Why taping your mouth at night could save your life

Last April I flew to LA to be with my youngest daughter while she had her deviated septum surgery. It was a month later that her roommate encouraged her to tape her mouth at night. Sydney wanted to do it to make sure she was breathing through her nose since she spent so many years unable to.

Years ago, I went to a sleep doctor because of sleep apnea. The doctor explained to me how the flap in the back of my throat weakens with age and when my jaw drops open it causes me to stop breathing. My husband has accused me of having sleep apnea many times. The doctor told me if I slept on my side, I should be fine. No machine needed.

My oldest daughter Hannah would typically wake up with headaches and brain fog in the morning so she decided to read a book called: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. 

This book has research showing that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance, rejuvenate internal organs, halt snoring, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease. And it all starts with taping your mouth shut at night.

I’m not talking about duct tape or masking tape. There is specific tape you can find online for taping your mouth at night.

Noses are for breathing and mouths are for eating — it’s the way the human body functions optimally. We can make a conscious effort to keep our mouths closed during the day, however, we lose that ability when we are sleeping, resulting in several health problems.

Here are 6 reasons why you would want to tape your mouth at night:

1. Better Sleep. The nose helps us maintain homeostasis by balancing the autonomic nervous system, protecting us from stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness, so you can wake up feeling strong and refreshed (without your usual morning coffee!).
2. Improves Oral Health. Before taping my mouth, I would always have to get a drink of water when I would get up at night to go to the potty. Start mouth taping at night and say goodbye to oral health problems. Mouth breathing quickly dries out your mouth decreasing saliva production. Dry mouth is one of the leading causes of gum disease, which can lead to other health issues such as heart disease.
3. Stops snoring. Is your significant other complaining that you are snoring a night? Put a stop to it by mouth taping and let your partner sleep in peace. During sleep, the muscles in and around your mouth relax, causing your mouth to fall open. This results in your respiratory airway closing and ultimately causes the “mouth snores” that you may be unfortunately all too familiar with. And mouth snoring isn’t just bothersome -- it can also impact your health. It is often a precursor to sleep apnea.
4. Boosts Immunity. Mouth taping provides your immune system with an extra layer of defense, as nose breathing gives your body its best chance at standing strong against disease and infection. The nose is our only organ that has the ability to “filter” the air we breathe, which contains lots of bad bacteria.
5. Lowers blood pressure. Have you ever been told to take deep breaths when you are feeling stressed or anxious? That’s because our breathing is closely tied to our blood pressure. Having high blood pressure puts you at risk of heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Mouth taping while you sleep is one way to help control your blood pressure; the increased nitric oxide production that comes along with nose breathing reduces blood pressure by expanding your blood vessels and increasing the ability to transport oxygen throughout your body.
6. Brings better mornings. Does your throat sometimes feel like sandpaper when you get out of bed in the morning? Or do you often wake up with a sinus headache? Mouth taping reduces discomforts caused by mouth breathing such as dry mouth, sore throat, chapped lips, and nasal congestion. By nose breathing at night, you can start your day off on the right foot, and skip that Starbucks drive-thru.

I have loved mouth taping. I definitely feel a difference. Let me know if you give it a try.