Sleeping with tape over your mouth might sound slightly horrifying, but the health benefits far outweigh any initial apprehension you might have. Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Graham.
This practice is called mouth taping, and it has rapidly risen in popularity over the past few years. Mouth taping forces you to breathe through your nose during sleep, which in turn can eliminate a long list of health issues including snoring, dry throat, sleep apnea, headaches, congestion, poor quality sleep and even dental issues.
“This is probably the single best wellness tool I have found recently. Breathing through your nose at night apparently creates alkalinity in the body and promotes best quality sleep,” Paltrow, 51, wrote on her Instagram stories in November 2022.
The following year, in May 2023, Graham, 36, took to her Instagram stories to echo similar sentiments.
“I started taping my mouth shut when I sleep and I have never slept better — and even better when I wake up. Don’t knock it till you try it!!” she wrote.
Paltrow and Graham don’t reach for any old roll of duct tape on their bedside tables before turning out the light. Brands like Myotape and Hostage Tape, which come in small sizes akin to surgical tape, are popular favorites among mouth tapers.
The publication of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor in May 2020 played no small role in framing mouth breathing as a poor health habit. His book explores the profound impact of proper breathing techniques on physical and mental health, and offers insights into ancient practices and modern research to revolutionize our understanding of respiration.
Nestor appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in July 2020 to share his insight on the benefits of mouth taping.
“What people don’t realize is about 25 to 50 percent of the population habitually breathes through their mouths,” he explained to Joe Rogan during the episode. “They don’t realize the neurological problems that this causes, the respiratory problems this causes, the problems with snoring, sleep apnea, even metabolic disorders.”
