Has anyone tried mouth taping??

[Borelis]

i.e putting tape (that's meant for the face) over your lips to keep them closed at night to prevent mouth breathing and only breath through the nose?

It sounds very risky I know but apparently our natural reflexes would prevent us from suffocating and will naturally awaken us to take off the tape if our nose is obstructed etc. and generally seen as a fairly "safe" technique.

Has anyone tried it? Seen any positive effects from it? How long have you mean doing it? every night?

I tried it yesterday and seemed to go ok

I have heard of this but more in connection to facial structure.

That is precisely why the DC's orthodontist recommends it.

Again, it's not taping the mouth shut with duck tape like a kidnapping victim, it's a single small piece of that papery micropore vertically across the lips.

There’s a good guy on Instagram who discusses the importance of nose breathing and shows some exercises and meditations you can do especially to get asleep. I’ll try find him and share his name.
I’d never tape my mouth shut though!

I don't know about facial structure, but I did read somewhere that it is a cure for ADHD....

I did it years ago as part of the buteko method to help my asthma. It made a massive difference. I sleep so much better than I did and only need my inhaler about once a year. I used to need it nearly every night.

Oddly, they won't actually see any results at all as the problems were prevented from happening. I think they appreciate it now they're out the other side though!

I did it as a child (it was supposed to help with asthma). It was fine, I used a bit of masking tape and within about 5 days I stopped needing it. I remember one night I woke up briefly because I was coughing, as soon as I was awake I could breathe fine, then I went back to sleep. There's no way your body would let you suffocate without waking you up.

I have done, and am still currently doing so. I have always been a 'mouth breather' and am constantly waking up with a dry mouth, sore throat, cracked lips etc. I ended up at the doctors after having enough of constantly being in pain with my throat, and having coughs etc.
After having all other potential issues ruled out, adenoids, structural abnormalities (and having the dentist check tooth structure/placement) etc it was decided that it was down to the drying out of my mouth whilst sleeping.

I was advised to try mouth taping to see if it made any difference. It is worth pointing out that it is a very low tack tape I use, just enough to prevent my lips from dropping open, but easy enough to 'pop' open if my body suddenly needed to....if that makes sense. (You can also get chin strap things that do the same thing)

It took about a week or so to get used to, but being able to sleep the night through without needing to wake for a drink, and not waking up with a throat like sandpaper was a revelation!!

It's also worth noting that my dentist also agreed with the idea, as mouth breathing can also cause dental problems, and can increase the chance of cavities, gum issues etc due to the lack of saliva in the mouth.

Whilst I know that not everyone will be comfortable with the idea, I can honestly say it has made a difference to my quality of sleep/life, but please discuss with your own GPs first incase it isn't something suitable for you.

I have never heard of this but am going to give it a try tonight. I do know I sleep with my mouth open sometimes as it can be very dry at times.

I do not sleep well so if this works it will be amazing!

Will update tomorrow, fingers crossed it helps.

Oh god, just reading this thread has made me feel really panicky! 😮

I couldn't think of anything worse, I get twitchy just watching someone who has been gagged on TV!

I have read up on it a bit after seeing this thread and they suggest trying it during the day to get used to it and the tape is not very strong so you could easily get it off by just opening your mouth.

I get twitchy just watching someone who has been gagged on TV!

It's nothing like being gagged 🙄

Update!

I tried it last night, just a single strip of paper tape across my lips and it was fine and did not bother me at all.

Unfortunately, I did not sleep any better or feel any better today but it was not uncomfortable or restrictive in any way but just a bit disappointed that I did not have a good nights sleep (although that is normal for me).

I will continue to use it in the hopes that it is doing me good . Has anyone found that it did not seem to help immediately but improved in time?