just another TikTok trend in the news.
Moreover, it also cringes you to know that you won’t be able to open your mouth at all.
Well, you are not the only one thinking like this.
Mouth taping does involve sealing your mouth to encourage nasal breathing, but it does not fully block airflow. It helps in breathing through the nose.
The main goal is that it keeps your mouth closed rather than wide open and drooling onto your pillow. In short, mouth tape makes mouth breathing difficult and encourages nasal breathing instead.
When you make sure the breathing happens through the nose, you can enjoy the benefits like:
-
Improved sleep quality
-
Reduced snoring
-
Increased energy
-
Eliminated morning bad breath
-
Reduced dry mouth
-
Improved cognitive and physical performance
-
Improved dental health
Does mouth taping have any scientific backing?
There is not much evidence on this, and more research is still needed to make a proper recommendation by doctors.
However, one small study done on 20 people with mouth breathing problems suggests that 13 people responded positively as they snored less with the taping on the mouth.
Additionally, thousands of people on social media claim that mouth taping helps them stop snoring, with many sharing their positive experiences. This is often enough for frustrated partners and fatigued sleepers—no more complaints about snoring at night. Yay (👏) for your partner!
Just know that not all tapes are to be used as mouth tape. Make sure you always use medical grade tape when mouth taping. And, before attempting mouth taping for sleep, it is best to test the mouth strips during the day, especially if you are afraid to tape your mouth shut.
You should avoid mouth taping if you have trouble breathing via your nose due to allergies, nasal polyps, or any other reason.
As for the removal, a simple method may cause pain. However, if you push the strip out with your tongue, it is more feasible, and you will notice that the wetness on your tongue simply loosens the strip, allowing you to remove it without pain.
Final say
If you are also trying to sleep better at night without snoring, Mouth tape can be a very helpful solution. However, just remember that if you have any doubts on using mouth tape, you should always consult a medical expert.
For the skin-friendly tape, we at Zippit have what you need. Order your mouth tape now if you are tired of your bad breathing at night.
References:
https://www.vogue.com/article/mouth-taping
https://www.healthline.com/health/taping-mouth#how-it-works
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/26/health/mouth-taping-tiktok-dangers-sleep-wellness/index.html
https://share.upmc.com/2023/11/is-mouth-taping-safe/
https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/mouth-taping
https://www.henryford.com/blog/2024/03/mouth-taping
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mouth-taping
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mouth-tape-sleeping-hygiene-hacks-social-media
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mouth-taping-what-to-know-about-this-dangerous-tiktok-trend
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/09/mouth-taping-not-the-answer-for-better-sleep/#
https://www.verywellhealth.com/tiktok-trend-mouth-taping-6824937