Study warns against internet trend Why you shouldn't tape your mouth shut while you sleep
According to social media, simply taping your mouth shut while you sleep is supposed to help prevent snoring and improve concentration. However, researchers warn of the risks of this practice in a new study.
21.05.2025, 23:31
SDA
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- On social media, many influencers and celebrities recommend taping your mouth shut as a way to improve your sleep.
- Supposedly, breathing through your nose alone would make you snore less and find it easier to rest.
- A Canadian research team warns against the practice.
- Only a small number of people are likely to benefit from mouth taping. For others, it is more likely that the quality of sleep will deteriorate as a result.
Better sleep with a taped mouth? For years, some influencers and celebrities - including Norwegian football striker Erling Haaland - have been recommending mouth taping on social media. A plaster, adhesive tape or special tapes are supposed to close the mouth and ensure that people breathe through their nose instead when they sleep.
A Canadian research team has now issued a warning: "Mouth taping is a current practice that is often promoted by celebrities but is not necessarily backed up by science," writes the group led by ear, nose and throat specialist Brian Rotenberg from the London Health Sciences Centre in the Canadian city of London. "Many people are not suitable for mouth taping, and in some cases this can lead to serious health risks."
Harmful for some people
Among other things, the practice is intended to help against the widespread obstructive sleep apnoea: when sleeping - especially in the supine position - the throat muscles relax, the base of the tongue sinks back and narrows the airways.
This obstruction can not only cause snoring, but also nocturnal pauses in breathing - often dozens per hour. These reduce the oxygen supply to the blood and also trigger arousal reactions that impair sleep and increase daytime sleepiness.
In the analysis now published, two of the ten studies analyzed indicated that taping the mouth shut could help some people with mild obstructive sleep apnea. However, four of the studies showed risks - especially if the nose is blocked. This could be the case with chronic rhinitis, hay fever, inflammation of the sinuses or problems with the nasal septum, writes the research group.
Little evidence for the theory
If nasal breathing is impaired and the mouth is also blocked, there is a risk of serious oxygen deficiency. The team also mentions another danger: in the event of reflux, stomach contents cannot leave the throat and block the airways.
"All in all, the social media phenomenon of mouth-closing as a means of preventing mouth breathing appears to be based on weak evidence," concludes the team. Adverse effects are particularly likely to occur in people whose mouth breathing is the result of obstructed nasal breathing.
However, the team admits that the few studies evaluated are very small and varied, and the data is of low quality overall. Ultimately, better studies are needed to be able to conclusively assess the safety and efficiency of mouth taping. In view of the current data situation, the practice cannot be recommended to people with sleep-related breathing disorders.