Mouth taping
Evidence is thin: a systematic review found 10 small studies with 213 patients. Two uncontrolled studies found sleep apnea severity and snoring fell by about half with tape in mild sleep apnea, while three others found no change. Taping did not change asthma control in a crossover trial. In heavy mouth breathers with blocked airways, closing the mouth reduced airflow.
- Status
- A practice, not a regulated product.
- Also called
- mouth tape, mouth taping, sleep tape, lip tape, mouth strip, mouth seal, porous oral patch, taping mouth shut at night, Buteyko taping, nasal breathing tape
- Practiced for
- snoring, sleep apnea, nose breathing, sleep quality, dry mouth, bad breath, oral health, dental health, energy, immunity, asthma, CPAP comfort, jawline
Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on
Shown to help3
- LimitedSmall uncontrolled studies found snoring fell by about half or more with mouth tape or an oral patch in people with mild sleep apnea.
- LimitedOne crossover trial of 62 CPAP users who breathed through the mouth found tape added about 52 minutes of nightly CPAP use and eased daytime sleepiness and dryness.
- LimitedOne study of 8 awake adults found mouth lining stayed moist with the mouth taped and dried out with mouth breathing. A CPAP trial found less dryness with tape.
Reported risks1
What people practice it for, and what was found
Shown to help3
Snoring
Small uncontrolled studies found snoring fell by about half or more with mouth tape or an oral patch in people with mild sleep apnea.
Compared with before taping, in the same people [1][2]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 20 mouth breathers, the median snoring index fell from 303.8 to 121.1 events an hour, and 13 of 20 (65%) cut their snoring index by at least half [1]. With a porous oral patch, the median snoring index fell from 146.7 to 40.0 an hour, snoring loudness from 49.1 to 41.1 dB, and self-rated snoring from 7.5 to 2.4 on a 10-point scale [2]. A scoping review notes one study in people without sleep apnea that reported less snoring with tape combined with other measures [5].
- Population
- 20 adults [1]. 30 patients [2]. 9 studies [5].
- Sources
- [1], [2], [5]
- Caveats
- No control group, and the responder share comes from 20 people. Participants were selected because they tolerated tape [1].
CPAP use in mouth breathers with sleep apnea
One crossover trial of 62 CPAP users who breathed through the mouth found tape added about 52 minutes of nightly CPAP use and eased daytime sleepiness and dryness.
Compared with CPAP without mouth tape for 30 days [6]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- With silicone mouth tape, average CPAP use rose by 51.8 minutes a day (95% CI 33.1 to 70.4), nights with 4 or more hours of use rose by 17.6%, and the odds of meeting the trial's adherence target were 4.5 times higher. Epworth sleepiness scores, snoring, mouth and throat dryness and night awakenings improved [6]. A scoping review cites a study in which tape reduced mouth leak during bilevel ventilation [5].
- Population
- 62 adults with obstructive sleep apnea on CPAP, mean age 58, mean apnea-hypopnea index 45.8 [6].
- Sources
- [6], [5]
- Caveats
- One trial. Adverse effects were reported, and the abstract does not say which [6]. This is tape used with a CPAP machine, not tape alone.
Mouth moisture and dry mouth
One study of 8 awake adults found mouth lining stayed moist with the mouth taped and dried out with mouth breathing. A CPAP trial found less dryness with tape.
Compared with breathing through the mouth with a nose clip, on another day in the same people [8]; CPAP without tape [6]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Over 120 minutes of nose-only breathing with the mouth taped, mouth lining wetness rose from 4.0 to 5.3 µl per 5 seconds, while with mouth-only breathing it fell from 4.5 to 0.1 (both P < 0.001) [8]. CPAP users reported less mouth and throat dryness with tape [6].
- Population
- 8 healthy adults aged about 25, awake [8]. 62 CPAP users [6].
- Sources
- [8], [6]
- Caveats
- The first study was done awake, for 2 hours, in 8 people. No study measured dry mouth in people taping at home without CPAP.
Mixed results1
Sleep apnea severity
Mixed results: two small uncontrolled studies found sleep apnea events fell by 35% to 47% with tape, while three other studies found no significant change.
Compared with before taping, in the same people [1][2]; sleeping without tape the night before, in the same people [3]; other treatments and placebo spray in studies summarized by a review [4]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 20 mouth breathers with mild sleep apnea, median apnea-hypopnea index fell from 8.3 to 4.7 events an hour after a week of taping (p = 0.0002), and the oxygen desaturation index fell from 8.7 to 5.8 [1]. In 30 patients with mild sleep apnea, a porous oral patch lowered median apnea-hypopnea index from 12.0 to 7.8 an hour (P < 0.01) [2]. A systematic review of 10 studies found these two significant improvements, while three studies found no significant change in apnea-hypopnea index [4]. In 71 adults, oxygen desaturation did not improve with tape in about half of participants [3].
- Population
- 20 adults with mild sleep apnea who breathed through the mouth and tolerated tape [1]. 30 patients with mild sleep apnea [2]. 213 patients in 10 studies [4]. 71 adults with a two-night home sleep test [3].
