Mouth Taping & Nasal Breathing: What the Research Says (and What It Doesn't)

Mouth Taping & Nasal Breathing: What the Research Says (and What It Doesn't)

Last updated: October 27, 2026. This page is for general information and isn't medical advice.

The short version: Your nose is built for breathing. It warms, humidifies and filters air, and it's where your body adds a little nitric oxide to each breath. Mouth tape is a simple way to keep your lips closed at night so you breathe through your nose. A handful of small studies on mouth taping exist, and the results are mixed. It isn't a treatment for snoring, sleep apnea or any other condition, and it isn't safe for everyone. If you can breathe comfortably through your nose and just want to stop sleeping with your mouth open, it may be worth a try.

What we know about nasal breathing

1. Your nose conditions the air you breathe.

The nasal passages warm and humidify incoming air and help trap particles before they reach your lungs. Researchers describe this "air-conditioning" and particle defense as the nose's main jobs.

Source: Elad D, Wolf M, Keck T. Air-conditioning in the human nasal cavity. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2008;163(1-3):121-127. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18565805/

2. Nose breathing brings sinus-made nitric oxide into your airways.

Your sinuses produce nitric oxide (NO), and you inhale some of it when you breathe through your nose. In a small 1996 study, 6 of 8 healthy volunteers had about 10% higher oxygen levels measured through the skin while nose breathing than while mouth breathing.

Sources: Lundberg JO et al. High nitric oxide production in human paranasal sinuses. Nat Med. 1995;1(4):370-373. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7585069/. Lundberg JO et al. Inhalation of nasally derived nitric oxide modulates pulmonary function in humans. Acta Physiol Scand. 1996;158(4):343-347. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8971255/

(These are small physiology studies about nose breathing in general. They don't test mouth tape.)

3. During sleep, your upper airway works more easily through the nose.

In a randomized crossover study of 12 healthy adults, upper-airway resistance during sleep was much higher when they breathed through their mouths than through their noses.

Source: Fitzpatrick MF et al. Effect of nasal or oral breathing route on upper airway resistance during sleep. Eur Respir J. 2003;22(5):827-832. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14621092/

4. Mouth breathing during sleep changes conditions inside your mouth.

In a small study of 10 healthy adults, sleeping with forced mouth breathing (using a nose clip) made the mouth more acidic than normal sleep. The researchers note that lower mouth pH has been proposed as a factor in tooth erosion and decay.

Source: Choi JE et al. Intraoral pH and temperature during sleep with and without mouth breathing. J Oral Rehabil. 2016;43(5):356-363. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26666708/

What we know about mouth taping specifically

Research on mouth tape itself is limited, small and mostly short-term. Here's what's been published:

