The Science of Mouth Taping 

I'm using their mouth tapes too, they are soooo comfortable😴🤤

I'm using those too, they're sooo comfortable🤤😴

​@@Gomezgym-i8b me too

I’m using 30 year old micropore tape (I’m from England) !!!!! Works fine and it’s easy.

Definitely sounds like you have undiagnosed sleep apnea. On my worst days I used to feel like I was hungover every morning, with extreme dry mouth and headache. Even if you found relief in mouth taping, I'd suggest to talk to you doctors about it more because a CPAP device could help even more. Though if your doctors don't take you seriously, then what can you even do...

@@-aku2805 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few months ago and was on a CPAP for a bit. Turns out my apnea was caused by histamine intolerance and the never ending post nasal drip it caused. Once that was taken care of the apnea went away but my mouth was still falling open at night so I'm back to using the mouth tape only.

@@-aku2805 I actually was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 6 months ago. Turns out it was primarily caused by histamine intolerance and the never ending post nasal drip that it caused. Once that was taken care of the apnea mostly went away but I still need to use tape given my mouth falls open when I sleep. I have done several off-on stints with using the tape since then and it makes a difference no doubt.

Use teeth aligner / mouth guard. Mouth taping sounds like someone being kidnapped.

I get that, but a doctor can't just recommend you do something completely unorthodox without a sound basis from which to direct you. And doctor's don't always *know* about the newest research, so it's part of your role in the relationship to ask questions, offer your own findings, and seek a second opinion (from a doctor, not reddit).

This is what concerns me about this. Personally, my nose gets really stuffed when I lay down. Sometimes if I toss and turn it’ll clear up again, but not always. I do try to breathe through my nose, I just can’t sometimes 😭

Then why even bother?

@@acrollieIf you sleep on your side, what usually happens is only one nostril becomes clogged. And it’s always the lower nostril. And if you roll to the other side (so that the clogged nostril is higher than the other), that nostril becomes quickly unclogged and you are breathing through both open nostrils just fine.

@@pheart2381In my opinion, the purpose of the tape is to remind you as you are consciously falling asleep and consciously waking up in between sleep cycles to breathe through your nose, and this breathing pattern continues into your unconscious sleep. And if your body happens to revert to mouth breathing during sleep (nose gets completely congested), at least you aren’t waking up to a fight or flight suffocation response with this approach.

@@timjohnson3913 but there is absolutely nothing wrong with mouth breathing during sleep in the first place. Apart from a few under medical supervision its just a dangerous fad. Of course people are entitled to tape their mouths shut while they sleep. The fewer idiots in the world the better.

That is why I do it.

Or drooling all over my pillow

Obesity once again either causes or exacerbates sleep apnea.

As someone with sjogrens syndrome, this would be a life changer

Well yeah, if you're a mouth breather it's probably gonna help, but mouth breathing can be a symptom of sleep apnea so be careful.

I can't use full-faced masks because I'm a stomach sleeper and have no intention of stopping. Also, those hybrid ones (the kind that just go under your nose, and over your mouth) made me quit CPAP until a sleep tech gave me a nasal pillow mask to try. I could not keep that damn thing sealed on my face to save my LIFE. Unfortunately, my mouth refuses to stay shut no matter what I do--taping, chin strap, both at the same time--so that's been incredibly frustrating. Because I sleep so hot (hello, perimenopause!), I can't go so far as to use a cervical collar. Some nights are better than others, and some I wake up with a dry mouth even though the tape is still firmly attached. Sigh.

I switched from a nasal pillow mask to a full face mask because of dry mouth, I still get a dry mouth. My AHI is the same with both types of mask so I don't believe that the air doesn't reach the lungs with a nasal pillow mask

My experience so far. Started with full face mask, still had apnea because my mouth opened, added a chin strap and dry mouth disappeared. After 18 months of usage, my facial structure seems to have changed as the full face mask applied uncomfortable pressure on my lower jaw and caused TMJ. So I have switched to nasal pillows and am satisfied. I still use the strap every night.

