Can a piece of duct tape help you sleep?

In a TikTok video, one person claims it gives them more energy.

Others, a sharper jaw; improved skin, mood and digestion; reduction of brain fog, tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath; and a strengthened immune system.

The purported benefits of oral recordinga simple trick that involves gently placing a piece of duct tape over your lips to keep them closed while you sleep and encourage breathing through your nose, have taken social media by storm.

But are these benefits supported by science?

And is it safe to keep your mouth shut while sleeping? We asked some experts to find out.

What are the benefits of nasal breathing?

Ann Kearney, a voice and swallowing specialist at Stanford University who studies how stuffing the mouth can help people who snore, states that breathing through the nose, both at night and during the day, has significant benefits.

Nasal breathing is a “more efficient and effective way to breathe” than inhaling and exhaling through the mouth, because it humidifies and filters the air and activates the lower part of the lungs, allowing for deeper, fuller breaths.

It can also help the body relax to fall asleep.

Breathing through your nose can also help filter out allergens, pathogens and dust, which can help fend off infection and stave off allergies, according to Dr. Marri Horvat, a sleep specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.

When you breathe in through your nose, your sinuses naturally produce a gas called nitric oxide.

When nitric oxide flows from the sinuses to the lungs and into the blood, it can help lower blood pressure, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a sleep and pulmonary medicine specialist at Southern California University Keck School of Medicine.

The gas can widen blood vessels, she said, potentially improve blood flow.

Sleeping with your mouth open can cause you to wake up with a dry mouth, Kearney said, which can contribute to tooth decay, bad breath, a hoarse voice and dry, chapped lips.

Are there proven benefits of mouth covering?

Despite its recent popularity, oral taping has not been extensively studied.

A few small studies have looked at whether mouth taping can relieve snoring in people with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when part or all of the upper airways are blocked during sleep, causing it to stop and the initiation of breathing repeatedly throughout the night.

In a small study of people with mild obstructive sleep apnea, researchers found that among 20 patients who slept with their lips tied together, 13 snored less with the tape than without.

In another study involving 30 patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea who tended to breathe through their mouths during sleep, researchers found that they snored less, on average, when they wore a patch over their mouth than when they didn’t. .

But studies of mouth-tapping are limited, Kearney said, and we know little about how the practice might benefit people in general.

Dr. Andrew Wellman, a sleep medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who has studied oral packing, said that while the practice won’t cure a condition like sleep apnea, it can improve airflow. of a person and reduce snoring, which in turn can help a bed partner achieve deeper, more restful sleep.

But some of the other claims are less definitive.

“There is no evidence that you will become prettier or have lighter skin,” says James Nestor, journalist and author of “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art”.

Is oral swabbing safe?

Not everyone is a good candidate for oral registration, Kearney said.

If you have trouble breathing through your nose or feel like you’re trying to breathe through your nose all day, you shouldn’t try to plug your mouth.

Instead, she said, get evaluated by a doctor. otolaryngologist.

An anatomical problem, such as a deviated septum, or allergies, sinus problems, or chronic congestion, can explain any difficulty breathing through the nose.

And if you snore frequently or wake up more tired than refreshed, Horvat says, consider seeing a sleep specialist before resorting to mouth tape.

A condition like sleep apnea can cause snoring and daytime fatigue, so it’s important to understand the root of the problem first.

Even if you don’t have obstructive sleep apnea, you should consult a doctor before trying mouth tape, Dasgupta said.

If you decide to give it a try, it’s important to use the right duct tape, says Nestor.

Don’t look for duct tape or anything that can’t be easily removed, he said.

“The tape should be able to be removed effortlessly, without tension or resistance,” Nestor added, like surgical tape.

The purpose of mouth tape is not to seal the lips, but to do it remember the muscles let them relax

Nestor recommends starting this technique during the day.

Put the tape over your mouth for about 10 minutes at a time, she says, and then work up to 20 minutes or so the next day.

After a few weeks, your body may get used to breathing through your nose, and you can try duct tape while you sleep.

If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, there are other lifestyle adjustments that can correct mouth breathing, says Dasgupta.

Tobacco and alcohol can cause people to sleep with their mouths open, as they irritate and congest the nasal passages, so if you participate in these activities, reducing them can promote nasal breathing and ease snoring.

She noted that nose strips, nasal dilators, and throat and tongue exercises can also address snoring.

Sleeping on your back can also cause mouth breathing, so changing your sleep position can help, Kearney said.

But tinkering — a piece of duct tape or whatever — is unlikely to radically transform your health or the quality of your sleep, experts said.

The truth is that most of the “Health TricksThey won’t solve your problems overnight.

“There’s no easy way to fix sleep,” says Dasgupta.

c.2022 The New York Times Company