Mouth taping: what a 2025 review of the TikTok sleep trend found

Mouth taping means putting tape across the lips before sleep, so you breathe through your nose. It spread on social media as a fix for snoring, dry mouth and poor sleep, and Australians search for it 12,100 times a month.

What the review found

In 2025 researchers published a systematic review in PLoS One, searching the medical literature from 1999 to early 2024. Only 10 studies met their criteria, with 213 patients in total.

Two found statistically significant improvements in standard sleep apnoea measures, such as the number of breathing interruptions an hour or drops in blood oxygen. The others found mouth taping made no difference, and some discussed the risk of suffocation in people whose noses were blocked. Many of the studies excluded anyone with a nasal problem in the first place.

The authors described it as a potentially unsafe trend.

Yes, but

Nose breathing has real benefits, and some people with mild mouth breathing may find taping comfortable. But snoring and tiredness can be signs of sleep apnoea, which needs proper diagnosis, and taping can hide the problem rather than treat it.

When to talk to your GP

Before trying it if you snore loudly, wake gasping, have a blocked nose or allergies, or are tired despite a full night in bed. A sleep study is the way to find out what is going on.

Sources

1. Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping: a systematic review, PLoS One, 2025

Checked 3 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us via the about page.

General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP first, especially if you are pregnant, have a heart condition or take medication.