This is why I want to try it. I have a big beard and I sleep mostly on my side and stomach… but remembering to put my mask on as I start to dose is even difficult sometimes, so getting a proper full-face seal half asleep fumbling in the dark while my gf elbows me prob isn’t the best solution either way. That being said, I’ve tried chin straps and that’s never going to work for me, so I’m interested in the tape solution. My gf calls it me getting “windy” and air just straight up gusts out of my mouth… most of the time now. So if I can seal my dumb mouth shut, I’m hoping I can get the actual benefits of a cpap and whatnot… But that would mean remembering to seal my mouth shut and put my mask on while I’m just laying there trying to relax and fall asleep. I’ve had this thing for like idk 5+ years now, and I will NEVER get used to it. But maybe this tape would help idk…

My mouth breathing INSTANTLY fixed once I started using the CPAP. My oxygen dipped as low as 60s during my sleep study, I was shocked.

Oh yeah… mouth taping definately will help you with sleep apnea! Those CPAP machines not worth the price… facepalm

I haven't been able to sleep in years. I used to get up every hour and pee. I trained my body to wait. I did it in increments, by holding it in for 15 more minutes then increasing over time. I can go ten hours without the urge to pee. I started mouth-tapping a few weeks ago. I use electrical tape. I'm now getting 6 hours of sleep. I've never been able to do that. EVER. I was on sleep meds for 40 years. I'm completely off ALL meds.

Exact same experience! No more congested nose in my sleep unless it was really extreme, in which case I take it off unconsciously. The effect is so pronounced, that often I take it off with a clean nose and within MINUTES it gets hard to breathe through my nose! Gamechanger for chronic cloggers

Same

what type of tape do u use

I recommend doing septoplasty. After I fixed my deviated septum my life is just 100x better.

Why you gotta attack me like that

Bruhhh I wasn’t till you said it

How did you train yourself to stop clenching your jaw in your sleep? I have had that problem my whole life and I've managed to reduce how much I do it during the day, but I can't control myself while I'm sleep lol

@@dont-worry-about-it- it took a long time and a much bitten tongue! As I got settled in bed I would deliberately loosen my jaw and stretch it. Then I would put the tip of my tongue between my front teeth. Sometimes I would be able to keep it there all night but sometimes I would wake with a bitten tongue. It really took a year of this but the hard work was worth getting rid of the headaches!

They had me get one and I HATE it. I can't tell you how much I hate it. I'm a side sleeper and no matter what I do or how many times I get it fitted, It won't stay on my head, no matter how tight it is. So I have to pin it to my hair which means every time I move it wakes me up by pulling on my hair. Then we had a power outage and the stupid thing turns on and off randomly, and the airplane mode won't stay on. I recently started taping and feel better than I ever did with that stupid torture machine. Plus, I can't see any difference between strapping your jaw shut to keep your mouth closed and putting a small piece of tape that leaves you the ability to still breathe, and would easily break in an emergency. That chin strap is 1000 times worse than the tape. I have tried both, and you clearly have not, so don't judge.

@@shakeyj4523 I am sorry that your respitory techs were unable to find you a mask that fit. Sadly some clinics only use masks from one company. I side sleep and have had several masks that worked for me. The chin strap is the same kind of idea. The first one I tried was the wide white band and it was not good for me. I then got a thin black band and it works wonders, for me. Humans are all different, we all need slightly different solutions. I am sad that you can't use a CPAP as it is considered the best treatment. I hope the taping continues to work for you. I do suggest regular testing to be sure you are breathing well during the night. Cheers

@@shakeyj4523 agreed! I tried one of those horrible things, and while technically it did help my oxygen intake while I slept, the near constant stress and discomfort of the device was no where near worth it ...

Those sound ridiculous, but effective, I wonder if my mom can convince my dad to try them!

