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The Skinny Confidential Mouth Tape
Mouth breathers get a bad rap, especially when it comes to sleep. Luckily, there’s a trend that could save them (and their loved ones) from enduring another night of snoring and bad breath: mouth taping. As the name might imply, mouth taping for sleep involves taping one’s lips together overnight in order to promote nasal breathing and improve your night of rest.
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Mouth taping has had a bit of a viral stint on social media within the last few years, prompting more attention in the medical, dental and beauty fields. If you’re picturing a strip of duct tape over the mouth, hostage-style, you’re not that far off. While it’s not advised to actually use duct tape due to potential skin irritation and pain with removal, there are a number of safer, gentler products that seal the lips in a similar fashion. Ahead, we dive into what exactly mouth taping involves, its benefits and risks and what health and wellness experts have to say about the whole thing.
Best mouth tape for sleeping
Pap MD Mouth Tape
Our former editor of product testing Suzanne Kattau tried several brands of mouth tape before she settled on these ones from Pap MD, which she said don’t irritate the skin and stay on all night. Prior to using mouth tape, she used to snore, but these have helped curb the disturbance and now she sleeps soundly. They’re made to cover the entire mouth, encouraging nasal breathing.
VIO2 Mouth Tape
Not all mouth tapes have to fully cover the lips to be effective. The H-shaped design of this VIO2 tape can be worn two flexible ways — with one strip or two running vertically across the lips. These configurations allow the wearer to drink water out of a straw if desired, and because of the less restrictive shape, it can be a good starting point for those nervous about completely taping over their lips.
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KT Tape Original Cotton Precut Kinesiology Tape Strips
Fashion and beauty editor Sophie Shaw said when she first encountered the mouth taping trend on her For You page, she was intrigued enough to try it out the same night. Shaw didn’t have actual mouth tape on hand, but she did have this kinesiology tape that’s easy to cut down to size for your mouth (which, to be fair, was a hack she saw on TikTok). This KT tape was comfortable and flexible, and since it’s made to stand up to sweat, it easily stayed in place all night.
Loops Night Shift Hydrating Mouth Tape
Health and fitness editor Summer Cartwright said she loves this Loops mouth tape, which keeps her mouth comfortably sealed and is made with skin care ingredients like hyaluronic acid, peptides and ceramides that hydrate the lips overnight. “I wake up with a supple, plump pout and a peaceful mind, knowing I didn’t keep my partner up with my snoring or mouth breathing,” she said.
3M Micropore Medical Tape
When he was in a mouth tape phase, associate testing writer Maxwell Shukuya said he placed a small strip of this 3M Micropore tape vertically over the center of this mouth to gentle hold his lips together. “It’s breathable, non-irritating and affordable,” he said. At just $5, this is a safe trial tape to test out before going with any of the more expensive brands.
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The Skinny Confidential Mouth Tape
Lauryn Bosstick, podcast host, author and founder of beauty and wellness brand The Skinny Confidential, said she began mouth taping after having double jaw surgery and reading about the link between breathing, sleep, health and the mouth in “Breath,” “Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic” and “Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life.” These mouth tape strips from her own brand are contoured to the shape of the lips for a pleasant fit. They’re made of a stretchy fabric with secure adhesive and feel virtually weightless.
Shaw has also tried these strips and said that sometimes she even forget she was wearing them because they’re that comfortable. One feature that sets them apart from others mouth tapes she’s tried is the slit in the middle. “After a lot of research, we found that people like to wake up in the middle of the night and drink water out of a straw,” Bosstick said. “This little slit gives you an option to drink water. If you don’t want to use the slit, you can easily pull it over your upper lip.”
Trademark Beauty Goodnight Sleep Tape
Cartwright is also a fan of this mouth tape, which comes in a 30-piece set. “I love that each piece of tape is stored in a tin that’s easy to store and keep track of,” she said. “The tape is designed to be pain-free when taking off your mouth, and I do think it was a much more comfortable experience than other brands I’ve tested, though you will feel some skin and hair pulling regardless.”
