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Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Can taping your mouth shut improve your sleep? New study reveals
If you've spent any time doom-scrolling through Instagram reels or TikTok videos lately, you've probably seen the latest addition to the "morning shed" routine: face masks, eye patches—and a curious strip of tape over the mouth. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This tape isn't just for aesthetics or silence; it's part of a trend that claims to fix everything from snoring and bad breath to sleep apnea and jawline definition. It's called mouth taping, and while influencers are all in, doctors aren't convinced. What is mouth taping? The trend is called mouth taping—literally sealing your mouth shut with a special porous medical tape before bed. While the tape is all the hype, we can't be sure. A team of doctors and researchers from the London Health Sciences Center and the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine recently 10 of the most relevant studies on mouth taping. In total, the studies involved 213 patients and aimed to evaluate whether this viral trend is actually effective—or even safe. Each study focused on people dealing with issues like obstructive sleep apnea, nasal obstruction, or habitual mouth breathing during sleep. Most of these studies were carried out in clinical settings or sleep labs, where patients were monitored overnight. What did they find out? Out of the ten studies, only two showed noticeable improvements in patients with mild sleep apnea. These improvements were measured through metrics like the apnea-hypopnea index—which tracks the number of times a person's breathing stops or slows during sleep—and oxygen levels in the blood. But here's the catch: the rest of the didn't show any meaningful benefit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In fact, some pointed to potential risks, especially for people who have nasal blockages. 'Other studies showed that mouth taping offered no differences and even discussed potential risks including asphyxiation in the presence of nasal obstruction,' the authors wrote. It's a serious warning. If you rely on mouth breathing because of something like a sinus infection, a deviated septum, or nasal polyps, forcing your mouth shut can actually make things worse. Taping over the problem doesn't solve the cause—and can delay proper medical treatment. And here's another thing to consider: the researchers noted that all 10 studies they reviewed were of low quality. That includes poor follow-up, unclear methods, small or non-representative groups, and failure to account for other variables that could affect results. In short, we don't have strong science to support the hype. Still, the researchers acknowledged one small potential benefit: 'There does seem to be a very specific use-case scenario, in patient populations where obstructive sleep apnea is mild, that mouth taping or occlusion may improve [measures of apnea severity],' the team noted. But for most people—especially those with moderate to severe apnea, or those who can't breathe well through their nose—mouth taping is unlikely to do much good. In fact, it may be dangerous. The bottom line? If your sleep is suffering, or if your partner's snoring sounds like a chainsaw at 2 AM, it's time to skip the hacks and see a doctor. Viral trends might make good content—but when it comes to your breathing, science should always come first.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors Deliver Verdict on TikTok's 'Mouth Taping' Trend
If you struggle with 'mouth breathing' while you sleep, from the occasional snore or full-blown obstructive sleep apnea, you – or your sleep-deprived partner – may be looking for ways to fix it. In your quest for a peaceful night's sleep, you may quickly come across the social media trend of 'mouth taping': that is, taping your mouth with a particular kind of porous medical tape, to keep it shut while you sleep. In thousands of TikTok videos, influencers claim this simple trick can solve a litany of problems, from jawline definition to energy levels to oral hygiene to sleep apnea. But as with many 'simple tricks' that go viral online, this one is going to need a whole lot more science to back up any of those anecdotes. Helpfully, a team of doctors and scientists from the London Health Sciences Center and the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine have just published a review of the 10 most relevant research papers, spanning data from 213 patients in total, to assess whether mouth taping is even safe, let alone worth the hype. Each one of those papers investigated how night-time mouth taping or similar techniques affected patients with obstructive sleep apnea, nasal obstruction, or mouth breathing during sleep. Most of the studies took the form of medical visits or formal sleep studies, in which patients are closely monitored while sleeping in a controlled environment. Two papers showed improvements in patients with mild sleep apnea, in measures that included apnea-hypopnea index, gauged by counting the number of apneas or hypopneas during sleep, or drops in blood oxygen saturation. But overall, the researchers found, there's an absence of evidence supporting the claims of mouth tape proponents. "Other studies showed that mouth taping offered no differences and even discussed potential risks including asphyxiation in the presence of nasal obstruction," the authors write. "There are potential serious detrimental health outcomes to those with nasal obstruction who seek oral taping as means to ameliorate their mouth breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, or sleep disordered breathing during sleep." That makes sense: if you're breathing through your mouth because of a physical blockage in your nose, like a sinus infection, a deviated septum, or nasal polyps, taping your mouth shut is not going to help. Band-aid social media solutions like this can also delay or divert patients from treating the cause of their problems. It's worth noting the researchers found all 10 existing studies on mouth taping were of poor quality for various reasons, such as a lack of follow-up with participants, non-representative groups, and unclear adjustment for confounding factors that could influence the results. And remember, these were the top 10 papers the researchers could find on the topic. "There does seem to be a very specific use-case scenario, in patient populations where obstructive sleep apnea is mild, that mouth taping or occlusion may improve [measures of apnea severity]," the team writes. "However, in other patient populations with nasal obstruction as a cause of mouth breathing or more severe forms of obstructive sleep apnea, there is little evidence to support any clinical benefit for this practice." You already know this, but if you're having trouble sleeping, or your partner's snores and gasps are keeping you awake, it's best to book a doctor's appointment rather than scrolling the internet for answers. So, go on then! This research was published in PLOS One. This Type of Fiber Could Have Weight Loss Benefits Similar to Ozempic Study Reveals Plague's Evolutionary Hack to Survive 3 Pandemics One Key Way of Consuming Sugar Could Spike Your Diabetes Risk
