When I first saw the clip on TikTok, I was skeptical. I don’t think I’m a mouth breather (at least not during the day) and sometimes I’m so stressed out I forget to breathe during the day, but what do you mean nose breathing at night will do wonders for your health?

I told myself I would try it and let the results speak for themselves. So, what happened?

WHAT MOUTH TAPE SHOULD I GET?

I did some research and bought some 3M tape from Amazon (when I bought it, it was $9.99 in Canada, and I’ve been using the same roll for a month, so it goes a long way). Why didn’t I buy the other mouth tapes that people rave about? I took a look, and mouth taping just means taping the mouth in a way that discourages you from opening your mouth while you’re asleep. The 3M tape I used is good for bandaging wounds and doesn’t leave a residue even after sleeping with it the entire night. Most importantly, I only anticipated trying this for a short while, so I wanted something cost-effective. It checked all the boxes. Armed with my roll of 3M tape, I was off to the races.

WHAT’S THE CORRECT WAY TO USE MOUTH TAPE?

I also looked into how to use mouth tape properly because I thought you must tape your entire mouth shut. I felt that taping your entire mouth might not be safe. The good news is that you don’t have to tape your entire mouth; you just need to use a small 2.5 to 3-inch piece of tape and lightly tape above your top lip to anywhere on your chin to prevent your mouth from gaping open while you sleep. I found that this was enough to encourage my body to switch from mouth to nasal breathing throughout the night.

What are the impacts of chronic mouth breathing?

According to a study in the National Library of Medicine, a segment addressing chronic mouth breathing states: “ Chronic mouth breathing can negatively affect respiratory system and overall health. Inhaling through the mouth introduces unfiltered, poorly humidified air with minimal temperature regulation into the lungs, which in turn harms the respiratory system. Night time mouth breathing is connected to a greater incidence of snoring and sleep apnoea, while daily mouth breathing gradually induces negative changes in the bone structure and overall facial appearance (e.g.: a narrow face, mouth and nose, higher upper palate, retruded mandible, an elevated position of the hyoid bone, malocclusion, crowded and crooked teeth, secondary halitosis, open bite and dysfunctional jaw joint), dental problems (bad breath, dental decay, gum disease), dysfunctions of the facial muscles (mainly around the jaw and lips), trauma to the soft tissues in the airways, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, speech problems and a higher prevalence of ADHD.” source

Now, I was not experiencing the majority of the symptoms listed above. I mainly wanted to try different things to see if I could feel more well-rested when I woke up every morning. I was waking up with a very dry mouth and a dull headache, which made me think that maybe I was breathing through my mouth while I slept. My practical brain connected the dots: “Well, if I just tape my mouth shut while I sleep, it would at least cure my dry mouth.”

Did it work? 

If you only set out to rectify that dry mouth feeling in the morning, yes. It worked beautifully. Common sense would tell us that sleeping with my mouth open and breathing through it versus taping it and semi-forcing myself to breathe through my nose would cure that. 

Did I feel more refreshed and well-rested in the morning? Yes. I woke up with less brain fog. My tension headache would still flare up once in a while, but that’s because I was going through an especially stressful period at work. Overall, did I feel better at the beginning of my day? Yes.

I was starting to see the above changes in the first week. Since I started feeling better, I decided to keep at it and continue for the rest of the month. Did I get lazy sometimes and forget to tape my mouth before bed? Yes. On those days, I felt tired when I got up, and of course, my mouth was dry (again). It’s good to have these A/B test results. 

Should you use mouth tape? I find mouth-taping to be a very easy way to improve my health in the smallest of ways. I don’t even have to do anything except place a small piece of tape on my mouth. Essentially, you do nothing but achieve a better night’s rest. For a small investment in 3M tape, I’m happy to pay this price to feel more energized in the morning!