Doctor warns against new sleep trend that could have dangerous consequences
Topics: Sleep, News, World News, Science, Health
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Sleep, News, World News, Science, Health
A doctor has warned against a sleeping trend that claims it can resolve a longstanding issue many people experience when it comes to sleeping.
Getting a good nights sleep is important to just about everyone, which makes sense since we spend an estimated third of our life sleeping.
However, experts have warned against this popular trend people have begun doing.
The trend has spread on social media and many have sworn by it, but doctors have insisted there isn’t the data to support the suggestions it actually works.
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The trend sees people tapping their mouths shut in hopes of stopping themselves from snoring, which can often prove to be an annoying nighttime habit.
Dr Eric Davis, the director of sleep disorders at UVA Health, spoke to 29 News about the emerging trend.
He said: “The biggest concerns about it is that it is being used without all of this diagnostic testing nor the confirmation about whether or not someone has sleep apnea.
“What that entails is taking a hypoallergenic tape and covering ones mouth to promote breathing simply through your nose during sleep.
“The short answer is that there is a heterogenous response to this intervention and a lack of data demonstrating clear benefit with little harm.
“Healthy weight loss is appropriate, that is a very effective treatment to improve snoring. Alcohol use, particularly right at bedtime, relaxes some of the muscles at the back of the throat and can worsen snoring and then snoring tends to be positional."
Davis isn’t the only doctor who has warned against the trend.
MD Luisa Bazan stated in a Henry Ford Health article that some small trials have explored the benefits of taping a mouth shut but so far results have been inconclusive.
She said: “There’s no solid evidence to support mouth taping at night.
“In fact, one study found that people still breathe through their mouths, even with the tape.”
She went on to highlight the dangers of the practice. Doing so can put a person at risk of impaired breathing, disrupted sleep and reduced oxygen levels.
She added: “If you’re breathing through your mouth while you’re sleeping, it’s because you can’t get the air you need through your nose.
“Adults breathing through their mouths may have a nasal obstruction like polyps or a deviated septum.”
So, just like most health issues, probably better to listen to an expert rather than social media.