As a quick fix-it, I sometimes bend a q-tip and put one end on each nostril. Keeps the nose open and works ok if you don't have other options. Pairing it with a tape might make it better but I don't know if I should try as my apnea is pretty bad. Never heard of cones, I'll have to look for them.

It sounds nice on paper, but the truth is your nose acts like a filter. Maybe the reason your nose is closed up at night is dust in the air, so that dust is now going into your lungs at night. If you spend a lot of time in your room, you're going to generate a lot of dust. Think about investing in an air purifier if you're gonna keep using those nose cones.

Sounds just like Breathe Right Strips

What would you do if those silicone inserts somehow get sucked into the back of your throat choking you? I’ll sleep with my mouth open - I don’t care. I’m used to waking up every two hours due to back pain, hip pain and leg pain. Can brush your teeth when you wake up for breath issues. Eat garlic. Join a s&m club since you like being dominated because you’re taping your mouth shut.

Nope, there's a whole book about this and the subject is quite counterintuitive. It goes the opposite to what you're suggesting. Absolutely fascinating to read and very well researched too so if you want to check it out its called Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art.

@@scharftalicous Oh, interesting. Ya I will. Like I said, it's not a type of study we've ever done so I haven't seen first hand what the effects are. Thanks!

@@xPershionx it literally changed my life so I'm glad that the knowledge can go on

Yep, I have sleep apnea, insomnia, and a collapsed nostril. I have THE WORST time sleeping. If I taped my mouth, I’d definitely suffocate.

​@@scharftalicous I have sinus and nasal polyps I developed after being punched in the face. I can't see how taping my mouth shut, which is my most reliable opening with which to attain air, would help me breathe better.

i have nasal pillows. they gave me a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. actually quite comfortable.

​@@casjean8904 I tried that but it didn't work for me, my mouth was still open. It is like my jaw belongs to a different size skull. Tape freaks me out. I have something called a hybrid mask. It mostly works to keep my mouth shut

Nexcare mouth tape is a better choice.

blocking one of my breathing orifices allowed me to use equipment designed solely for the other orifice instead of both.

Sorry but do you mean your REM sleep increased or non-REM sleep?

How did it help with TMJ? I clench my jaw like crazy, and try to consciously relax to help, I feel like taping would make it worse. I already have pain up into my ears from it.

@@tbella5186I’m the same as you and wake up with a tensed together jaw, although trying to relax my mouth, it usually is slightly open but teeth pressed together still. Hurts a lot and I haven’t found much that helps. :/

@@tbella5186 Individual experience etc etc, but personally can highly recommend a combination of masseter botox (I see a neurologist for it) and a splint to sleep with. Has improved my pain I'd say 80%, I can still physically clench my jaw but not as hard as I used to where I would grind my teeth away lol!

I’m a massage therapist and I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that you sleep on the side that your face with hurting. Trust me try sleeping on the other side or sleeping on your back.

@@tbella5186i have TMJ and I literally drool on my pillow on a regular basis because I don't actually clench. My chiropractor recommended taping to me like 2 years ago. I think the logic is, clenching is a natural response to not wanting your mouth to fall open. If the mouth is taped, you can relax your jaw muscles because your mouth won't hand slack.

Why would you be glad about being oblivious? Personally, I am extremely happy I found out about this about 3 years ago. I tried it, not expecting it to actually work (but making sure that the risk involved is basically zero), and it helped me a lot. In particular, I no longer have a dry mouth in the morning, and I also no longer wake up from having a dry mouth. Whether any of the other benefits apply remains to be seen, but that one alone is worth a lot.

@@highdefinist9697 I mean, I was also oblivious to this being a thing. And while I don't plan on trying it (have a hard enough time breathing through my nose when i'm conscious), their's plenty of things it's good to be oblivious about, such as misinformation. Or being oblivious about "remedies" that do provably more harm than good.