- Sources
- [4], [1], [2], [3]
- Caveats
- No randomized trial against an untaped group or sham tape. Many studies excluded anyone with nasal obstruction [4]. The reviewers describe a potentially serious risk of harm in people taping indiscriminately [4].
Not shown to help1
Asthma control
One crossover trial of 51 adults with asthma found 4 weeks of nightly mouth taping did not change peak flow, symptoms or any secondary measure.
Compared with usual breathing at night [7]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Participants taped for a median 26 of 28 nights. Morning peak expiratory flow differed by -1 L/min (95% CI -9 to 7) and symptom scores by -0.12 (95% CI -0.30 to 0.06), and no secondary measure differed [7].
- Population
- 51 adults with symptomatic asthma, mean FEV1 86% of predicted [7].
- Sources
- [7]
- Caveats
- Single-blind assessment, since participants knew when they taped [7].
Claimed, not studied in people1
Oral health, energy and immunity
Not studied in people. Social media videos credit mouth taping with better sleep and oral health, and with more energy and immunity.
No study in people. This rests on what users report.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- A review of TikTok videos about mouth taping found the most common proposed advantages were improved sleep and oral health. The same review reports claims of increased energy, immunity and dental health, and found few of them had been evaluated [5].
- Population
- The first 50 TikTok videos meeting the review's criteria [5].
- Sources
- [5]
- Caveats
- Claims in videos are not measurements. No study located tested mouth taping for oral health, dental health, energy or immunity.
Protocols studied
Studies taped the mouth with 3M silicone hypoallergenic tape for a week [1], with microporous tape as used in the Buteyko technique for 4 weeks [7], or with a porous three-layer oral patch [2]. The CPAP trial used silicone hypoallergenic tape for 30 days alongside CPAP [6]. One study taped the mouth for a single night of home testing [3], and one for 2 hours while awake [8]. Many studies enrolled only people who could breathe comfortably through the nose and who tolerated tape [4][1].
Risks
Reported risks1
Less airflow with the mouth closed in some people with sleep apnea
One study of 54 people with sleep apnea found closing the mouth reduced airflow in heavy mouth breathers and in those with a blockage behind the soft palate.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- During drug-induced sleep endoscopy, holding the mouth closed raised total inspiratory airflow overall by 1.0 L/min, raised it by 2.0 L/min in 32 moderate mouth breathers, and lowered it by 1.9 L/min (95% CI -3.1 to -0.6) in those with high mouth breathing. Velopharyngeal obstruction was linked to reduced airflow with mouth closure (-1.9 L/min) [9].
- Population
- 54 adults with obstructive sleep apnea, 72% men, median apnea-hypopnea index 26.9 [9].
- Sources
- [9]
- Caveats
- The mouth was held shut by pressure on the chin during sedated endoscopy, not taped during natural sleep. The authors conclude mouth breathing can be an essential route around a nasal blockage for some people [9].
Possible, not studied in people1
Suffocation if the nose is blocked
Not studied in people. Researchers warn of asphyxiation when the mouth is taped and the nose is blocked, and many studies excluded people with nasal obstruction.
No study in people. This rests on how it acts in the body.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- A systematic review records authors' warnings against indiscriminate long-term home taping because of the risk of asphyxia in the presence of nasal obstruction, machine or power failure, or regurgitation, and notes that many studies excluded anyone with nasal obstruction or pathology [4].
- Population
- Studies summarized in a systematic review [4].
- Sources
- [4]
- Caveats
- No case or rate of suffocation from mouth taping was located. The warning follows from blocking the only other airway.
Claims tested and not found
- That taping the mouth at night improves asthma. Morning peak flow, symptoms and secondary measures did not differ from usual breathing over 4 weeks [7].
- That mouth tape reliably lowers sleep apnea severity. Three studies in a systematic review found no significant change in apnea-hypopnea index [4], and oxygen desaturation did not improve in about half of 71 adults [3].
Sources
- Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY. The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
- Huang TW, Young TH. Novel porous oral patches for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mouth breathing: a pilot study. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599814559383
- Jau JY, Kuo TBJ, Li LPH, et al. Mouth Puffing Phenomenon and Upper Airway Features May Be Used to Predict the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2023. https://doi.org/10.2147/nss.s384387
- Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, et al. Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323643
- Fangmeyer SK, Badger CD, Thakkar PG. Nocturnal mouth-taping and social media: A scoping review of the evidence. American Journal of Otolaryngology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2024.104545
- Meksukree A, Pitipanyakul S, Laohavinij W, et al. The role of mouth tape for CPAP use in patients with mouth breathing and OSA. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2025. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11870
- Cooper S, Oborne J, Harrison T, Tattersfield A. Effect of mouth taping at night on asthma control: a randomised single-blind crossover study. Respiratory Medicine. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2009.02.003
- Verma M, Seto-Poon M, Wheatley JR, et al. Influence of breathing route on upper airway lining liquid surface tension in humans. The Journal of Physiology. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2005.102129
- Yang H, Huyett P, Wang TY, et al. Mouth Closure and Airflow in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2024.3319