Several TikTokers claim that ‘mouth taping’ promotes better sleep, less snoring, and increased nasal breathing while sleeping at night. The practice has found such a popular response among the platform’s users that the hashtag ‘mouth taping’ has garnered a whopping 24 million views.
‘Mouth taping’ is a practice where practitioners tape their lips shut at night so that they can promote nasal breathing during their sleep.
However, TikTok is no stranger to bizarre internet trends. Previously, a practice known as ‘vabbing’–one that involved dabbing vaginal fluid on the skin in order to attract potential romantic encounters–found much popularity too.
While several youngsters claim that they have found relief after trying ‘mouth taping’, research suggests a few side effects to it as well.
Read on to know more about whether it’s a safe practice or not.
According to an Independent report, one user claimed that the “hack helped her sleep better and that breathing through the nose — as opposed to the mouth — can help “prevent bad breath and gum disease”, too. Agreeing with the report, sleepfoundation.org revealed that mouth taping can be beneficial as a snoring treatment too.
In the study the site quoted, people with mild obstructive sleep apnea-wearing a “porous patch over the mouth”- that caused them to breathe through their nose, changing the “angle of the palate and the tongue” and leading to “significantly less snoring and fewer instances of lapsed breathing”.
However, sleepfoundation.org also stated that mouth taping can cause sleep disruption due to “irritation from the tape” or even difficulty breathing through the nose. The practice may cause anxiety in people who feel uncomfortable having their mouths taped shut at night.
Another study published in the National Library of Medicine titled Effect of mouth taping at night on asthma control said that fifty participants who completed the study reported taping their mouth for a median of 26 of 28 nights. Although 36 participants said mouth taping was very or fairly acceptable, there were no differences in effects on asthma control, in patients with symptomatic asthma.
(Disclaimer: The information given in this article is based on information from several websites/studies. News18 does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the facts.)
