What you've heard
Taping your mouth shut at night improves sleep and breathing
Verdict
Unsupported for self-treatment, and possibly risky
Does taping your mouth at night improve sleep?
Unsupported for self-treatment, and possibly risky.
A recent systematic review found ten small studies. Two showed some improvement in apnea measures; the rest found no difference, and the reviewers warned of a potentially serious risk of harm, including suffocation, in people whose noses are blocked.24 Tape also hides the snoring that should send someone to a doctor. In one clinical niche, under a clinician's direction, it helped people who breathe through the mouth use their CPAP masks longer.
Where the book tests it
Sources
- 24.Rhee, J., Iansavitchene, A., Mannala, S., Graham, M.E., et al. (2025). "Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review." PLOS ONE, 20(5), e0323643. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323643 (Ten studies, about two hundred patients in all.) ; Meksukree, A., Pitipanyakul, S., Laohavinij, W., et al. (2025). "The role of mouth tape for CPAP use in patients with mouth breathing and OSA." Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 21(12), 2063-2071. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11870 (Randomized crossover in 62 CPAP users who breathe through the mouth.)
Note numbers are those of Chapter 8, Sleep.
This verdict is one of the "What you've heard" boxes in Chapter 8, Sleep, where the book tests the claims people repeat against the studies behind them.
Educational content, not medical advice. Disclaimer.