Can mouth-taping lead to a better night's sleep?

Jon has suffered sinus infections every winter since he was a teenager. For more than 15 years, he's woken up in the middle of the night with a stuffy nose and sore throat, struggling to breathe properly, and never feeling well-rested the next day.

In late 2021, things became particularly bad - Jon suffered a sinus infection which lasted three months. He turned to mouth-taping - a health practice which involves placing an adhesive strip over your mouth while you sleep at night - and, for him, things began to change almost immediately.

"I was going through a bit of a physical and mental health crisis around Covid and the lockdowns and everything. I've been a lifelong asthmatic with allergies and I would get chronic sinus infections every winter ... it's extremely horrible.

"I was looking around for things, trying anything I could to sort this out, and around that time there was a book that was popular called Breath by James Nestor, which goes into how, in Western civilisation, we've forgotten how to breathe properly, we're at a point in our lives where we've forgotten how to do all the basics. One of the recommendations he goes into in that book is to tape your mouth closed during the night, so I decided to give it a go.

"After a couple of weird nights, it ended up working really well ... I've never had a sinus infection again, no longer get asthma symptoms, and my allergies have gone away."

Mouth-taping, in theory, is supposed to encourage nasal breathing and improve your sleep health, helping everything from allergies and respiratory conditions to dry mouths and sleep apnea.

But is it a legitimate health practice, or just another fad?

A trend for the ages

The practice of taping your mouth shut at night has rapidly risen in recent years, with various content creators and celebrities championing the benefits on social media. In 2022, self-proclaimed wellness guru and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about it on her Instagram stories.

"This is probably the single best wellness tool I have found recently. Breathing through your nose at night apparently creates alkalinity in the body and promotes best quality sleep."

But according to Breathing Works co-founder Scott Peirce, versions of the practice have been around for decades. In the 1950s, Russian physician Konstantin Buteyko popularised the Buteyko method, a form of breath-control that encourages people to block their mouths during sleep.

"His original claims were quite ridiculous, that it'll cure cancer and things like that, mouth taping is one part of his theory and it's been picked up and popularised by lots of different people," Peirce says.

A few years ago, Joanne* decided to give mouth-taping a go on the advice of her personal trainer, who emphasised the importance of breathing correctly for fitness.

"The first thing he noticed about me is that I'm a mouthbreather, and I always have been ... he got me to do breath exercises at the gym, cycle breathing and all of that kind of thing. I was like, 'Why is he doing this, this is really weird'. Then he suggested I do some mouth taping. I'm looking at him like, 'What the f*** are you talking about, seriously?' I said, 'I don't know if I can do that, my nose is gonna fill up'. He's like, 'No, it won't, it's a habit, you have to just practice doing it.'

"I did it for a few nights and it was really good ... it sounds weird, it's all weird, but it works, you breathe better, you sleep better, just everything is better. I used to have hayfever issues, colds, at night especially ... I haven't had a cold in five years."

Joanne, like many others, is adamant mouth-taping works. But are sleep experts convinced?

What the experts say

Terri Candy, a sleep physiologist at EdenSleep, is sceptical about the benefits of mouth-taping, particuarly when it comes to snoring.

"Mouth taping hasn't been scientifically proven to treat any health conditions or be beneficial in any way, and while some use it to reduce snoring, persistent snoring can signal obstructive sleep apnea, which is a serious condition that can lead to chronic health issues if untreated."

Angela Campbell, an associate professor at Well Sleep, based in the department of medicine at Otago University, told RNZ that "the last thing we want to see is somebody who actually, really can't breathe through their nose for physical reasons, grabbing a piece of duct tape and putting it over their mouth."

"I mean, it's very hard to actually say that this is a good thing with no guidelines and in who we should be recommending it to. So I think that really the answer is, don't do it."

Jon's bed partner is stoked with the success of mouth-taping.

"I think you have to be at a certain point in your relationship to be comfortable with your partner taping their mouth closed all night," he admits of the slighly awkward sleeping situation.

"She thought it was pretty weird at first but we've been together for a while so she was like, 'yes, dear', very understanding.

"We normally go to sleep around 10pm around similar times, we just say goodnight, I tape up, and then if she asks any questions or anything after that, hopefully I can mumble a response."

Is it dangerous?

Candy says mouth taping can actually have the opposite of its intended effect.

"Mouth taping doesn't just fail to help with nasal breathing - it's actually quite dangerous. It can obstruct airflow and even lead to more severe sleep disorders. You're meant to breathe naturally through your nose, but mouth taping is far from a safe solution."

So what can you do instead?

Our experts say there are other ways to achieve better breathing, before you jump to taping your mouth shut at night.

Peirce says it can help to address the underlying issues behind why you're breathing from your mouth in the first place.

"You can try different breathing techniques or use the little strips that go across the bridge of your nose, or see a dentist or ear, nose and throat doctor ...

"Some people notice the benefits of [mouth taping], that it helps with sleep, and I can accept that, but there's a negative side to it that needs to be highlighted, being that if you tape your mouth shut and you can't breathe properly, your nose is really blocked, then you could potentially suffocate ... it doesn't have to be the first thing you try, it can probably be the last one."

Campbell says sleeping on your side rather than your back, or using a nasal spray from the chemist can aid with mouth breathing problems too.

* last name withheld to protect identity