Mouth tape reliably keeps your lips closed. Whether that improves sleep or health is unproven: a 2025 systematic review found just 10 small studies with 213 patients, two showing improvements in sleep apnoea measures and the rest no difference [1]. Popular claims about jawline, energy and teeth mostly haven't been tested.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp in your sleep, or have a breathing or sleep condition, talk to your doctor before trying mouth tape.
The short answer
Mouth tape does one thing reliably, holding your lips together, and the evidence that this improves your health is limited and mixed. The positive results come from small studies of people with mild sleep apnoea who breathe through their mouths. For everyone else, the claimed benefits are mostly untested.
Why mouth taping took off
Social media, mostly. Australian Google searches for mouth tape rose from about 8,700 a month in October 2024 to about 18,800 in October 2026, according to Ahrefs estimates. A 2025 review of 50 TikTok videos found the benefits most often claimed were better sleep and better oral health, and noted that few of the claims made on the platform have ever been tested [2].
Every study so far, in one table
The two 2025 reviews cover every study their authors could find; the table shows those reviews plus the key individual studies. AHI is the apnoea-hypopnoea index, the number of breathing pauses and shallow breaths per hour of sleep.
| Study | Who | Number | What was measured | Result | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhee et al. 2025 [1] | Systematic review of studies from 1999 to 2024 | 10 studies, 213 patients | Sleep apnoea markers, safety | 2 studies improved AHI or oxygen dips; others found no difference; asphyxiation risk with a blocked nose | Every study rated poor quality |
| Fangmeyer et al. 2025 [2] | Scoping review plus 50 TikTok videos | 9 studies (of 177 found) | Social media claims vs evidence | Some signals for sleep apnoea, snoring and mouth leak on bilevel ventilation; no benefit in asthma | Research "markedly heterogeneous" |
| Lee et al. 2022 [3] | Mouth-breathers with mild sleep apnoea | 20 | Home sleep test, before and after a week of taping with silicone skin tape | Median AHI 8.3 to 4.7; snoring index down 47% | No comparison group; one week; only people who tolerated tape |
| Huang & Young 2015 [4] | Mild sleep apnoea plus habitual mouth breathing | 30 | Overnight sleep study with a porous oral patch | Median AHI 12.0 to 7.8; snoring index 146.7 to 40.0 per hour | No comparison group; a purpose-made patch, not tape |
| Choi et al. 2016 [5] | Healthy adults wearing a nose clip to force mouth breathing | 10 | pH inside the mouth overnight | Mean pH 6.6 with mouth breathing vs 7.0 in normal sleep | Tested mouth breathing, not mouth tape |
| Cooper et al. 2009 [6] | Adults with symptomatic asthma | 51 | Four weeks of nightly taping vs usual breathing | No difference in peak flow or asthma symptoms | Asthma only |
Does mouth tape stop snoring?
The evidence is limited. Two small studies without comparison groups, both in mouth-breathers with mild sleep apnoea, reported lower snoring scores with taping or a porous patch [3][4], and one study of people without apnoea saw less snoring when taping was combined with other measures [2]. Both reviews say better-quality research is needed before drawing conclusions [1][2]. Some people also keep trying to breathe through the mouth around the tape [7]. Loud snoring can be a sign of sleep apnoea, so it's worth a GP visit [8].
Does it help sleep apnoea?
Not reliably. The two positive studies involved 20 and 30 people with mild sleep apnoea [3][4], the other studies in the 2025 review found no difference, and its authors warned of potentially serious harm when people tape without assessment [1]. The Lee study's authors did not recommend taping for moderate or severe apnoea [1], and the Sleep Foundation says mouth tape is not a treatment for sleep apnoea on its own [9]. If you might have apnoea, get assessed before trying any mouth tape.
Dry mouth, bad breath and teeth: tested or not?
