For me, sleep is sacred. Most nights I go to bed early and sleep soundly, without interruption.
Still, as a health journalist immersed in the world of wellness trends, I’m told there are ways to make even more use of my eight hours by doing one simple thing: taping my mouth shut while I sleep.
By breathing through your mouth at night and occasionally snoring, you could be at higher risk for gum disease, dry mouth, and cavities, and I’ve seen countless TikTok videos telling me the only thing standing between me and my face. of my dreams: one without puffiness and with a sharp supermodel jaw, was my sleeping routine.
So, during the month of October, I slept with a piece of H-shaped cotton-blend medical tape over my mouth, with the goal of reducing mouth breathing at night.
Its advocates, primarily those in alternative medicine, say mouth dressing has countless benefits. Some include: improved sleep, increased energy, decreased allergies, decreased swelling, and better tongue posture, which can supposedly help create a more defined jawline.
Traditional medicine says that none of these benefits have been demonstrated in the laboratory.
Dr. Jamie Winn, medical director of Universal Drugstore, told me that taping my mouth to sleep at night had no scientific support. He advised against its use to prevent snoring and said anyone using it for that purpose should consult a doctor first.
Dr Winn said: ‘Most of the evidence supporting the benefits of mouth dressing is based on personal anecdotes or extremely limited studies. There is not enough solid scientific evidence to confirm its effectiveness.’
So, at best, I might wake up with a new face. At worst, the tape could be a copy and ruin my sleep.
The cotton blend of the mouth tapes was soft and the adhesive used is strong but not difficult to remove. I felt like it left a residue around my mouth.
Vio2 is just one of many brands that offer medical grade mouth tape. The price, which is $24.95 for a pack of 48 mouth tapes, is pretty standard compared to other competitors.
Still, despite the skepticism, he was going full steam ahead. When I opened my 48-pack of $24.95 mouth tapes, I found the instructions simple.
The package says the tape can be used to help “train athletes in proper breathing, give you the opportunity to get a good night’s sleep, or even help your partner reduce oral snoring.”
Dr. David Shaker, Doctor of Osteopathy, a licensed physician who practices holistic medicine and conventional techniques, said breathing through the nose has clear benefits: “I wouldn’t overlook the nose; breathing through the nose is great for you.” .
Breathing through your nose during the day can help you deliver more oxygen to your lungs, slowing absorption and lowering blood pressure, making you feel calmer and increasing oxygenation, he said.
Dr. Chelsea Perry, a Massachusetts-based sleep specialist and dentist, added that breathing through your nose reduces the risk of developing dry mouth, gum disease and cavities.
So, he said, for some people, taping the mouth might have benefits, but it’s not for everyone, especially those who have trouble breathing through their nose.
You have the option of wearing the mouth tape vertically (pictured) or horizontally over your mouth. Dr. Shaker does not recommend using it in a horizontal position, as it can block emergency airflow through the mouth.
Still, Dr. Perry said, ‘In theory, you could get all of these benefits (from mouth dressing). But the studies on mouth dressing are so limited that it’s hard to say.’
However, I persisted.
The first night, after doing my skincare routine, I gently applied the mouth tape to my lips and went to bed at 10:30 p.m.
The adhesive stuck to my skin despite the layers of cream I had applied, which was a plus.
But I immediately started thinking about what would happen if I wanted to drink water or if my roommate came in to talk.
I told myself they were stupid questions and tried to calm myself.
Before long, my attempts to calm my mind gave way to a genuine feeling of claustrophobic panic; I didn’t realize how much I trusted my mouth.
Of all her concerns, Dr. Perry said, “Claustrophobia is definitely one of the biggest ones.”
After tossing and turning and breathing deeply through my nose for about 30 minutes, I finally fell asleep. Then at 4:00 am I woke up and couldn’t fall back down for about 15 minutes.
I almost never wake up in the middle of the night.
I was tempted to rip the tape off, but I was stubbornly imagining the new jawline TikTokers said I’d have, and I was determined to leave the tape on.
But Dr. Shaker said people should never place a piece of tape horizontally over their mouth while they sleep because it could completely block airflow.
Oops, my bad.
Before starting the month of mouth taping, I was hoping to see some improvements in the shape of my jaw. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice any noticeable difference in my jaw after I finished taping my mouth.
According to the instructions on the back of my VIO2 tape, I tried placing the tape both horizontally and vertically over my lips. I found the horizontal position, where my mouth was essentially sealed, more comfortable.
It’s true that if you have trouble breathing through your nose and your mouth is taped while you sleep, you will probably wake up and be able to remove the tape from your mouth.
But in the long run, doing this every night will disrupt your overall quality of sleep.
Therefore, it would be best to wear the tape vertically over your mouth, so that air can pass through the sides if you need it. There are also some brands of tapes with holes in the middle.
This is the same concern doctors have for people with undiagnosed sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which disruptions to nighttime airflow cause you to wake up frequently during the night.
Although it may seem harmless enough, in the long term it increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and heart failure, and poor quality sleep can cause depression, mood swings and irritability.
I tried putting the tape on my mouth vertically, but found that it didn’t change my experience and I actually felt more comfortable with it horizontally on my lips.
In the morning, removing the tape from my mouth wasn’t painful, but it was unpleasant. As a person with sensitive skin, I winced at the pulling sensation and tried to gently remove the residual glue with water.
However, the bright side is that I didn’t have morning breath.
This exact pattern persisted every night for the first week: panic, sleep, wake up, panic, fall back asleep, wake up groggy.
By day 10, I was no longer waking up in the middle of the night and my first step in the morning was not to remove the tape from my lips, so I figured I was getting used to it. Still, I certainly didn’t feel more energized.
My diary entry for that day says: ‘I’m really sleepy today. I can’t concentrate. I need to work. It feels like I’m moving through Jell-O… I woke up with a big juicy white head on my chin next to the flap of the bandage. Coincidence?
Supermodel Ashley Graham revealed she started taping her mouth shut before falling asleep at night. There are many different brands of mouth tape and Graham appears to use medical tape. Other famous advocates include Gwyneth Paltrow and Jimmy Fallon.
For the next week, I had small pimples on my chin and lips. Mouth tape can cause skin irritation and clogged pores, leading to breakouts, according to curology.
Clearly.
Dr. Shaker wasn’t concerned about my skin, but he noted that mouth tape could accompany a more serious condition.
In severe cases, Dr. Shaker said he was concerned about the possibility of people contracting something called aspiration pneumonia, a scenario that occurs when vomit or saliva cannot leave the mouth and is instead inhaled, infecting the lungs.
With this worry plaguing my mind, I skipped the mouth tape nights after having a few drinks, terrified of choking on my own vomit.
Still, I returned during the week, rationalizing that if something bad happened during the night, I’d probably wake up and be able to quickly remove the tape.
For the rest of the month, this was more or less the same. My acne persisted, my sleep had stabilized, but I was tired.
I still hoped to one day wake up with Adonis’s jawline.
Unfortunately, Dr. Perry dashed my hopes and said, “Unfortunately, short of surgery, you’re not really going to change the shape of your jawline.”
By the end of my month, I felt and looked pretty much the same, just a little stickier around my mouth.
If you’re interested in trying it, both doctors I spoke to said you should first see a doctor to rule out any underlying conditions that might make it difficult for you to breathe at night.
I didn’t see any benefit to the mouth bandage, but they said it may work for other people.
Dr. Perry said, “If everything is clear, then you are blessed to try.” You know, see what works for you, as long as you actually take those precautions, right? You don’t want it to be harmful.