  • A 2025 systematic review in PLOS ONE found only 10 studies (213 patients total). Two showed improvements in sleep-apnea measures; the others showed no difference, and some raised safety concerns, including the risk of suffocation if the nose is blocked. The authors concluded there is "a potentially serious risk of harm for individuals indiscriminately practicing this trend."
    Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, Graham ME, Rotenberg B. PLOS ONE. 2025;20(5):e0323643. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323643
  • A 2022 study in Healthcare followed 20 habitual mouth-breathers with mild sleep apnea who wore tape for one week. Their snoring index and apnea index dropped by about half on average, and 13 of 20 were "responders." There was no control group, it was small and short, and it was done under medical supervision with people who'd been screened.
    Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY. The impact of mouth-taping in mouth-breathers with mild obstructive sleep apnea: a preliminary study. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(9):1755. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9498537/
  • A 2015 pilot study of 30 people with mild sleep apnea who mouth-breathed, using a porous oral patch, reported less snoring and lower apnea scores. It was also small and uncontrolled.
    Huang TW, Young TH. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;152(2):369-373. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25450408/
  • A 2025 randomized crossover trial in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that, among 62 CPAP users who mouth-breathed, adding mouth tape (on doctors' advice) increased CPAP use and reduced mouth and throat dryness. Some adverse effects were reported. This was about CPAP users under medical care, not about tape on its own.
    Meksukree A et al. The role of mouth tape for CPAP use in patients with mouth breathing and OSA. J Clin Sleep Med. 2025;21(12):2063-2071. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40963295/
  • Closing the mouth isn't helpful for everyone. In a 2024 study of people with sleep apnea, closing the mouth improved airflow on average, but worsened it in those who breathe mostly through their mouth because of a blockage further back in the airway.
    Yang H et al. Mouth closure and airflow in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a nonrandomized clinical trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;150(11):1012-1019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12316187/
  • Mouth tape isn't an asthma treatment. A randomized trial of 51 people with asthma found nightly mouth taping had no effect on asthma control.
    Cooper S, Oborne J, Harrison T, Tattersfield A. Effect of mouth taping at night on asthma control. Respir Med. 2009;103(6):813-819. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19285849/
  • A blocked nose matters a lot. A 2026 review and meta-analysis found that nasal obstruction was linked with clearly worse sleep-apnea measures. Its authors could find only two mouth-taping studies to review.
    Alshehri NA et al. Impact of nasal obstruction and mouth taping on sleep apnea indicators: systematic review and meta-analysis. OTO Open. 2026;10(3):e70294. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13521571/

What about jawlines? The Sleep Foundation says there is no scientific evidence that mouth taping directly improves the jawline, and we agree, so we don't claim it. (Sleep Foundation: Mouth Taping for Sleep)

About the lavender scent

Lavender is the most-studied scent in sleep and aromatherapy research. A 2014 systematic review found that most small studies of inhaled essential oils reported positive effects on sleep, but called for larger, stronger studies. In one randomized trial, college students who used a lavender inhalation patch plus good sleep habits reported better sleep quality than those using sleep habits alone. Hibertape's scent is light and is there to make bedtime feel nicer. We don't claim it treats sleep problems.

Sources: Lillehei AS, HalcΓ³n LL. A systematic review of the effect of inhaled essential oils on sleep. J Altern Complement Med. 2014;20(6):441-451. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24720812/. Lillehei AS et al. Effect of inhaled lavender and sleep hygiene on self-reported sleep issues: a randomized controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(7):430-438. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4505755/

What Hibertape is (and isn't)

  • It is: soft, stretchy, lip-shaped tape with a pull-tab, designed to gently keep your lips closed while you sleep so you breathe through your nose.
  • It isn't: a medical device, a treatment for snoring, sleep apnea, asthma or any other condition, or a substitute for medical care.

Who shouldn't use mouth tape

Don't use Hibertape if you:

  • Have a stuffy, blocked or congested nose (a cold, allergies, sinus infection, deviated septum or nasal polyps), or have trouble breathing through your nose for any reason
  • Have suspected or diagnosed sleep apnea, unless your doctor has told you it's OK. Signs include loud snoring, gasping or choking at night, pauses in breathing that someone else notices, or heavy daytime sleepiness.
  • Have asthma, COPD or another breathing or lung condition, or serious heart problems
  • Have had alcohol, sleeping pills or other sedatives
  • Feel nauseous or might vomit during the night
  • Have chapped, broken or irritated skin or lips, or a known adhesive allergy. Try a patch test first if you have sensitive skin.
  • Feel anxious or panicky with your mouth covered
  • Are a child. Mouth tape isn't for kids. (Mouth taping in children hasn't been studied.)

If you feel short of breath, dizzy, panicky or unwell, take the tape off immediately using the pull-tab.

Talk to your doctor

If you snore loudly, wake up gasping, feel exhausted during the day, or have any of the conditions above, please talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist before trying mouth tape. Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, which is treatable but needs a proper diagnosis. Cleveland Clinic's sleep experts also recommend talking to a doctor before starting mouth taping. (Cleveland Clinic: Is Mouth Tape Safe?)

For our full terms and warnings, see our Disclaimer.