Mouth taping

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Mouth taping is the practice of sleeping with one's lips held shut by a strip of surgical tape, which prevents mouth breathing during sleep. This supposed life hack gained popularity through social media in the 2020s. [1] Those who advise in favor of it attribute a variety of health benefits to it, although these claims have not been scientifically verified. [1]

Health effects

As of 2023, there is very limited research as to the health effects of mouth taping. [1]

In principle, breathing though the nose as opposed to breathing through the mouth is beneficial. [1] Nasal breathing humidifies and filters the inhaled air, allows fuller breaths and can help the body relax. [1] The nitric oxide produced in the nasal sinuses while breathing nasally can help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. [2] Breathing through the mouth while sleeping, on the other hand, dries out the mouth, which can contribute to dental damage, bad breath, hoarseness and dry lips. [1] However, there are a number of conditions that inhibit nasal breathing, such as a deviated septum, allergies, sinusitis or chronic nasal congestion. People with such conditions may find mouth taping impractical. [1]

A few small studies have investigated whether mouth taping alleviates sleep apnea. [3] [4] They found that mouth taping reduced snoring, which may help the snorers' partners sleep better. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep apnea</span> Disorder involving pauses in breathing during sleep

Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor ventilation and sleep disruption. Each pause in breathing can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and occurs many times a night. A choking or snorting sound may occur as breathing resumes. Common symptoms include daytime sleepiness, snoring, and non restorative sleep despite adequate sleep time. Because the disorder disrupts normal sleep, those affected may experience sleepiness or feel tired during the day. It is often a chronic condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uvula</span> Fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the palate

The uvula, also known as the palatine uvula, is a conic projection from the back edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose glands, and some muscular fibers. It also contains many serous glands, which produce thin saliva. It is only found in humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snoring</span> Vibratory sound made while asleep

Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. The sound may be soft or loud and unpleasant. Snoring during sleep may be a sign, or first alarm, of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Research suggests that snoring is one of the factors of sleep deprivation.

Apnea, BrE: apnoea, is the temporary cessation of breathing. During apnea, there is no movement of the muscles of inhalation, and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged. Depending on how blocked the airways are, there may or may not be a flow of gas between the lungs and the environment. If there is sufficient flow, gas exchange within the lungs and cellular respiration would not be severely affected. Voluntarily doing this is called holding one's breath. Apnea may first be diagnosed in childhood, and it is recommended to consult an ENT specialist, allergist or sleep physician to discuss symptoms when noticed; malformation and/or malfunctioning of the upper airways may be observed by an orthodontist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Positive airway pressure</span> Mechanical ventilation in which airway pressure is always above atmospheric pressure

Positive airway pressure (PAP) is a mode of respiratory ventilation used in the treatment of sleep apnea. PAP ventilation is also commonly used for those who are critically ill in hospital with respiratory failure, in newborn infants (neonates), and for the prevention and treatment of atelectasis in patients with difficulty taking deep breaths. In these patients, PAP ventilation can prevent the need for tracheal intubation, or allow earlier extubation. Sometimes patients with neuromuscular diseases use this variety of ventilation as well. CPAP is an acronym for "continuous positive airway pressure", which was developed by Dr. George Gregory and colleagues in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of California, San Francisco. A variation of the PAP system was developed by Professor Colin Sullivan at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, in 1981.

Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is a sleep disorder characterized by the narrowing of the airway that can cause disruptions to sleep. The symptoms include unrefreshing sleep, fatigue, sleepiness, chronic insomnia, and difficulty concentrating. UARS can be diagnosed by polysomnograms capable of detecting Respiratory Effort-related Arousals. It can be treated with lifestyle changes, functional orthodontics, surgery, mandibular repositioning devices or CPAP therapy. UARS is considered a variant of sleep apnea, although some scientists and doctors believe it to be a distinct disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polysomnography</span> Multi-parameter study of sleep and sleep disorders

Polysomnography (PSG), a type of sleep study, is a multi-parameter study of sleep and a diagnostic tool in sleep medicine. The test result is called a polysomnogram, also abbreviated PSG. The name is derived from Greek and Latin roots: the Greek πολύς, the Latin somnus ("sleep"), and the Greek γράφειν.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandibular advancement splint</span>

