Can something as simple (if strange) as taping your mouth shut while you sleep really solve a multitude of common health problems, from bad breath to snoring?
In fact, the claims sweeping social media platform TikTok about the new viral health craze don’t end there: Mouth taping is said to help eliminate double chins, perk up sagging jaws, and even helps you run faster. .
Throughout the summer, TikTokkers have been posting videos raving about the benefits of mouth taping, which involves sticking duct tape vertically (across the lips) or diagonally across the mouth (in a St. Andrés), attracting more than 25 million visits.
Typical posts include one from @Semlerrr, who claims she had “the best night’s sleep in years” after using duct tape on her mouth, while @countydownunder, a teacher, remembers “being so focused (the) next day ” after using duct tape on the mouth, even suggesting Nasal breathing should be taught in schools.
Last week, TV presenter Julia Bradbury revealed she had tried it, as did Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Can something as simple (if strange) as taping your mouth shut while you sleep really solve a multitude of common health problems, from bad breath to snoring?
TV presenter Julia Bradbury (pictured) revealed last week that she had tried it, as did Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Mouth bandage is based on the principle that nasal breathing (breathing in and out through the nose) is better for you because it stimulates the release of nitric oxide, a chemical that opens the airways and is also thought to help the body to fight infections (nitric oxide is not produced when breathing through the mouth).
But is there any scientific basis for this new trend?
There is no doubt that nitric oxide alone has many health benefits. For example, it relaxes the inner muscle of your blood vessels, increasing blood flow, which can help reduce blood pressure, and experts agree that breathing through your nose helps retain more nitric oxide.
“When you exhale through the nose, 75 percent of the nitric oxide produced is deposited and recycled in the nose, but if you exhale through the mouth, more than 75 percent of the nitric oxide is lost,” says Robin. McNelis, an NHS specialist pulmonary physiotherapist in London.
But it’s not just nitric oxide, he adds: “With nasal breathing, air passes through the structures of the nose and picks up a lot of heat and moisture; this is advantageous because the oxygen needs to be at 37°C and saturated with moisture.” so that it is absorbed into the lung tissue.’
The nose also filters bacteria, pollen and pollutants.
“But if you breathe through your mouth, the air is drier and colder, meaning it has to travel further down the bronchi before it can be absorbed; this can lead to hyperventilation and over-breathing,” says Robin McNelis.
Some athletes use overnight tape to improve their speed and endurance.
TikTokkers have been posting videos raving about the benefits of mouth taping.
Mouth taping is said to help eliminate double chins, perk up sagging jaws and even helps you run faster (stock image)
Tennis player Iga Swiatek even recently practiced on court at the Omnium Banque national tournament in Canada with her mouth taped in a bid to improve her performance. (The world number two lost in the semifinal).
This appears to be supported by research, including a study by George Dallam, a professor of human health and movement at the University of Colorado, which found that runners who had their mouths taped shut during treadmill tests performed better. results after training in the technique for six months than those who wore nose clips and breathed through their mouth.
In the buccal cones, more oxygen was delivered to the bloodstream and therefore to the muscles, potentially giving them a competitive advantage.
Additionally, when they ran at their 5K race pace, they used less oxygen overall when breathing through the nose because they were breathing about 23 percent less.
“This could offer a small benefit on exercise performance,” Professor Dallam told Good Health.
This is because it means the body works more efficiently (oxygen is a bit like petrol for the body).
He says athletes need to practice breathing this way so it becomes second nature.
“Anecdotally, we also see that nasal breathing reduces ‘points,'” he adds.
Robin McNelis says mouth taping can work for people without underlying medical problems who have simply “picked up bad (breathing) habits,” but adds, “It’s always a good idea to try to find out the underlying cause of mouth breathing and treat it first.” It would be the treatment to consider when you have solved everything else.
But if breathing through the nose is better for overall health and potentially sports performance, when it comes to sleep disorders or snoring, experts say taping the mouth is not the solution people hope for.
“I don’t think many people in the sleep community advocate it,” says Guy Leschziner, professor of neurology and sleep medicine and consultant neurologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. “The preference would be to understand why you are sleeping poorly and why you are snoring rather than using these techniques that may cause you to miss underlying medical conditions.”
Mouth breathing can be caused by a variety of problems, including a deviated septum (crooked cartilage in the nose that causes a nasal passage to narrow); inflammation related to allergic rhinitis; or a narrowing at the back of the throat, as well as sleep apnea, the potentially serious condition in which you stop breathing momentarily while sleeping.
And Professor Leschziner worries that the mouth bandage could inadvertently lead to people “only partially controlling conditions such as sleep apnea”, warning that it could actually make it harder for someone with a stuffy nose to breathe, resulting in a ” poorer sleep quality.
Pavol Surda, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and London Bridge Private Hospital, agrees and warns that it can also sometimes cause “difficulty breathing in the case of a blocked or stuffy nose, and a greater risk.” of asphyxiation or aspiration.
He advises consulting a health professional before attempting mouth taping, “especially if someone has pre-existing breathing problems or sleep apnea.”
The idea that tape could help with broken sleep problems may be based on a misunderstanding of breathing pattern disorders: “where you breathe too much, too fast, or a combination of both, or ineffective breathing, where “Use your chest and shoulders instead.” of your diaphragm,” says Robin McNelis.
He explains that while these can disrupt sleep (by overstimulating nerves and signals to the brain, causing a stress response and the release of the stress hormone adrenaline, keeping you awake), the mouth bandage would not work as a treatment.
Rather, patients need to learn breathing exercises.
The risk is also using a type of tape that itself causes problems.
Robin McNelis warns that any tape used should be easy to remove by simply blowing between your lips.
He says: “I’ve seen people on social media wearing very strong tape and it’s definitely not a good idea.”