​@@InsaneFoxx So let me get this straight: You are on a science channel, arguing that ignorance is better than knowledge? Now, I understand that this channel is not aimed at a scientific audience, but I am still a bit surprised to find such antiscientific takes with so many upvotes around here. Just to be clear: More knowledge is always better than less knowledge - even with regards to misinformation. Because the only way to disprove misinformation is through even more information - which just so happens to be the foundation of science as well.

​@@InsaneFoxx not breathing through your nose is what gives it congestion... I know that sounds backwards but the congestion you're experiencing is actually your body trying to maintain its carbon dioxide levels. You start by tapping your mouth while conscious and the first one or two breaths feel impossible but then suddenly your congestion disappears and breathing is fine. You might get a tingling sensation on the top of your head but that is a good thing as it's your body getting used to having the correct amount of carbon dioxide in the body which gives you much better regulation of most of the bodies subconscious functions like heart rhythm.

If you want the non-social media trend on this than check out the very well researched book by James Nestor called Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art. Absolutely mind blowing and tapping your mouth while sleeping is just part of the information it discusses. I haven't actually seen this on social media but I've been tapping my mouth closed while sleeping for 4 years now since reading the book. This is actually quite a disappointing video from Scishow by comparison as the focus is really whether we should be breathing through our mouths at all.

😂😂😂

I think you might be my soul mate.

Your comment is proof against that claim.

Ye there’s definitely a chance I’d wake up and freak out because half asleep me does remember the tape

Sleep apnea?

i can already feel it just reading and talking about it. i guess i better go now. nite nite.

​@@kbee225Definitely sleep apnea.

I have a deviated septum and can’t get enough oxygen through my nose alone so even just thinking about this elevates my heartrate. Also I wonder what happens if you get a stuffed nose?

Interesting what we can get used to, isn’t it?

@@DawnDavidson I also taught myself to laugh like Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop and burp like Booger off of Revenge of the Nerds. Gotta love that 80's influence

I tucked one of my fists under my chin to keep my mouth closed at night for more than a year. I had to stop due to a rotator cuff tear forcing me to sleep in one very specific position, and mouth stays closed unless the allergies hit hard & my sinuses close in the night. Side bar: do NOT tear your RC, it is excruciating just to exist, much less to sleep, and it feels like it will never heal.

I take a bath towel and roll it lengthwise and then wrap it around my neck and tuck the ends under my chin. It keeps my jaw closed and prevents getting a stiff/sore neck. I look forward to try mouth tapping also.

Wow! Thanks for the information. I was recently introduced to Hostage Tape, through a random RU-vid ad. I’d never heard of mouth taping before, and it truly intrigues me, as I’ve suffered for years with my husband’s snoring. I actually look forward to his business trips so that I can get a good night’s sleep. Hostage Tape is very effective; however, I welcome an alternate source that is more cost effective. Many thanks for the suggestion of using the KT Tape PRO.

surgical tape medical grade, dollar store. cut to whatever size. '-) @@probablynot1368

Need to get my dad to try this

what brand do you use?

@@VAGjew Myotape

Maybe try a humidifier?

Masks have improved greatly... I use CPAP *and* mouth tape, I'd die without CPAP. If you have severe OSA I can't understand how you survived without it... severe is defined as more than 30 incidents per hour... mine is over 100. Give yourself another chance... at least wear a recording O2 monitor to bed and see how bad you're getting at night... it's just a ring, I have the O2Ring.

Maybe you need to also do some breathing, tongue, and throat, exercises to get used to the taping and reduce your sleep apnea… search for “James Nestor”, “Vik Veer” and “Dylan Petkus”.

Not just in sleep, but the waking hours too!

Yeah, and even better, it increases the chances of sleep mmphing.

same story, i don't know why this video was presented so conservatively like its such a crazy new trend when there is actually a fair amount of science on the subject and there are people that have been doing it for decades.

My apnea is upper airway, so I need pressure support i.e. CPAP to nose-breathe. That's the most common I believe.

I do the same but then unfortunately air is forced into my stomach causing so-called aerophagia. Still struggling with balancing the pressure and discomfort ..

