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Some people claim taping your mouth shut helps you sleep better—but what are the risks? (www.nationalgeographic.com)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

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According to a 2023 survey of 2,005 adults who had recently tried sleep trends, more than one in 10 people had tried mouth taping. People admit to trying the trend to stop snoring, reduce mouth breathing, and for some—to change their face shape. Some videos on the social platform claim that mouth taping improves the jawline and reduces the appearance of a double chin.

Despite the online popularity of the sleep trend, the medical evidence to support this practice is scant, says Indira Gurubhagavatula, professor of medicine at Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Instead, mouth taping may actually cause health problems.

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[–] pm_me_your_innie@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 1 month ago

I've been doing this and it has been helpful.

The main reason I tried it was that my snoring was bothering my wife and it only happened when I was breathing through my mouth. I also had my dental hygienist comment that I must be a "mouth breather" when I'm sleeping, despite not being one while I'm awake.

I use a Breath Right strip on my nose, and the tape I use only keeps my mouth from opening involuntary. I could open my mouth easily if I tried, so I'm not really worried about suffocating or anything like that.

It felt a bit weird at first but it has definitely curtailed the snoring, so my wife likes it. Maybe it's not for everyone, and some of the stories people tell about it seem pretty woo-woo, but it does what I need it to do with little trouble.