Specialist article: nasal breathing
Mouth tapingWhy a plaster doesn’t teach mouth closure
Taping your mouth shut at night so that you breathe through your nose? Here you can find out what mouth taping promises, what studies show, where the risk lies and why a plaster only creates passive mouth closure. Active mouth closure develops through the interplay of breathing, swallowing and head balance.
Does this sound familiar?
Your mouth opens at night, and a plaster is supposed to keep it shut?
What applies to you?
Tap whatever applies to you.
If several of these points apply, you are probably breathing through your mouth at least some of the time at night. The goal of breathing through your nose during sleep is the right one. What matters is how you get there: whether the mouth is held shut from the outside or closes from the inside. The second can be trained.
What studies showPassive and active mouth closureThe key points at a glance
- Mouth taping holds the mouth shut from the outside. This is passive mouth closure; the lips and tongue barely take part. In our view, the tape does nothing to change the pattern that opens the mouth at night.
- The evidence is thin. A systematic review in 2025 found only ten small studies, two of which showed measurable improvement. It names suffocation with a blocked nose as a risk.
- Active mouth closure develops from lip contact, the tongue reference position and negative pressure during nasal breathing. It is a pattern of breathing, swallowing and head balance, and patterns can be trained.
Video
Mouth taping: the path to natural mouth closure
Das Video lädt erst nach dem Klick. Dann werden Daten an YouTube (Google) übertragen.
The trend
Mouth taping: taping your mouth shut for nasal breathing
A strip of tape over the lips, and the night is supposed to become calmer. The idea has found a large audience on social media.
With mouth taping, you stick a plaster or a strip of tape over your lips before going to sleep. In shops, this is sold as mouth plasters, mouth tape or sleep tape. The mouth is meant to stay closed and the air to flow through the nose. The reasoning seems plausible: if the air takes an unfavourable route at night, that route is sealed and breathing is directed to the nose.
A research group at the University of Foggia in Italy investigated how strongly the trend spreads via social media. It analysed 390 Instagram videos with the hashtag #mouthtape and examined who had published them and what stance they took1.
of the 390 Instagram videos analysed promoted taping the mouth shut1
of these videos came from companies1
were published by medical professionals1
Supportive posts were shared considerably more often than critical ones, regardless of how well their claims were supported. This explains why so many people had heard of mouth taping long before they saw a study on it.
Nasal breathing at night
Why nasal breathing matters at night
The goal behind the tape is the right one. During sleep, the nose is the intended airway.
Healthy people with a clear nose breathe almost exclusively through the nose during sleep. A research group at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, wanted to know why. Twelve healthy adults slept once with nasal breathing and once with mouth breathing, in random order. The researchers measured upper airway resistance and the number of breathing pauses during the night2.
Upper airway resistance during sleep with mouth breathing versus nasal breathing, median, measured in centimetres of water per litre per second2
breathing pauses and reductions in airflow occurred on average when the participants breathed through the mouth2
was the figure with nasal breathing in the same study2
No such difference was found while awake. Only during sleep, when muscle tension drops, does the route the air takes become decisive. In our view, this is because when the mouth is open, the lower jaw drops and the tongue follows it backwards and downwards. The throat loses its support and becomes narrower. So nasal breathing offers a mechanical advantage during sleep.
With nasal breathing during sleep, the lower jaw tends to stay forward, the tongue against the palate, and the nose filters, warms and humidifies the air. If you follow this logic, the conclusion suggests itself that nasal breathing offers snoring and infections of the upper airways less of a target.
You often only notice night-time mouth breathing in the morning, for example from a dry mouth. You can read about what lies behind dry mouth in a separate article. If you snore loudly and others tell you that you have breathing pauses, a measurement in a sleep laboratory should come first, because it shows you where you stand.
3D film
Nasal breathing during sleep, without tape
The animation shows inhalation during sleep, lying on the back, in a side cross-section. The mouth is closed, and nothing is taped.
Lip closure
Passive and active mouth closure
A taped mouth and a mouth that closes by itself look the same from the outside. Inside, something completely different is going on.
A plaster holds the lips together from the outside. That is a passive lip closure. The lips are closed, but their muscles hardly work. With active lip closure, the mouth closes from within, controlled by the nervous system, without you having to think about it. Three conditions support it together.
Lips rest against each other
They touch lightly, without pressing. They do not have to seal against an airflow, because none flows through the mouth.
