Is Mouth Taping The Secret To Beauty Rest? – Essence

Beauty rest is the best beauty secret. Having adequate sleep can bring us back to life and give us the energy we need to push forward. However, if you snore, getting good rest can be more complex. Snoring occurs when the muscles in your throat become more relaxed, causing your airways to narrow. The airways will then vibrate and make a snoring sound, sometimes loud enough to disturb our sleep or the rest of those around us. Outside of snoring, trouble breathing can cause discomfort while we try to rest. 

Mouth taping is an easy solution to improve our beauty rest. Studies have shown that placing a 1-inch piece of tape across your top and bottom lip can improve breathing and increase sleep. The tape encourages the narrow pathways that are causing discomfort to open up. 

Below, Dr. Amber Wheeler, an endocrinologist and advisor for Hey Freya, discusses everything we need to know about mouth taping.

What are the benefits of mouth taping?

Before you become somber about your snoring habits, Dr. Wheeler assures us that 45% of people snore occasionally and 25% habitually. One of the benefits of mouth taping is that it can act as a cure for all snorers. “Mouth taping has been identified as a potential treatment for snoring and mouth breathing.” Dr. Wheeler goes on to explain that breathable tape fixated on the mouth encourages nasal breathing. Nasal breathing can help us become more relaxed and centered and welcome deeper rest. 

In addition to improving oxygen flow, mouth taping can help with bad breath. Dr. Wheeler confirms that snoring can increase bacteria in the mouth, which can cause bad breath. Practicing closing our mouths during rest can limit the number of bacteria in our mouths and increase our breath. “Since mouth taping encourages nasal breathing, it has the potential for improving these oral conditions. However, it is important to note that there are several other causes of oral conditions, such as sleep apnea and snoring. The practice of mouth taping will not compensate for structural or obstructive issues or poor oral hygiene.” 

How often should I do it?

There are no official guidelines on how often to practice mouth taping. However, Dr. Wheeler recommends that we practice nightly. “Nightly is preferred to promote the habit of nasal breathing and proper jaw alignment.” It is also okay to slow down on mouth taping if the patient begins to feel an improvement in rest and snoring. 

What are the side effects?

If you suffer from any serious illnesses that affect your breathing it is always best to consult a doctor. There have been side effects from mouth taping. A few effects that Dr. Wheeler has mentioned are anxiety, allergic reactions to the tape, and difficulty breathing due to the use of nonporous tape. Please be mindful of the kind of tape you’re using for this process. It is best to use porous tape to avoid severely limited breathing.

Does it improve snoring?

The short answer— it could. Snoring occurs because the airways in our throat are blocked. Mouth taping can aid in the jaw, tongue, and soft palate into a position that would reduce mouth obstruction according to our expert. However, it is argued that this is for a mild form of snoring or sleep apnea. If you feel as though you struggle with a deeper issue your primary doctor could help find a solution for you through a series of sleep tests. Dr. Wheeler also mentions that switching sleep positions or using allergy medicine to improve nasal congestion can also greatly improve sleep. 

Overall, mouth taping isn’t the only solution for improving your beauty rest. There are an abundance of solutions to choose from depending on your level of congestion. Good rest looks differently for everyone and whatever solution you choose to use it’s important to prioritize safety. Dr. Wheeler says, “Just because mouth taping is a DIY practice, it does not mean mouth taping is natural, safe, or has an extensive history of use. It has only been documented and popularized since the 2020s at the earliest.”

Does mouth taping improve the jaw line?

TikTok certainly claims that a mouth taping will sculpt your jaw line. But, according to Dr. Katherine Hall, in an interview with Cosmopolitan, it doesn’t. “Mouth taping primarily focuses on improving your breathing technique and sleep quality and, therefore, isn’t associated with changing facial features such as your jawline. Any impact on your facial structure is likely to be subtle,” she told the magazine.