SomniFix Mouth Strips
Dr. Yenile Pinto, founder of Deering Dental in Miami, Florida, said she prefers mouth tapes that don’t fully cover both lips. She called out the aforementioned VIO2 tape as well as this SomniFix option, which has a small breathing hole in the middle. This hole helps provide a “rescue mechanism” that will allow you to switch to mouth breathing if your body needs to.
These SomniFix strips are also comfortable, secure and easy to remove in the morning. “The choice really boils down to what you’re more comfortable with and will use consistently,” Pinto said. “If you wake up feeling worse, then stop. Your body is trying to tell you something, and your next step should be a visit with your doctor.”
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Hostage Mouth Tape
This Hostage Mouth Tape has become popular on TikTok, as it makes a good choice for those with facial hair. The adhesive sticks even over scruff and beards, and the strips fully cover the mouth to ensure full nasal breathing.
How to choose the best mouth tape for sleep
By sealing your lips, mouth tape encourages you to breathe through your nose (instead of your mouth) while you sleep. But why is breathing through your nose so important? According to Dr. Michael J. Wei, a cosmetic dentist with a practice at Manhattan New York City Cosmetic Dentist, “Breathing through the nose helps filter, humidify and warm the air before it enters the lungs, which can help improve overall respiratory health. Nasal breathing also promotes better oxygen uptake and can reduce the risk of snoring and sleep disturbances.”
However, mouth taping is not a good option for everyone, so before you grab any strips or rolls, these are the things the experts we consulted said are important to consider.
Understand the actual benefits
Though there are a number of potential benefits to mouth taping, most of the ones being talked about on social platforms like TikTok are anecdotal. “Despite social media claims, there is very little research supporting the benefits of mouth taping,” Dr. Hemalee Patel, a primary care provider and senior director of chronic disease management at One Medical, said. “While the effectiveness of nasal breathing has been well-documented in regard to preventing dental issues — specifically tooth decay, gum disease, misalignment of the jaw and bad breath — studies on mouth taping specifically have been limited and inconclusive.”
Mouth breathing at night creates a dry environment in the mouth, which orthodontist Dr. Erin Fraundorf said can contribute to bad breath, cavities, a hoarse voice and dry lips. Dr. Brian Orcutt, a cosmetic dentist at Orcutt Family Dentistry, added that keeping your mouth closed as much as possible, both during the day and at night, greatly benefits your oral cavity and will help prevent the saliva in your mouth — which protects your teeth and gums — from drying out.
Additionally, mouth taping can help reduce mild snoring sounds and lead to a better night of sleep, but the extent of these benefits will vary greatly from person to person.
Ensure you’re a good candidate
According to Pinto, mouth taping works best for adults who can already breathe comfortably and clearly through their nose throughout the day but who may quietly switch to mouth breathing while sleeping at night.
Dr. Renee Moran, a board-certified orthodontist at Foundations Orthodontics, said mouth breathing is a symptom, not a full diagnosis, and she recommends consulting with a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying issues before hopping on the mouth taping trend. “If there’s a true obstruction, you definitely don’t want to be closing off the only source of airway by mouth taping,” she said. Pinto added that if you have sleep apnea, a deviated septum, chronic congestion or any allergies that block your nose, you should steer clear of mouth taping. Additionally, if you have acid reflux issues, Orcutt said you should take caution with mouth taping.
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Choose gentle and flexible materials
If you don’t have any medical conflicts with mouth taping and decide it’s safe to give it a try, using mouth tape is easy. The experts recommend sticking (pun intended) with flexible, medical-grade tape that will be gentle on the skin. It’ll work best on dry skin, so if you have an extensive nighttime skin care routine, it’s a good idea to wait a bit for your products to absorb so the tape can adhere better.
The tape should be secure but not too restrictive. “Stick to a gentle tape, like surgical or athletic tape, not anything tough to remove like duct tape,” Fraundorf said. “The tape should be able to stick but simultaneously come off effortlessly without much resistance. The goal of mouth taping isn’t to seal your lips shut; it is to remind your muscles to relax and promote nasal breathing.”
