Quick answer: Yes. In controlled studies at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, strangers rated the same people as less attractive, less healthy and more tired after sleep loss, and said they were less keen to socialize with them. The fix isn't a new serum. It's more and better sleep: a consistent schedule, a dark, cool room, and breathing comfortably through your nose. Mouth tape can be one part of that routine for healthy adults who breathe easily through their nose. Skip it if you have a stuffy or blocked nose, a respiratory illness, a risk of vomiting, or if you've been drinking heavily or taking sedatives — and talk to a doctor first if you snore loudly or think you might have a sleep disorder. It isn't for kids.
By Jenna Castillo · Last updated: November 2, 2026
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional before you start mouth taping, especially if you snore loudly or have any condition that affects your breathing.
Let me tell you about the most expensive mistake I used to make every single week.
I'd sleep five hours, wake up looking like a phone screenshot of myself, and then try to buy my face back. Concealer. Eye patches. A "brightening" something. A ring light for the 9 a.m. call. I spent real money to fake what eight hours would have given me for free.
Here's the part nobody wants to hear: you can't contour your way out of a sleep debt. And this isn't vibes. Researchers have actually measured it.
Does lack of sleep really change how you look?
Yes, and the evidence is surprisingly direct.
In 2010, a team at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm published a study in the BMJ with the most honest title in science: "Beauty sleep." They photographed 23 healthy adults twice: once after a normal eight hours, and once after a short night followed by 31 hours awake. Then 65 untrained observers rated the photos without knowing which was which.
The sleep-deprived versions were rated less healthy, more tired and less attractive. Same faces, same lighting, same people. The only variable was sleep. (Axelsson et al., 2010)
Fair warning, because I'm not going to oversell a study: the attractiveness difference was small on their scale. But it was consistent, and nobody in that experiment was trying to look worse. They just didn't sleep.
What exactly does a tired face look like?
You already know. You've seen it in your own camera roll.
A follow-up study from the same group asked observers to rate specific features. After sleep deprivation, faces were seen as having more hanging eyelids, redder and more swollen eyes, darker under-eye circles, paler skin, more fine lines, and droopier corners of the mouth. They also looked sadder. (Sundelin et al., 2013)
Read that list again. Droopy eyelids. Dark circles. Downturned mouth. That's not a "bad skin day." That's literally the checklist of things you're paying to cover up in the morning.
The thing you're concealing was often the night you skipped.
Does it only matter if you pull an all-nighter?
No. And this is the study that should actually land, because it looks like normal life.
In 2017, researchers restricted people's sleep for just two nights (on average about three and a half hours less per night than their normal-sleep condition) and photographed them again. Then 122 raters looked at the photos.
The sleep-restricted versions were seen as less attractive, less healthy and sleepier. The kicker: raters were also less inclined to want to socialize with them. (Sundelin et al., 2017)
Two nights. That's a deadline on Thursday and a wedding on Saturday. That's a newborn, a new job, or a new show you "just started."
Interestingly, sleep loss didn't change how trustworthy people seemed. So you won't look shady. You'll just look like someone others would rather not chat with. Which, if you're in sales, dating, or interviewing, is basically the same problem.
Why bad sleep wrecks your confidence, not just your face
Here's where it gets personal, and where I'll speak only for myself.
When I was sleeping badly, I didn't just look tired. I acted tired. I skipped the networking event. I turned my camera off. I re-wrote the same email four times because I didn't trust my own brain. Then I'd look in the mirror, see the dark circles, and feel worse. Which made me sleep worse. You see the loop.
The studies above are about how other people see you. But think about what that does to you. If people are subtly less drawn to you, you feel it. You read it as "something's wrong with me," when really, something's wrong with your Tuesday night.
You might not have a confidence problem. You might have a sleep problem wearing a confidence costume.
How do I actually sleep better? (The unsexy basics first)
Before anyone sells you anything (including me), do the free stuff. It's boring. It helps.
- Same wake-up time, every day. Yes, weekends. Your body doesn't know it's Saturday.
- Make the room dark, cool and quiet. If you can read a text by the light of your charger, it's too bright.
- Phone out of arm's reach. You don't need willpower if the phone is across the room.
- Watch the late caffeine and alcohol. That "nightcap that helps you sleep" helps you pass out. Different thing.
- Notice how you breathe at night. Which brings me to the next part.
Does mouth breathing at night affect how you sleep?
Your nose is built for breathing. Your mouth is the backup.
Cleveland Clinic notes that nasal breathing filters out allergens and warms and humidifies the air you breathe, and that it can help with dry mouth. Breathing through your mouth all night skips all of that. (Cleveland Clinic)
If you wake up with a mouth like a dry sponge, a sore throat, or a water glass you emptied at 3 a.m., that's a hint you might be breathing through your mouth.