@@catallergiccat It's a constant struggle.

@@Chef_PC I’m now experimenting with a bilevel as I believe I need extra support for inspiratory, and even dual use with VCOM.

@@onlytruefalcon Dude I have read your response like 3 times and I still think you are, like deeply misunderstanding how bodies work, that or I just can't follow what you are trying to say. The idea is you breathe in thru your nose, which has all its benefits, slowly. The whole time your body is converting o2 to co2. An entire lungs-full amount. _Then,_ when there is _no o2 left,_ you breathe all the air out. the same volume. You used all the o2 and made all the co2. The excange has happened. _BUT_ the same _volume_ has to get out, you can't slowly increase the total air inside your body or you would be a balloon. Now you just need to get it out so you can start the cycle again, and the fastest way to do that, is to breathe out thru your mouth.

@@onlytruefalcon You are increasingly sounding like a psudo-science bro my dude. Thank you for the deep-dive into the concept of body-oxygen levels. Please explain how the way you breathe matters, which was the point. As far as I can tell, slow in thru nose will still increase body-oxygen.

Lucky you don’t get air forced into your stomach .. which kicks my ars like crazy

I shaved, moved to a full-face mask, and still tape for jaw-drop and drooling. I used to not need tape but after I got over 60 I started waking with the dreaded dry mouth... took me a while to connect it to mouth leaking... thanks Uncle Nick and Lanky Jason!

How do you learn “grow accustomed to placing tongue against roof of the mouth”? Does the technique have a name? I tape my mouth while using CPAP, but then air is forced into my stomach which causes lots of wakings and pain.

Same, idk why but most of the time my nose just doesn’t want to work lol

There are chin straps for this as well.

I tape with FF mask (Simplus)... best of both worlds... no jaw-drop, no drooling, no dry mouth either. I use Cover Roll Stretch Tape, cheapest and best I've found.

The bacterial problem of bad breath happens frequently due to dry mouth, which is due to breathing through your mouth while sleeping. Saliva is naturally anti bacterial, keeps opportunistic bacteria levels in check, people with dry mouth issues have far higher levels of these microbes.

😂😂😂

if you're following Mother Nature then your mouth is not intended for breathing... exhaling through your mouth for speech is a thing but using your mouth for breathing is actually not very effective, particularly with maintaining the appropriate amount of carbon dioxide in your blood which regulates the cardiovascular system. i don't know why we aren't taught as kids that noses are for breathing and mouths are for talking and eating.

The reason you can breathe through your mouth is because when you Run and Exercise. When you need big lungfuls of air to cool the body. But what does the modern human do? Rarely does it need to breathe through the mouth since we don't exercise in the same manner. It's like eating with open mouth, a bad practice.

@@Helveteshit even the running and exercise bit is debatable. This failure of the nose in these conditions is also attributed to processed food diminishing the development of our face and you'd have had to religiously use the nose for breathing your entire life. When scientific conclusions are based on numerous what ifs I tend to be more sceptical. The anecdote it derives from is that beyond thermal regulation no other animal with a nose uses their mouth for breathing no matter how hard they exert themselves. That thought gives me a funny image of a whale lying on its back, mouth in the air gulping for sweet oxygen after a big dive.

