It is well known that quality sleep is critical for optimal health, but more and more, people are reporting poor, and waking up tired. Majority of sleep specialists encourage improving your sleep hygiene with formulated bedtime routine that prioritizes creating the right environment (calming, dark, no distractions) and staying consistent (to help set your circadian rhythm and signal to your body its time to sleep). One emerging concept in the realm of sleep hygiene is mouth taping.
Mouth Tape For Sleep
Mouth taping involves applying breathable, skin-safe tape over the mouth before sleep, aiming to encourage nasal breathing and discourage mouth breathing. Mouth breathing is associated with several drawbacks including oral health issues, sleep disorders, and daytime fatigue.
Benefits Of Mouth Taping
Research suggests that nasal breathing offers numerous benefits including improved air filtration, humidification, and warming, as well as increased oxygen uptake and circulation. Mouth taping purportedly enhances restorative sleep, reduces snoring, and alleviates symptoms of sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea.
How Mouth Taping Works
The scientific consensus is that you should breathe through your nose for optimal health. Our body's aren't meant to process air through our mouths for hours every day. Even the hairs in your nose are there to filter air before it enters the body. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to ensure you are breathing through your nose when you are asleep! Mouth tape is designed to gently induce nasal breathing while you sleep to help your body function its best while you recover and rest. By nasal breathing while sleeping, you absorb +18% more oxygen, every night and wake up feeling much more refreshed and energized.
Who Should Be Mouth Taping
If you are a mouth breather, and research shows majority of people are (approximately 71%) you should consider mouth taping. Don't know if you are a mouth breather, here are some of the common signs: 
What about people with sleep apnea? If you have mild sleep apnea and or use a CPAP machine, mouth tape could stop further progression and significantly improve your sleep experience by ensuring your are breathing correctly through your nose.
Is It Safe To Mouth Tape?
Yes, there has been comprehensive studies that have been conducted to analyze the safety and efficacy of mouth tape. Swallowing specialists at Stanford University studied how mouth taping can help those who snore. Their research highlighted that there are significant benefits to breathing through your nose. Not only because nasal breathing and filters the air helping you to ward off infections and allergies. Nasal breathing, activates the lower lungs, letting you take deeper breaths, relaxing your body, helping you fall asleep. Only when nose breathing, a gas called nitric oxide is produced, and travels from the sinuses to the lungs, lowering blood pressure.
Can I Use Any Type of Tape?
It is important to use a medical grade tape that is meant for your skin. Using household products that aren't meant to be on your mouth can be dangerous. Medical tapes can be used but the most common complaints are that it falls off in the middle of the night, is uncomfortable, doesn't work with facial hair, and you'll need multiple pieces to keep your mouth closed. After trying more than 10+ different types, our favourite was Bouche. It is flexible, comfortable, and didn't fall off. Its oval design makes minimal contact with my skin, and I love that the one-size fits all piece covers my whole mouth. Some of the other mouth tape brands I tried either had a small hole in the middle or were shapes that didn't cover the entierty of my mouth, which made me feel like I ended up mouth breathing anyways.
It is always wise to consult a healthcare professional, especially if you have underlying medical conditions or concerns. Healthcare providers can offer personalized advice and guidance tailored to individual needs and circumstances, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of incorporating mouth taping into one's sleep routine.