Tongue on the palate
The tip of the tongue rests at its reference point behind the upper front teeth, and the back of the tongue against the palate. This is the tongue reference position.
Slight negative pressure
With nasal breathing, slight negative pressure relative to the outside air builds up in the oral cavity. It holds the tongue and lips in position almost by itself.
These three conditions support one another. When the tongue rests against the palate, practically no air flows through the mouth, and the lips need hardly any effort. When the tongue drops, this is reversed. The seal then has to be created at the front, against the airflow and without any internal support. A calm default position turns into holding work, and holding work is the first thing to fade during sleep.
That is why we advise against mouth tape. It keeps the mouth closed from the outside, but it does not establish lip closure, tongue reference position or nasal breathing. The question of why the mouth opens at night remains unanswered.
Like a door that won’t latch
Tape holds a door shut from the outside. Training adjusts the hinge, lock and frame so that the door closes by itself. Once the pressure from outside eases, the door opens again, because nothing has changed about the hinge and frame.
Passive mouth closure (tape)
- The lips are held together from outside
- The lip muscles hardly contribute
- Tongue, swallowing and head balance remain unaffected
- Without tape, the previous pattern applies
Active mouth closure
- The lips rest lightly against each other by themselves
- Tongue, lips and negative pressure support one another
- Integrated into breathing, swallowing and head balance
- Runs as a stored pattern, even during sleep
Both approaches aim to keep the mouth closed at night. They differ in whether the closure is held or learned.
Self-test
It is not a lack of strength
An open mouth is often seen as a sign of weak lips. A short test shows why this explanation falls short.
Which of these can you do without effort?
Many people whose mouth hangs open in everyday life can whistle loudly or blow up a balloon. In doing so, the lips achieve many times what a closed mouth requires. And yet the mouth stays open. In our view, what is missing is usually not strength but a default position that the nervous system manages without conscious attention, by day as well as at night.
Mouth closure is not a question of strength. It is a default position.It arises from the interplay of lips, tongue and nasal breathing, and the nervous system maintains it around the clock, even during sleep.
This is the core of our criticism of mouth taping. Tape requires no muscle work. The nervous system registers a closed mouth, but without the activity of the tongue and lips that belongs with it. In our view, what is not used is not learned either. That is why the previous pattern applies again once you remove the tape.
The mouth opens during sleep
Muscle tension drops, the tongue lies low, and the seal at the front gives way.
The tape holds it shut
The lips stay closed because they are held from outside, not because they close by themselves.
The muscles are given no task
The tongue and lips do not contribute. The negative pressure in the oral cavity does not arise from their own work.
The pattern stays as it was
The nervous system did not have to do anything new and therefore has not stored anything new.
Without tape, the mouth can open again
In our view, on the first night without tape the previous sequence simply continues.
Research
Mouth taping: What studies show
Despite the great deal of attention it receives, there are so far only a few, mostly small studies on taping the mouth shut.
In 2025, a working group at the ENT department in London, Ontario, Canada, systematically compiled the studies on night-time mouth taping for mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnoea published between 1999 and 2024. Of 86 papers screened, ten met the inclusion criteria3. A second review from Washington arrived at a similar picture.
with a total of 213 participants formed the entire data basis of the Canadian review3
studies found a measurable improvement in breathing pauses or drops in oxygen saturation; the rest found no difference3
papers met the inclusion criteria in the Washington review. The authors describe the evidence as clearly inconsistent4
In fairness, here is what speaks for the tape. A small study from Taiwan taped the mouths of 20 mouth-breathing people with mild sleep apnoea shut at night. Breathing pauses fell from a median of 8.3 to 4.7 per hour. However, only those who tolerated the taping were included, and measurements were only taken with tape6.
Many studies excluded people with a blocked nose from the outset3. The results therefore say little for anyone whose nose closes up at night. In addition, the studies describe what happens on nights with tape. Whether the pattern has changed, meaning the mouth stays closed even without tape, remains unanswered.
The studies ask what happens with tape. What matters is what happens without tape.A result that only lasts as long as the tape sticks has not changed the pattern.
Safety
When your nose gets blocked
A taped mouth leaves the air only one way. As long as your nose is clear, you won’t notice.