Pinto added that if you’re new to mouth taping, you may want to skip the full-coverage tape, as mouth tape options that only partially cover the lips or have a built-in opening will allow your mouth more freedom to move and take in air if need be.
Do a practice run
If you’re worried about being uncomfortable, Fraundorf and Wei recommend easing into the practice by first trying it out during the day to get used to the sensation. “Begin by placing tape over your mouth for about 10 minutes at a time, increasing by 10 minutes daily for about a week,” Fraundorf said. “Once you feel comfortable, you can try out mouth tape while you sleep.”
Wei added that it’s important to be consistent to help your body adjust to the new breathing pattern — and to stay consistent once you’ve adjusted so you can reap the long-term benefits.
Similarly, Pinto recommended wearing the tape for around 30 minutes while watching TV to test your breathing. If you feel short of breath or anxious during the trial run, it’s best to remove the tape and see an ear, nose and throat doctor or dentist before continuing use. Orcutt added that this trial run is also a good time to see if you have any allergic reactions or skin sensitivities to the adhesive on the tape.
Your first night of sleep with mouth tape should be the gentlest, according to Pinto. Start with a thin strip of medical tape placed vertically across the center of the lips before trying any tape options that fully cover both lips. “If you wake up in the middle of the night and it’s off, it probably means you were struggling to breathe [and] you took it off yourself,” Moran added. If you wake up feeling unrested, experience morning headaches, notice more clenching or grinding of the teeth or wake up gasping for air, Pinto said these are red flags that mean you should stop using mouth tape immediately.
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FAQs
There are some risks of mouth taping, and all the experts maintained that it’s important to consult a healthcare professional to see if it’s a fit for your individual needs before you try it. “While mouth taping is generally safe for most, not everyone is a good candidate for mouth taping,” Fraundorf said. “A good rule of thumb is that if you struggle to breathe through your nose throughout the day, you should not try mouth taping.” Conditions like a deviated septum, allergies, sleep apnea, sinusitis or chronic congestion may pose a challenge to nasal breathing and could require alternative treatment.
“If you’re concerned about your snoring, or waking up with a constant dry mouth or sore throat, it’s best to talk to your primary care provider before trying mouth taping as you may need additional testing and evaluation for things such as sleep apnea or TMJ,” Patel said. According to Wei, people with nasal congestion, respiratory conditions or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders should avoid mouth taping, as it can further restrict the ability to breathe.
In addition to potential airway obstruction, skin irritation (due to adhesive) and discomfort are other negative side effects. “Some people may find mouth taping uncomfortable or anxiety-inducing, especially if they feel claustrophobic or constrained by having their mouth taped shut,” Wei said.
Though there are a few studies that suggest mouth taping can help with mild sleep apnea, Orcutt said it’s unlikely those with sleep apnea will see any improvement in their condition by hopping on this trend. “You have to remember, there’s different types of sleep apnea too,” Orcutt said. “I don’t think it would help anybody with central sleep apnea because that’s a problem where your brain doesn’t tell you when to breathe.” If you have obstructive sleep apnea or rely on a CPAP machine to help with breathing at night, you should consult with a medical professional to fully discuss your options before trying any kind of mouth taping at home.
There is no conclusive research showing that mouth taping produces any cosmetic benefits, such as enhancing the jawline. There’s a popular theory on social media that mouth taping can helps strengthen and sculpt the jaw, while others claim the tape helps improve the look of dark under-eye circles. Bosstick, who calls mouth taping “the best beauty tip,” personally vouches for these benefits. “Almost instantly, I noticed I was sleeping way better (like the deepest sleep of my life), my eyes were brighter, I was waking up with so much energy,” she said. “Then after a few months, I noticed my jaw felt so supported and had this chiseled look.”
However, the medical experts cautioned that mouth tape users should not expect dramatic (if any) results. “Jawlines are primarily defined by genetics and muscle development rather than mouth posture during sleep,” Wei said. “As for dark under-eye circles, they are typically caused by factors such as genetics, age, allergies and lack of sleep, rather than mouth breathing during sleep. It’s important to be cautious of exaggerated claims made by beauty products, including those marketed as mouth tape,” he warns.
