The quest for a good night's sleep has become somewhat an intense sport over the last few years with many of obsessing over the next big solution, be it new sleep gadgets, apps, or curating the perfect night time routine. But the answer to a decent night's sleep may be far simpler than you think. Ever heard of mouth taping? Tess Daly has. The presenter recently posted an image of herself in bed with medical tape placed across her mouth. And there's method in this quirky practice.
Tess explains, 'it’s mouth taping! A method that helps to encourage nose breathing, for a deeper, more restful sleep. I talk all about it in #4StepsToAHappierHealthierYou, with some great advice from the amazing @breathing.tree 👃 have any of you tried this?'
And mouth taping is nothing new. The hashtag #mouthtaping has amassed a whopping 82.6M views on TikTok and many extol the virtues of this simple sleep hack. TikToker @isabelle.lux has dedicated a whole series to beauty sleep on the app and mouth tape features as a pièce de résistance. In her video she explains, 'breathing through your mouth contributes to a host of issues including bad breathe, gum disease, cavities, brain fog, and a weakened immune system, there are so many more and most people, myself included, breathe through their mouth at night. Taping your mouth shut before bed completely prevents that. I'm not kidding, you will have the best sleep of your entire life.'
If you're ready to level up your sleep game, here's everything you need to know about mouth taping.
What is mouth taping?
Mouth taping is a popular home treatment that restricts mouth breathing and encourages you to breath through your nose while you sleep. It sees people place a piece of medical tape over their lips before sleeping, to help keep their mouth closed as they sleep and swerve the negative effects associated with mouth breathing.
How does mouth taping work?
By physically preventing mouth breathing, you encourage nose breathing during sleep. Be careful about what tape you choose and make sure it's skin-friendly. Medical tape works and brands have gone so far as to serve up purpose-made mouth tape too, which, like medical tape is made from non-toxic materials.
What are the benefits of mouth taping?
If first hand accounts are to be believed there are a host of benefits to mouth taping which impact not only your oral health but overall health, too. Though not yet proved scientifically - a point well worth noting - anecdotally many have shared how mouth breathing has helped reduce snoring, dry mouth, bad breath, increased REM sleep and cognitive function, nose breathing also filters out dust and harmful allergens.
Are there any risks associated with mouth breathing?
The thought of taping your mouth shut while you sleep is daunting. On the whole it's considered a safe practice to adopt, but there are some risks involved such as difficulty breathing or sleep apnoea if your nose becomes blocked overnight - if your prone to sinus issues, hay fever or prolonged colds, this one's not for you. And then there's the risk of your skin being irritated by the tape itself. We highly advise consulting a medical professional before giving this a go yourself.