During sleep, the mouth is also an alternative route. If the nasal mucosa swells, for example with a cold or an allergy, the mouth takes over without you waking up. With tape, this way out is gone. The Canadian review therefore names suffocation with a blocked nose as a possible risk and sees a serious risk of harm for anyone who imitates the trend uncritically3.
more breathing pauses on average when the nose was obstructed in studies, experimentally or after nasal surgery5
more drops in oxygen saturation in the same analysis5
These figures come from a 2026 meta-analysis by King Saud University in Riyadh. In the authors’ assessment, a blocked nose can trigger apnoea-like findings even in previously healthy people. On mouth taping, they found only two studies, too few for a separate analysis5. For us, this means that a clear nose is the prerequisite, not a taped mouth.
We do not recommend taping your mouth shut at night, especially not with a stuffy nose, a cold, an allergy, nausea or reflux. If you use a CPAP mask, a splint or a nasal spray on medical advice, do not stop using it on your own initiative, and discuss any changes with your practice.
The triad
Mouth closure at night starts during the day
During sleep, what runs is whatever the nervous system has stored. That is why nasal breathing at night begins with the basic functions.
Breathing
The nose warms, humidifies and cleans the air. If it is clear and the oral cavity is sealed, the air takes this route by itself. If the nose is used little, its tissue tension decreases in our view, and it feels narrower.
Swallowing
With each swallow, the tongue rests against the palate and renews the negative pressure in the oral cavity. This happens several hundred to a thousand times a day. In this way, mouth closure is repeated continuously without you thinking about it.
Head balance
When the head is balanced over the body, the lower jaw hangs relaxed and the throat stays open. If the head moves forward, in our view the mouth opens more easily.
If the mouth is open at night, in our view the cause usually lies in this interplay and not in lips that are too weak. Whatever is not integrated into a function is not used and loses tension. Whatever is used in everyday life retains it. This triadic functional circuit of breathing, swallowing and head balance stands at the start of many causal chains that can extend to mouth breathing at night, snoring or a dry mouth in the morning.
Training
Active mouth closure, trained
Making up your mind to keep your mouth closed works for a while during the day. In sleep, there is no intention. What runs there is whatever is stored as a pattern, and patterns change through repetition. Our approach is therefore to train the basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance. This creates the conditions for the mouth to close from the inside instead of being held shut from the outside.
In FaceFormer training, the FaceFormer sits in the oral vestibule, behind the lips and in front of the teeth. The tip of your tongue rests on the small ridge behind your upper front teeth, you breathe through your nose, and your head is balanced upright.
In the basic exercise, you press the lip wedge together with your lips, bite down briefly with your back teeth and swallow once. The negative pressure draws the tongue to the palate, and the oral cavity is sealed.
At night you wear the FaceFormer ZERO, every night from around the third week. You are not practising while you do so. Your lips hold it themselves; nothing is taped. If your mouth opens during sleep, nothing holds it shut, and the FaceFormer slips out.
Finding it next to your pillow in the morning is common at first. During sleep, old patterns such as mouth breathing still prevail. Keep inserting it every evening and check beforehand that your nose is clear. More on this under night-time use.
- From day 1
Basic exercise
A few minutes three times a day with the FaceFormer ZERO; you increase the repetitions week by week.
- Weeks 1 to 2
At night if you like
If you like, you can already wear the ZERO at night. It is not yet necessary at this stage.
- From around week 3
Pull exercise and every night
The pull exercise is added, and the ZERO accompanies you every night as soon as nasal breathing comes more easily to you.
- After a few weeks
Switching to the ONE
During the day you train with the FaceFormer ONE. It is the same size and shape as the ZERO, only made of firmer material. At night you stay with the ZERO.
- From around week 6
Breathing exercise
The breathing exercise combines the training with calm nasal breathing and breathing pauses that get longer over time.
- Over months
The pattern runs by itself
The exercise manual allows six to twelve months until the new sequences run without thinking.
The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, and you can find all modules on the exercise pages. If your nose has been blocked for a long time, have this checked by a doctor before night-time use. Children have their own exercise plan; more under FaceFormer for children.
Everyday life
Nasal breathing at night: what you can do yourself
Lips closed, tongue up
Your lips rest loosely together, with the tip of your tongue at the reference point. Check this several times a day, for example when you unlock your phone.
Check your nose before sleeping
Briefly close one nostril at a time. If one side feels narrower, this is often the nasal cycle. If both sides are blocked over a long period, have this checked.
No tape as a shortcut
A taped mouth takes over exactly the task that your lips and tongue are meant to learn. If your nose is blocked, it also takes away your alternative airway.
Head balance at the screen
Set up your screen and seat so that your head balances over your body and does not drift forward. What you practise during the day, you take with you into the night.
