snores

REMEDIES

Mouth taping

Popular online, with little evidence so far. Read this before you try it.

Best for
Mouth breathers with a clear nose and no sleep apnea
Evidence
Weak: small studies without comparison groups
Cost
Low
Risk
Real for people who can't breathe well through the nose

The idea

Mouth taping means placing a small strip of tape over the lips at night to keep the mouth closed and encourage breathing through the nose. Breathing through the mouth lets the jaw and tongue fall back and can make snoring louder; the hope is that a closed mouth keeps the airway more open.

What the studies found

In a small Taiwanese study, 20 mouth breathers with mild sleep apnea taped their mouths for a night. Their snoring index fell by about half and their breathing pauses fell too, and 13 of the 20 were counted as responders 2. In another, 30 people with mild sleep apnea who breathed through their mouths used a porous mouth patch: their partner-rated snoring fell from 7.5 to 2.4 out of 10, and the loudness of their snoring from 49 to 41 dB 3.

Both studies were small, short, without a comparison group and only included people who could breathe well through the nose. A systematic review of all the research up to 2024 found 10 studies with 213 patients, most showing no difference, and concluded that more research is needed to know whether there is any benefit 1.

Key study

A systematic review of mouth taping

  • 10 studies
  • 213 patients
  • Up to February 2024

Researchers searched for every study of mouth taping, mouth patches and similar devices in people with mouth breathing, sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnea. Only two showed significant improvements in sleep apnea measures; the others showed no difference. Many excluded people with a blocked nose, and some discussed the risk of suffocation when the nose is obstructed.

Rhee et al. · PLoS One · 2025 Source 1

If you decide to try it

More safely

  1. Check that you can breathe easily through your nose for several minutes with your mouth closed.
  2. Use tape made for the purpose, which is gentle on skin and easy to pull off, and try it while awake first.
  3. Use a small strip or a vertical strip in the middle of the lips rather than sealing the whole mouth.
  4. Stop at once if it feels uncomfortable or you wake up short of breath.
  5. Test it over a week, and compare with nights without it.
Does mouth taping really work for snoring?

There is little good evidence. Two small studies found less snoring in mouth breathers with mild sleep apnea 2,3, but a review found most studies showed no difference 1.

Is mouth taping safe?

Not for everyone. It is risky if your nose is blocked, you might have sleep apnea, or you have drunk alcohol, and it should never be used on children 1.

What tape is used for mouth taping?

In the studies, people used gentle silicone or porous medical tape made for skin 2,3. Ordinary household tape is not suitable.

Is a chin strap better than mouth tape?

Neither has strong evidence. A study of chin straps in people with sleep apnea found no improvement in snoring 4. See chin straps.

Sources

  1. 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. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323643
  2. 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. doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
  3. Huang TW, Young TH. Novel porous oral patches for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mouth breathing: a pilot study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;152(2):369-373. doi.org/10.1177/0194599814559383
  4. Bhat S, Gushway-Henry N, Polos PG, et al. The efficacy of a chinstrap in treating sleep disordered breathing and snoring. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(8):887-892. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.3962

COMING SOON

Find out
how you snore.

Snores listens through the night on your iPhone and shows you in the morning how much and how loudly you snored, with clips of the loudest moments. Tag what you tried and see what goes with quieter nights. The sound stays on your iPhone.

Meet Snores
A night's summary in Snores: Good morning, a Snore Score of 25, moderate snoring, 52 minutes of snoring and almost 7 hours in bed

This page is general information, not medical advice. Snores is not a medical device and does not diagnose sleep apnea or any other condition. If you are worried about your sleep or your breathing, talk to a doctor.