Moran added that by strengthening your nasal breathing, you may see some physiologic changes — such as a reduction in inflamed nasal tissue that can get in the way of clear breathing — but you won’t see any structural changes to your jaw or other bones. Fraundorf agrees and said that any beauty benefits that you will get from mouth taping “will also be those that simply come from getting a good night’s sleep.”
Since mouth taping is a fairly new practice, the research on it is still in the early stages. However, Fraundorf noted a long list of health benefits that could be attributed to mouth taping, including reduced snoring and improved sleep. She and Wei shared a number of specific changes that mouth taping may contribute to:
- Improved nasal breathing. The key benefit of mouth taping is that it makes you breathe through your nose instead of your mouth, which can trigger several other purported benefits. For example, Fraundorf said, “Through nasal breathing, you also produce a gas called nitric oxide, which increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and improves brain function.”
- Increased oxygen intake. “Nasal breathing activates your lower lungs, letting you take deeper, fuller breaths, therefore getting more oxygen,” Fraundorf said. Wei adds that this improved oxygen intake is accompanied by better filtration of air and better carbon dioxide elimination compared to mouth breathing.
- Reduced snoring. According to Wei and Fraundorf, breathing through the nose may eliminate or reduce snoring, leading to more sound sleep for the individual using the mouth tape and their sleep partner.
- Bruxism prevention. “In some cases, mouth taping can help prevent teeth grinding (bruxism) by encouraging proper mouth and jaw positioning during sleep,” Wei said. However, the dentist warns that those with TMJ disorders or jaw pain should avoid mouth taping, as it may increase tension in the jaw muscles and worsen their symptoms.
- Improved oral hygiene. Fraundorf cites reduced mouth dryness, fewer cavities and decreased risk of gum disease as positive outcomes of mouth taping.
- Better breath. According to the oral health experts, bad breath and tooth decay are linked to mouth breathing because it can allow bacteria and viruses to enter your system, thus nasal breathing promotes better breath.
- Better sleep, and therefore, higher energy. Because mouth taping may improve sleep quality, Fraundorf said related benefits like increased REM sleep, higher energy in the morning, improved cognitive function and reduced anxiety may be secondhand results.
Meet our experts
For this article, we consulted the following experts to gain their professional insights:
- Lauryn Bosstick, podcast host, author and founder of beauty and wellness brand The Skinny Confidential
- Dr. Erin Fraundorf, an orthodontist and the founder of Boca Orthodontic and Whitening Studio in St. Louis, Missouri
- Dr. Renee Moran, a board-certified orthodontist at Foundations Orthodontics in Denver, Colorado
- Dr. Brian Orcutt, cosmetic dentist at Orcutt Family Dentistry and member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
- Dr. Hemalee Patel, primary care provider and senior director of chronic disease management at One Medical
- Dr. Yenile Pinto, founder of Deering Dental in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Michael J. Wei, cosmetic dentist with a practice at Manhattan Cosmetic Dentist
Why trust CNN Underscored
CNN Underscored editors and writers ensure every product included in an article is thoroughly vetted and something we ourselves would feel comfortable buying and using. Our team has many decades of collective experience researching, testing and recommending products across every category — from fashion and food, to home goods and health, to electronics and everything in between — and we’re committed to using that expertise to help you make the most of your money and live a better life.
For this article, CNN Underscored beauty and fashion editor Sophie Shaw and associate editor Jillian Tracy consulted healthcare experts to help explain what mouth taping is and who can benefit from it. Shaw has previously covered the best microcurrent tools, face serums and other skin care topics. Tracy regularly covers both health and fitness and beauty topics, using expert insights to help you make more informed and empowered product choices.
Sophie Shaw is Underscored’s beauty and fashion editor. The Brooklyn-based journalist loves getting nerdy about skin care and, on the fashion side, delving into what viral trends are actually worth trying. (Ballet flats are a yes for her, but low-rise pants are a never.)
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