If you spend time scrolling on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok, you may have come across videos of the “morning shed” where people pull off layers of masks and devices, sometimes including tape on their mouths.
As of this July, CNN even reported that mouth tape itself was an “internet star” despite experts’ warnings that it could be dangerous during sleep. Proponents of the trend claim that mouth taping can help improve the appearance of the face and jaw, that it can improve energy levels and that it can help with snoring.
Experts say there isn’t enough evidence of these benefits. Dr. Brian Rotenberg, professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in London, Ontario, said “it just doesn’t come out in the wash that that actually is what’s happening,” regarding the claims of mouth tape benefits, according to CNN.
Additionally, experts say that taping your mouth shut during sleep is risky. This May, the Plos One journal published research that found that “based on the data presented by these 10 different studies, it seems that there is a potentially serious risk of harm for individuals indiscriminately practicing this trend.”
In 2023, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine conducted a survey that indicated 40% of people admitted to trying social media trends related to sleep. At that time, mouth taping was the least popular trend at 12%.
“At best, these viral trends are unproven, but at worst – like mouth taping – they can be extremely dangerous,” said Dr. John Saito, a sleep medicine physician and spokesperson for the AASM.
A recent analysis by Rotenberg and his colleagues also found that mouth taping or strapping the chin to keep the mouth closed “could pose a serious risk of asphyxiation in the presence of nasal obstruction or regurgitation.”
CNN noted that around 30 million Americans have sleep apnea, a condition where breathing starts and stops during sleep. Symptoms include snoring, gasping for air during sleep, poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness and it can lead to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, depression and premature death if left untreated. An estimated 23.5 million of those who have sleep apnea in the U.S. are undiagnosed, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Other factors that impact breathing at night include deviated septum, nasal polyps and nasal tumors.
While many experts advise against mouth taping for sleep, some cited by CNN did tout the benefits of nasal breathing. Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Huntington Health in Pasadena, California, said it might “lower blood pressure by increasing nitric oxide, a compound in your body that can be helpful for keeping your blood pressure under control.”
However, Ann Kearney, a speech language pathologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, said that people won’t experience benefits, including the calming effect of nasal breathing, just by taping their mouths shut. She explained that the tongue needs to be in a very specific position in order to prevent it from obstructing the airway.
This week, the Associated Press also tackled the mouth tape trend.
“The studies behind mouth tape are small, the benefits are modest and the potential risks are there,” said Dr. Kimberly Hutchison, a neurologist and sleep medicine expert at Oregon Health & Science University cited by the outlet.
According to the Sleep Foundation, specific risks associated with mouth sleeping include: skin irritation, discomfort, disrupted sleep and breathing issues. It said people with untreated sleep apnea, chronic nasal congestion, or difficulty breathing through the nose should not tape their mouths during sleep.