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Shut that mouth!
Chamia Murray
June 14, 2024
JUNE 14, 2024
Mouth Tape
What is mouth taping?
It’s exactly how it sounds, putting tape over your mouth before you go to sleep to help you get a better sleep by causing you to nasal breath.
If you’re wondering how does this even help? According to Dr. Michael J. Wei, a cosmetic dentist with a practice at Manhattan New York City Cosmetic Dentist, “Breathing through the nose helps filter, humidify and warm the air before it enters the lungs, which can help improve overall respiratory health. Nasal breathing also promotes better oxygen uptake and can reduce the risk of snoring and sleep disturbances.”
While Dr. Erin Fraundorf, an orthodontist and the founder of Boca Orthodontic and Whitening Studio in St. Louis, Missouri, notes that, “Sleeping with your mouth open and breathing through your mouth may cause you to wake up still feeling tired and with a dry mouth, which has been found to contribute to bad breath, cavities, a hoarse voice and dry lips.”
What are the benefits?
Improved nasal breathing. They key benefit to mouth taping is that you breathe through your nose instead of your mouth, which is the catalyst of a number of other purported benefits. For example, Fraundorf says, “Through nasal breathing, you also produce a gas called nitric oxide, which increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and improves brain function.”
Increased oxygen intake. “Nasal breathing activates your lower lungs, letting you take deeper, fuller breaths, therefore getting more oxygen,” Fraundorf explains. Wei adds that this improved oxygen intake is accompanied by better filtration of air and better carbon dioxide elimination compared to mouth breathing.
Reduced snoring. According to Wei and Fraundorf, breathing through the nose may eliminate or reduce snoring, leading to more sound sleep for the individual using the mouth tape and their sleep partner.
Bruxism prevention. “In some cases, mouth taping can help prevent teeth grinding (bruxism) by encouraging proper mouth and jaw positioning during sleep,” Wei says. However, the dentist warns that those with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders or jaw pain should avoid mouth taping, as it may increase tension in the jaw muscles and worsen their symptoms.
Improved oral hygiene. Fraundorf cites reduced mouth dryness, fewer cavities and decreased risk of gum disease as positive outcomes of mouth taping.
Better breath. According to the oral health experts, bad breath and tooth decay are linked to mouth breathing because it can allow bacteria and viruses to enter your system, thus nasal breathing promotes better breath.
Better sleep, and therefore, higher energy. Because mouth taping may improve sleep quality, Fraundorf says related benefits like increased REM sleep, higher energy in the morning, improved cognitive function and reduced anxiety may be secondhand results.
Risk?
“While mouth taping is generally safe for most, not everyone is a good candidate for mouth taping,” Fraundorf says. “A good rule of thumb is that if you struggle to breathe through your nose throughout the day, you should not try mouth taping.” Conditions like a deviated septum, allergies, sleep apnea, sinusitis or chronic congestion may pose a challenge to nasal breathing and could require alternative treatment.
I also don’t recommend using tape like duct tape because it may cause skin irritation.
My Experience
I’ve been doing it for a few weeks and I can honestly say after doing it for 1 week consistently I do notice a difference. I’ve really liked it and I’m always trying to find small hacks that will benefit me for now (my sleep) and in the future (less tooth decay and lowers risk of bacteria entering mouth over time).
What kind of tape to purchase?
Daily Reminder
It’s the beginning of the week so I just wanted to remind you that you got this! But also to remind you to not wait til Friday or the weekend to enjoy your life!
Journal prompt: What’s something you wish others knew about you?
Quote I’m loving: “If you don’t separate yourself from your distractions, your distractions will separate you from your goals and the life you want.”