A mandibi splint or mandibi advancement splint is a prescription custom-made medical device worn in the mouth used to treat sleep-related breathing disorders including: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), snoring, and TMJ disorders. These devices are also known as mandibular advancement devices, sleep apnea oral appliances, oral airway dilators, and sleep apnea mouth guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obstructive sleep apnea</span> Sleeping and breathing disorder

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway leading to reduced or absent breathing during sleep. These episodes are termed "apneas" with complete or near-complete cessation of breathing, or "hypopneas" when the reduction in breathing is partial. In either case, a fall in blood oxygen saturation, a disruption in sleep, or both, may result. A high frequency of apneas or hypopneas during sleep may interfere with the quality of sleep, which – in combination with disturbances in blood oxygenation – is thought to contribute to negative consequences to health and quality of life. The terms obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) may be used to refer to OSA when it is associated with symptoms during the daytime.

Mouth breathing, medically known as chronic oral ventilation, is long-term breathing through the mouth. It often is caused by an obstruction to breathing through the nose, the innate breathing organ in the human body. Chronic mouth breathing may be associated with illness. The term "mouth-breather" has developed a pejorative slang meaning.

Oral myology is the field of study that involves the evaluation and treatment of the oral and facial musculature, including the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw.

Hypopnea is overly shallow breathing or an abnormally low respiratory rate. Hypopnea is defined by some to be less severe than apnea, while other researchers have discovered hypopnea to have a "similar if not indistinguishable impact" on the negative outcomes of sleep breathing disorders. In sleep clinics, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome is normally diagnosed based on the frequent presence of apneas and/or hypopneas rather than differentiating between the two phenomena. Hypopnea is typically defined by a decreased amount of air movement into the lungs and can cause oxygen levels in the blood to drop. It commonly is due to partial obstruction of the upper airway.

When we sleep, our breathing changes due to normal biological processes that affect both our respiratory and muscular systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continuous positive airway pressure</span> Form of ventilator which applies mild air pressure continuously to keep airways open

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a form of positive airway pressure (PAP) ventilation in which a constant level of pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is continuously applied to the upper respiratory tract of a person. The application of positive pressure may be intended to prevent upper airway collapse, as occurs in obstructive sleep apnea, or to reduce the work of breathing in conditions such as acute decompensated heart failure. CPAP therapy is highly effective for managing obstructive sleep apnea. Compliance and acceptance of use of CPAP therapy can be a limiting factor, with 8% of people stopping use after the first night and 50% within the first year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathing</span> Process of moving air in and out of the lungs

Breathing is the process of moving air into and from the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen.

Central sleep apnea (CSA) or central sleep apnea syndrome (CSAS) is a sleep-related disorder in which the effort to breathe is diminished or absent, typically for 10 to 30 seconds either intermittently or in cycles, and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. CSA is usually due to an instability in the body's feedback mechanisms that control respiration. Central sleep apnea can also be an indicator of Arnold–Chiari malformation.

Obligate nasal breathing describes a physiological instinct to breathe through the nose as opposed to breathing through the mouth.

Nasal expiratory positive airway pressure is a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring.

A sleep-related breathing disorder is a sleep disorder in which abnormalities in breathing occur during sleep that may or may not be present while awake. According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, sleep-related breathing disorders are classified as follows:

Sleep surgery is a surgery performed to treat sleep disordered breathing. Sleep disordered breathing is a spectrum of disorders that includes snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea. These surgeries are performed by surgeons trained in otolaryngology, oral maxillofacial surgery, and craniofacial surgery.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Blum, Dani (2022-11-17). "Can a Piece of Tape Help You Sleep?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  2. Lundberg, J. O.; Settergren, G.; Gelinder, S.; Lundberg, J. M.; Alving, K.; Weitzberg, E. (1996). "Inhalation of nasally derived nitric oxide modulates pulmonary function in humans". Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. 158 (4): 343–347. doi:10.1046/j.1365-201X.1996.557321000.x. ISSN   0001-6772. PMID   8971255.
  3. Lee, Yi-Chieh; Lu, Chun-Ting; Cheng, Wen-Nuan; Li, Hsueh-Yu (2022-09-13). "The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study". Healthcare. 10 (9): 1755. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10091755 . ISSN   2227-9032. PMC   9498537 . PMID   36141367.
  4. Huang, Tsung-Wei; Young, Tai-Horng (2015). "Novel porous oral patches for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mouth breathing: a pilot study". Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 152 (2): 369–373. doi:10.1177/0194599814559383. ISSN   1097-6817. PMID   25450408. S2CID   206469049.