Take an honest look in the morning
A dry mouth, dry lips or a comment about snoring show you whether you are still breathing through your mouth at night. That is feedback, not failure.
Do not stop prescribed treatment on your own
If you use a CPAP mask, a splint or nasal spray on medical advice, discuss any changes with your practice. Daytime training can be combined with these.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is mouth taping?
With mouth taping, the mouth is taped shut with a plaster or a strip of tape before sleep so that breathing happens through the nose at night. In shops, these strips are sold as mouth plasters, mouth tape or sleep tape. The trend became known mainly through social media, where supportive posts clearly predominate.
Is it dangerous to tape your mouth shut at night?
If your nose is clear, it often goes unnoticed. If your nose becomes blocked during sleep, for example due to a cold or an allergy, a taped mouth leaves you without an alternative airway. A systematic review from 2025 therefore lists suffocation with a blocked nose as a possible risk. We do not recommend mouth taping.
Does mouth taping help with snoring?
A few small studies report fewer breathing pauses or less snoring in mild sleep apnoea; others found no difference. The evidence is thin and inconsistent. In our view, tape does not change the pattern that opens the mouth at night. If you snore loudly and others have noticed breathing pauses, a sleep laboratory assessment is the right starting point.
How can you breathe through your nose at night without tape?
By making mouth closure a stored pattern. In FaceFormer training, you practise lip closure, the tongue reference position, swallowing and nasal breathing during the day in one sequence. At night, you wear the FaceFormer ZERO, which your lips hold themselves. The exercise manual allows months for the changeover.
Why do I wake up with a dry mouth in the morning?
Night-time mouth breathing is often involved, because breathing air then passes over the lining of the mouth for many hours. However, there are other causes too, such as medication. You can find out more in the article on dry mouth.
Can I combine mouth tape and the FaceFormer?
We do not recommend it. Your lips hold the FaceFormer themselves, and that is exactly part of the training. Tape over it would take this work away again and seal your mouth if your nose is blocked.
Is mouth taping suitable for children?
We do not recommend taping children’s mouths shut. If a child’s mouth is often open, it is worth looking at breathing, swallowing and head balance. There is a separate exercise plan for children with the FaceFormer ZERO.
Can I simply stop using my mouth tape?
If you started using it on your own, you can stop at any time. If it was recommended to you as part of a ventilation therapy, for example to prevent air leaking through the mouth with a CPAP mask, discuss any change with your treating practice.
More articles from the knowledge section
Where to go next
Sources
- Bizzoca ME, Durante C, Santos FJV, Musella G, Lo Muzio L, Trecca E, Lucchese A, Caponio VCA (2026). The Spread of Non-Evidence-Based Health Claims on Social Media: The Case of #Mouthtape on Instagram, a Cross-Sectional Study. Dentistry Journal 14(7):418. PMID 42505726. Source
- Fitzpatrick MF, McLean H, Urton AM, Tan A, O’Donnell D, Driver HS (2003). Effect of nasal or oral breathing route on upper airway resistance during sleep. European Respiratory Journal 22(5):827-832. PMID 14621092. Source
- Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, Graham ME, Rotenberg B (2025). Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review. PLoS One 20(5):e0323643. PMID 40397877. Source
- Fangmeyer SK, Badger CD, Thakkar PG (2025). Nocturnal mouth-taping and social media: A scoping review of the evidence. American Journal of Otolaryngology 46(1):104545. PMID 39662104. Source
- Alshehri NA, Alsaif NF, Abdulrazaq AN, Jabor RM, Al-Sayed AA (2026). Impact of Nasal Obstruction and Mouth Taping on Sleep Apnea Indicators: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. OTO Open 10(3):e70294. PMID 42662994. Source
- Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY (2022). The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare 10(9):1755. PMID 36141367. Source
Get started
Ready for the training?
The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, counts along and reminds you of your sessions. If you wish, a practice from the practitioner directory can support you.
FaceFormer ZERO + ONE
Both material hardnesses for getting started, day and night. The set for adults.
FaceFormer ZERO
The softer FaceFormer for getting started, for children and for the night.
FaceFormer ZERO Children’s Set
ZERO with hygiene box, plush bag and success book with stamp.
FaceFormer training aims to restore the physiological setting of the basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance, with lip closure and the tongue reference position, thereby creating the conditions under which symptoms can improve. It does not replace a medical assessment. You can find practitioners near you in the practitioner directory.
