Mouth tape: popular, thinly studied, not for everyone.
Taping the lips closed at night is meant to push you to breathe through your nose. It’s everywhere on social media. The evidence is thin, and for some people it carries a real risk.
If your nose is often blocked, from hay fever, a cold, a deviated septum or anything else, don’t tape your mouth. Deal with the nose first.
What the evidence says
- A 2025 systematic review from Canada (10 studies; the abstract says 213 people, the results section 233, an inconsistency in the paper itself) concluded the existing data do not support mouth taping as a sound clinical intervention for sleep-disordered breathing. Two or three small studies found breathing events fell slightly in people with mild sleep apnoea; the authors question whether the change is clinically meaningful. Three of the studies measured snoring and reported it decreased, one of them with a chinstrap rather than tape.
- A 2022 study of 20 mouth-breathers with mild sleep apnoea, with no comparison group, reported that snoring and breathing events roughly halved after a week of taping.
- A 2015 pilot of 30 people using a porous mouth patch reported less snoring, but breathing events got worse in about a third of them.
- A 2024 trial included mouth tape in a bundle with nasal strips, a nasal spray and a side-sleeping pillow, so tape’s own effect can’t be separated.
We read the 2025 review in full. We couldn’t open the original 2022 and 2015 papers; their figures come from the review and a published summary, listed in the sources.
The risks
- A blocked nose. Four of the ten studies in the review raised a risk of not being able to breathe for people whose noses are blocked.
- Masking sleep apnoea. Quieter nights can hide breathing that is still being interrupted, and in one small study it got worse.
- Skin irritation from the adhesive.
The review’s authors put it plainly: many people are not appropriate for mouth taping, and in some cases it can lead to serious harm.
Where that leaves it
On our evidence scale it is Weak or mixed, with a safety catch. If mouth breathing is part of your snoring, it’s worth finding out why, and raising it with a doctor or dentist, before taping over it.
Original sources & their limits
- Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping… A systematic review (Rhee et al., PLOS ONE, 2025) ↗
Full text read, 2026-10-26. 10 studies; the abstract says 213 participants and the results section 233 (the paper’s own numbers disagree). Small AHI improvements in mild sleep apnoea in two or three studies; four studies raised an asphyxiation risk with nasal obstruction. Three studies reported lower snoring index, one using a chinstrap. Conclusion: existing data do not support mouth taping for the general population with sleep-disordered breathing.
- Mouth taping: viral fad or evidence-based treatment? (Today’s RDH) ↗
Dental-hygiene journal article read. We couldn’t open the original papers it summarises: a 2022 study of 20 mouth-breathers with mild sleep apnoea (no control group, one week) and a 2015 pilot of 30 people using a porous mouth patch.
- Custom oral appliance vs conservative treatment for snoring: pilot randomised trial (JAMA Otolaryngology, 2024) ↗
Read. 50 couples randomised, 42 finished; adults who snore without sleep apnoea. Four weeks. Outcome was the bed partner’s rating, not a recording. Analysed only those who finished.
Sources checked 26 Oct 2026.