Maybe doing it for Irlens Syndrome? One of the treatments is to wear tinted glasses, and they do some kind of test to decide what colour tint to give you. But the tint they give isn't like sunglasses, it's much easier to see through. I do want to warn you that there's limited evidence that Irlens is even a real medical condition. It's more likely an overlap of mild forms of several conditions, including dyslexia, autism, and ADHD, and falling into the Irlens trap may prevent people from getting a proper diagnosis and specialized help. The test and glasses are super expensive too, and a lot of insurance plans don't cover it so it's entirely out of pocket. But if you're looking for tinted glasses that aren't as dark or obstructive as sunglasses, that might be one place to start. Just approach the whole thing with cautious skepticism, because the people pushing it are a little culty and snake oily about it. My sister was "diagnosed" with Irlens as a kid, and although she's actually most likely on the autism spectrum and was misdiagnosed, she did find the glasses helpful with the sensory issues she had with the bright, fluorescent lighting at school. If you want a cheaper solution, my brother has heart shaped glasses that have a pink tint, from EyeBuy Direct. They're not as dark as sunglasses so he wears them in a variety of settings if he wants something funky to wear. I'm pretty sure you don't have to get the heart shaped ones to get the pink tint in the glasses, you can put them in most frame shapes, and they provide prescription or non prescription options. Super affordable as glasses go, as well. I recently got one of their cheaper frames so I could have some basic prescription glasses to keep at my office for when I forget to bring mine (I only really use them for the computer). The glasses only cost $40 CAD total for the frames and prescription lenses, and I could have gone even cheaper if I wanted. Not sure what countries they ship to, though.

I don't have any breathing problems diagnosis, but doing that does make my throat feel much more open!

This is interesting because there's some evidence that in the middle ages and earlier, most europeans had teeth that aligned that way naturally due to the eating practices of the time. I think it was covered here at some point. So maybe "incisors together" is more in line with how folks' anatomy evolved for sleeping?

I hate pillow masks... I feel starved. Now I use full-face over-the-nose, gonna try an Evora under-the-nose next. You should try FF or nasal.

It would be freaky because that was a pretty poor video. Your nose gets clogged because you don't breath through it as backwards as that sounds.

And yes the mandibular splint (or chin strap as you call it) is not very effective as it's the sealing of the lips that enables a low pressure zone to be produced in the mouth which holds your jaw and soft pallet in place.

@@scharftalicous I'm not sure how using such a complex term for a simple item helps, but the rest you said I think more or less makes sense.

@@scharftalicous Maybe you've had a different experience but that has not been mine. Sometimes I am actively trying to breathe through my nose but it's just not happening.

@@stormthrush37 yeh it took me ages to rediscover how to breathe through my nose as you get used to having low carbon dioxide levels. you can get a feeling like you need to breathe out without having drawn any air in. Then you get a tingling sensation in the top of your head and fingertips (or you may depending on how long you've been mouth breathing). I restarted nose breathing while awake in small stints slowly increasing the period and then moved to doing it at night as well with the help of tape. the benefit of doing it during the day was enough to convince me that I had been breathing incorrectly and when I started doing it at night it was an unbelievable difference. I've only ever known the term mandibular splint until this video where there are a bunch of people calling it a chin strap... as long as communication is achieved.

I assume you tried this but just in case: a good saline rinse right before bed might help you. You could also try a xylitol nasal spray like Xlear but I'd try the saline only option first since it's way cheaper. I get the Arm & Hammer saline sprays at Costco where you can get 3 cans for $13. It's more expensive than making your own but it's always ready to use whereas making your own requires you to boil water first to remove pathogens.

Me and Afrin have a thing going on... for decades. You lost weight? Got operations?

The anxiety is probably caused by low carbon dioxide levels in the body which makes the cardiovascular system operate erratically. When this happens the body can interpret the emotion of an erratic heartbeat as the feeling of anxiety. This is why old-timey movies show a person breathing into a paper bag to calm down as it boosts the carbon-dioxide levels calming the heart in turn calming the whole body down. It is funny to think we have all of these medical developments going on but something as basic as breathing is not being covered, mouths are for eating and speaking, noses are for breathing.

Yes! I feel panicky when I'm getting into bed and can't breathe through my nose. I use 1 squirt of afrin each nostril before bed and that alleviates that feeling.

@tianamarie989 I usually reach for something with menthol and camphor. Sleeping on your back without a pillow can help of its real stuffy.

As you age, you lose muscle tone during REM... I never had a problem with dry mouth CPAP until I passed 60yo. You can also prop/tuck your chin, use a strap/cushion, etc. I use a full-face CPAP mask and tape my mouth too.

Also, yay Savannah! Thanks for your narration.