Beware this popular sleep trend — it can ‘seriously’ harm your health

Dr. Brian Rotenberg isn’t keeping his lips sealed about this trendy bedtime hack. 

“The general concept of mouth taping, from a scientific and biological perspective, doesn’t make a lot of sense,” the Canadian ear, nose and throat surgeon told The Post. 

Rotenberg recently dug into the science behind the TikTok-famous fad — and let’s just say the results weren’t exactly dreamy. Most research showed little to no real benefit, and a few studies even raised red flags about the potential for “serious health harm.”

What is mouth taping?

It’s a viral trend where people tape their lips shut before bed to encourage breathing from the nose instead of the mouth while they sleep.

Supporters claim it offers a range of benefits, including better sleep, reduced snoring, fresher morning breath, improved oral health and even a more defined jawline. 

Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Graham and Jimmy Fallon are a few of the celebrities who have hopped on the mouth-taping train. And health and wellness influencers like Cory Rodriguez and James Jun have racked up millions of views touting the tactic.

“I’ve been doing this now for a couple months after seeing this and it is life-changing. Best sleep of my life,” commented one social media user. 

“Sleep SO much better, lessened snoring, no dry mouth,” chimed in another. 

But not everyone’s sold on the idea. Skeptics have raised concerns about potential risks, commenting things like, “I would suffocate” or “I’d probably die halfway through the night.”

They might not be totally off base — at least in some cases.

When mouth taping becomes a nightmare

Snoring is often linked to obstructive sleep apnea, which affects around 30 million Americans. It causes the upper airways to collapse or narrow, interrupting breathing at night.

In a deep dive of 10 studies involving 213 patients, Rotenberg and his colleagues found that only two studies demonstrated that mouth taping might slightly help those with mild sleep apnea. 

The other eight showed no real benefit for mouth breathing, sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea. 

Even worse, four of the studies raised a serious red flag: the potential for asphyxiation — especially for those whose mouth breathing is caused by nasal blockages.

Here’s why: Sleep apnea causes the upper airways to collapse, forcing many to breathe through their mouths at night. But if your nose is blocked and you tape your mouth shut, “there’s nothing left to breathe through at that point,” Rotenberg warned. “That’s where the risk comes in.”

Rotenberg doesn’t believe mouth taping would be fatal if you have blocked nasal passages, since your body would likely wake you up before things went too far.

However, he’s had patients who’ve struggled with mouth taping, and for some, it actually made their sleep apnea worse.

“You can imagine if the trend was to continue and you don’t take the mouth tape off — at that point there would be a very real risk of something terrible happening,” said Rotenberg, a professor at Western University in Ontario.

Hay fever, chronic rhinitis, a deviated septum, sinonasal disease or enlarged tonsils are among the conditions that could make mouth taping downright dangerous by blocking airflow through the nose.

“These conditions will not be treated by mouth taping because they’re mechanical things in your airway,” Rotenberg said. 

“The better thing to do is to go to your qualified healthcare professional, your family doctor, your nurse practitioner and ask them to actually investigate what’s going on,” he added. “Don’t take the advice of a social media influencer or celebrities you might like.”

Real solutions for better sleep

If you’re looking to ditch the snoring or tame sleep-disordered breathing, Rotenberg suggests several strategies.

First up: if you’re carrying extra weight, shedding some pounds could help. He also recommends cutting back on alcohol and avoiding heavy meals before bed.

For those who need more help, there are devices like CPAP or APAP, which deliver air directly into your lungs to keep your airways open and your breathing smooth at night.

Oral appliances — think of them as mouthguards — can sometimes help by repositioning your jaw or tongue to keep your airways clear and reduce sleep apnea symptoms.

And if you’re really in a pinch, there’s always surgery, which Rotenberg says is safe, effective and can offer long-term success.

“People might say, ‘Wait a second, surgery or mouth taping? Why wouldn’t I just tape my mouth?’ Because it’s not going to treat your apnea — and it might make it worse,” Rotenberg said.

That said, he does agree there are real benefits to breathing through your nose, like warming the air before it hits your lungs, reducing irritation and filtering out dust, allergens and other airborne particles.

“I do think nasal breathing is a good goal, and if influencers or celebrities think that’s the case, more power to them,” he said. “Where we differ is how to achieve that goal.”

Looking ahead, Rotenberg hopes to launch an international study to see if mouth taping might help the right group of patients — like those who don’t have sleep apnea or nasal blockages.

“That would be a difficult trial to organize, but that’d be aspirational,” he said.