Your nose has a filter. Your mouth doesn't. Of course one of them is the better default.
Important: if you mouth breathe because your nose is blocked (allergies, a deviated septum, chronic congestion), that's a reason to see a doctor, not a reason to tape. And loud snoring, gasping, or waking up exhausted no matter how long you slept can be signs of a sleep disorder that needs a real evaluation — not a product.
Where mouth tape fits (and where it doesn't)
This is where I tell you what I use, and what I'm not going to promise you.
Mouth tape is a small piece of skin-safe tape that gently holds your lips together at night so you're nudged toward nasal breathing. For me, it became part of my wind-down — the night routine behind the snatched look I kept seeing on my feed, minus the overpromising. Lights off, phone across the room, tape on. It's a signal to my brain that the day is over. And personally, I wake up with less dry mouth and feel more like myself in the morning. I feel more confident walking into my day. That's my experience, not a proven result, and not a guarantee of yours.
Now the honest part, because you deserve it:
- The research is thin. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found the studies on mouth taping are small and low quality, and it urged caution. It's not proven safe and it's not proven effective. (Rhee et al., 2025)
- Mouth tape does not treat snoring or any sleep disorder. If you think you have one, see a doctor first.
- It won't change your jaw or your face. Better sleep may help you look rested, as the studies above suggest. Tape on its own isn't a beauty treatment.
Who shouldn't use mouth tape
Skip it, or talk to a doctor first, if you:
- Have suspected or diagnosed sleep apnea, or snore loudly, choke or gasp in your sleep
- Have a blocked or stuffy nose, allergies, a cold or any respiratory illness
- Have a risk of vomiting (nausea, reflux, illness)
- Have been drinking heavily or taking sedatives
- Are buying it for a child (don't)
If you ever feel you can't breathe comfortably, take it off. More detail: Is Mouth Taping Safe?
If you're a healthy adult who breathes easily through your nose and you want to try it, start small: wear it for a few minutes while you read in bed, then for a nap, before a full night. Our how-to guide walks you through it.
If you'd like to see what I use, that's Hibertape: a soft cactus-silk tape with a pull-tab, in a 30-night pack, in Lavender, Sandalwood and Unscented. The Lavender is my favorite part of the wind-down.
All November, use code BF25 for 25% off one-time purchase products on hibertape.com. (Subscriptions are excluded.)
The bottom line
You can spend $200 a month trying to look rested, or you can actually be rested. Science has already shown that strangers can see the difference in your face after just two short nights. So stop buying your face back every morning. Protect your sleep like it's a meeting with your most important client. It is.
FAQ
Is "beauty sleep" real?
Yes, in the sense that it's been measured. Karolinska Institutet studies found people were rated less attractive, less healthy and more tired after sleep deprivation or two nights of restricted sleep.
How many nights of bad sleep does it take to show on your face?
In one study, two nights of restricted sleep were enough for raters to see people as less attractive and less healthy, and to be less willing to socialize with them.
What are the signs of a sleep-deprived face?
Observers noticed droopier eyelids, red or swollen eyes, darker under-eye circles, paler skin, more fine lines and downturned corners of the mouth.
Will mouth tape make me more attractive or change my jawline?
No. There's no good evidence that mouth tape changes your appearance. Better sleep may help you look more rested, but tape is only one optional part of a sleep routine.
Is mouth taping safe?
It hasn't been proven safe or effective, and research is limited. Don't use it if you have a blocked nose, a respiratory illness or a risk of vomiting, if you've been drinking heavily or taking sedatives, or for children. Ask a doctor if you snore loudly or aren't sure.
Does mouth tape stop snoring?
There isn't enough evidence to say it does, and loud snoring can be a sign of a sleep disorder. Get snoring checked by a doctor rather than taping over it.
Sources
- Axelsson J, Sundelin T, Ingre M, Van Someren EJ, Olsson A, Lekander M. Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people. BMJ. 2010;341:c6614. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21156746/ (full text: https://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6614)
- Sundelin T, Lekander M, Kecklund G, Van Someren EJ, Olsson A, Axelsson J. Cues of fatigue: effects of sleep deprivation on facial appearance. Sleep. 2013;36(9):1355–1360. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23997369/
- Sundelin T, Lekander M, Sorjonen K, Axelsson J. Negative effects of restricted sleep on facial appearance and social appeal. R Soc Open Sci. 2017;4(5):160918. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28572989/
- Rhee J, et al. Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping…: A systematic review. PLOS One. 2025;20(5):e0323643. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0323643
- Cleveland Clinic. Is Mouth Tape Safe To Use While Sleeping? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mouth-taping
