We sell mouth tape, and we still think you should read this first. What the research says, who should skip it, and how to decide.

By the TAVO Sleep Team · Updated October 2026 · 6 min read

You've seen the videos. Someone peels a strip of tape off their lips in the morning and says it changed everything. You're halfway to checkout when a small voice asks the obvious question.

What mouth taping is, and why people try it

Mouth taping means putting a piece of tape over your lips before sleep so you breathe through your nose. The appeal makes sense: your nose filters, warms and humidifies air, and breathing through your mouth at night is linked with waking up with a dry mouth. Our guide to nose breathing at night covers why the nose is the default.

The trend spread fast on social media. In a 2023 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, more than 1 in 10 people said they'd tried mouth taping. The academy's spokesperson called viral trends like this unproven at best, and said mouth taping in particular can be dangerous.

What the research says

A 2025 systematic review in PLOS ONE pulled together 10 studies with a little over 200 participants. Here's what it found:

• The studies were small and weak. Every included study was rated as low quality, and they were too different to combine statistically.
• Some saw less snoring. A few studies reported reduced snoring with mouth taping or similar methods.
• Breathing pauses mostly didn't change. Only two studies, both in people with mild sleep apnea, found a significant drop in breathing interruptions. Others found no significant change.
• Safety concerns came up repeatedly. Several studies raised the risk of not getting enough air if the nose is blocked.

The authors concluded the evidence does not support mouth taping as a sound clinical intervention, and warned of a potentially serious risk of harm for people who try it without caution.

The real risks

A blocked nose

This is the big one. With your mouth taped, your nose is your only airway. If it's congested from a cold, allergies or a structural issue like a deviated septum, you may not get enough air. Most studies in the review excluded people with nasal blockage, so the risk in that group has barely been studied, which is a reason for more caution, not less.

Hidden sleep apnea

Snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Taping your mouth doesn't address the cause, and it can mean putting off a conversation with a doctor you actually need. One study included in the review advised against mouth taping for people with moderate to severe sleep apnea.

Alcohol and sedating medicine

Both can make you harder to wake and slower to react. That's the opposite of what you want if something is restricting your breathing. Don't combine them with mouth tape.

Skin and comfort

Cleveland Clinic notes that tape can cause redness, irritation or an allergic reaction on the lips and skin, and that some people feel anxious or have trouble falling or staying asleep with it on.

Who should skip mouth taping

• You have, or might have, sleep apnea.
• Your nose is blocked, congested or stuffy, including during a cold, allergies or a sinus infection.
• You have a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, or any condition that affects your breathing.
• You have a heart condition.
• You've been drinking alcohol or have taken sedating medicine.
• You feel panicky or short of breath with your mouth closed.
• It's for a child. Talk to their pediatrician instead.

If you're not sure whether any of these apply to you, ask your doctor before trying it.

Signs to bring to a doctor first

According to Mayo Clinic, these are reasons to talk to a healthcare professional, especially if a partner notices them:

• Snoring loud enough to disturb your sleep or someone else's.
• Waking up gasping or choking.
• Pauses in your breathing during sleep.
• Heavy daytime sleepiness, like nodding off at work, in front of the TV or while driving.

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. But these signs deserve a proper check, not a piece of tape. If it's your partner's snoring keeping you up, the same advice applies to them. And if you share a bed on different schedules, we have tips on waking up without waking your partner too.

If you still want to try it

If your nose is clear, you've ruled out the red flags above, and you want to see whether it suits you, go slowly:

• Test your nose first. Close your mouth and breathe through your nose for several minutes while relaxed. If that's a struggle, stop here.
• Try a nasal strip first. It opens the nostrils without closing off your mouth, so it's a gentler first step.
• Practice while awake. Wear the tape for a few minutes while reading before you ever sleep in it.
• Use tape made for skin. Not household tape. Use a small piece, and make sure you can remove it easily.
• Skip it on any night your nose is stuffy or you've been drinking.
• Stop right away if you feel short of breath, panicky, or wake up struggling with it.

At most, mouth tape is one small piece of a calmer night, not a fix on its own. Our guide to building a bedtime routine for adults covers the bigger picture.

Gentler first steps for mouth breathing

• Clear the congestion. Ongoing stuffiness from allergies or other causes is worth raising with a doctor or pharmacist.
• Nasal strips. Research shows external nasal strips widen the nasal valve and lower resistance to breathing through the nose. They may help some people breathe more easily through the nose. They don't treat sleep apnea.
• Side sleeping. Cleveland Clinic lists sleeping on your side among the alternatives worth trying for snoring.

Where TAVO fits

We sell mouth tape, so we'll say this plainly: it's a gentle tape designed to help keep your lips closed overnight, and it's made to peel off easily. It doesn't treat snoring, sleep apnea or any medical condition, and it isn't right for everyone.

It's an option for people who've decided to try mouth taping and have checked the boxes above: clear nose, no known or suspected sleep apnea, no alcohol or sedating medicine that night, and no red-flag symptoms. If you're just starting out, our nasal strips are the gentler first step.