Recently on Korean television shows, there have been more and more celebrities who are seen wearing tape over their mouth when they sleep. This is due to videos recommending the use of mouth tapes going viral on social media in the United States. However, it has been advised that individuals who have obstructive sleep apnea should not use the mouth tape when sleeping because it can be dangerous.
According to CNN on October 26, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a clinical medicine professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, warned that mouth tape can be very dangerous if a person has obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in which the individual suddenly stops breathing during their sleep. He explained, “There is limited evidence for the benefit of mouth taping during sleep,” and advised that you seek advice from a professional doctor.
Nevertheless, there have been more and more videos circulating on social media showing mouth tape, but none of them have mentioned the dangers of mouth taping. CNN noted that videos on platforms such as Tik Tok mentions the benefits of mouth tape but fail to mention the risks. One Tik Toker did not even remember the reason they started using mouth tape and explained, “To be honest, I don’t know. I saw it on Tik Tok and I can’t remember why (it is good). But it helps me sleep.”
In the same way, there have been a handful of Korean entertainment programs that introduced mouth-taping. Most of the content show celebrities sharing that their sleep improved after they started taping their mouth.
In fact, the mouth tape can stimulate nerves and help the individual close their mouth to breathe through their nose. Nose breaking during sleep is important because the nose purifies the air and regulates humidity. On the other hand, breathing from the mouth can cause the throat to dry and cause pain. Additionally, there is a risk of damaging the respiratory tract when breathing through the mouth and decreases the quality of sleep.
The problem is that mouth tape can be dangerous if you have sleep apnea. According to Kosleep Sleep Clinic, people at times open their mouths to breathe during sleep if they are short of breath. It is important, especially for individuals with sleep apnea, to be able to breathe through their mouths during those times. That is why it is important to check if you have sleep apnea before using the tape.
Dr. Raj Dasgupta advised, “If you decide to try mouth taping, do not tape your entire mouth horizontally like how criminals tape mouths but just tape the mouth slightly vertically.”