Mostly not tested. The Sleep Foundation lists less dry mouth, fresher breath and fewer cavities among the anecdotal claims [9]. One small lab study found that forced mouth breathing during sleep made the mouth more acidic than nose breathing did, which has been proposed as a factor in tooth erosion and decay, but it didn't test tape [5]. Dry mouth has many other causes, including common medicines, and about 1 in 3 adults report it at some point [10]. Our guide to waking up with a dry mouth covers the causes.
Jawline and face-shape claims
There's no scientific evidence that mouth taping changes your jawline. The Sleep Foundation describes jawline claims as anecdotal at best [9], and none of the studies above measured face shape.
Nose breathing: the reasoning behind it
Your nose filters, warms and humidifies the air you breathe and your mouth doesn't, which is the logic behind taping. That's how clinical immunologist and allergist Professor Connie Katelaris explained it to the ABC, while also pointing out that someone with a fully blocked nose has no way to breathe with their mouth taped [8]. Nose breathing having advantages doesn't prove that taping improves health.
What mouth tape can do
Mouth tape can keep your lips closed overnight, and a gel-lined version can double as overnight lip care. That second job is cosmetic, not medical. Our collagen mouth tape pairs the strip with a collagen and hyaluronic acid gel for softer, plumper-looking lips by morning; collagen mouth tape explained covers what the gel can and can't do.
Before and after: what to expect realistically
Realistically, the after is lips that stayed closed, a few nights of getting used to it, and no guaranteed change in how you sleep or feel. The positive studies measured sleep tests in people with mild sleep apnoea [3][4], not how healthy sleepers felt. Before-and-after videos online have no comparison group. If you try it, note how comfortable it is, whether your skin is happy and whether you wake with it on, and see a GP about any snoring or daytime sleepiness.
FAQs
What are the benefits of mouth taping?
The claimed benefits are nose breathing, less dry mouth, quieter sleep and fresher breath, but most remain anecdotal; the limited research support is for snoring and apnoea measures in people with mild sleep apnoea [9].
Can you still snore with mouth tape on?
Yes. Snoring isn't only an open-mouth problem, and some people keep breathing through the mouth around the tape [7].
Is mouth taping safe?
Not for everyone. Skip it with a blocked nose, untreated sleep apnoea, asthma or COPD without medical advice, after heavy drinking or if you might vomit, and never use it on children [9]. Read is mouth taping safe? before you start, and see our mouth tape FAQ for more.
pretty sleepy. is a cosmetic lip-care product, not a medical device. If you snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep, or have a breathing or sleep condition, talk to your doctor before using any mouth tape.
Sources
- Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, Graham ME, Rotenberg B. 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. 2025;20(5):e0323643. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323643
- Fangmeyer SK, Badger CD, Thakkar PG. Nocturnal mouth-taping and social media: a scoping review of the evidence. American Journal of Otolaryngology. 2025;46(1):104545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2024.104545
- 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://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
- Huang TW, Young TH. Novel porous oral patches for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mouth breathing: a pilot study. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2015;152(2):369-373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599814559383
- Choi JE, Waddell JN, Lyons KM, Kieser JA. Intraoral pH and temperature during sleep with and without mouth breathing. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. 2016;43(5):356-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.12372
- Cooper S, Oborne J, Harrison T, Tattersfield A. Effect of mouth taping at night on asthma control: a randomised single-blind crossover study. Respiratory Medicine. 2009;103(6):813-819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2009.02.003
- Cleveland Clinic. Is mouth tape safe to use while sleeping? With Brian Chen, MD. 25 July 2025. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mouth-taping
- Bowring D. What is mouth taping and will it fix your bad sleep? ABC News, 21 September 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-21/mouth-taping-sleep-is-it-safe/101430200
- Sleep Foundation. Mouth taping for sleep: does it work? Medically reviewed by Anis Rehman, MD. Updated 23 March 2026. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/snoring/mouth-taping-for-sleep
- healthdirect Australia. Dry mouth syndrome. Last reviewed October 2023. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dry-mouth-syndrome