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Topics: News, Health, World News, Sleep
Kit Roberts
Experts have warned people against trying a popular sleep trend, which not only might not work, but could be dangerous too.
Trouble sleeping is a health problem probably as old as humanity itself - whether it's too much scrolling before bed keeping you awake, or worrying whether sabre-tooth cats are going to eat you and your prehistoric tribe alive during the night.
But experts are warning that a new trend to help people could do more harm than good, even to the point that it poses a danger.
One big thing that people complain about when it comes to getting a good night's kip is a partner who snores. There are a lot of ways to help mitigate this problem, and I'm not talking about banishing the offender to the sofa.
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This is called 'mouth taping', and it's exactly what it sounds like - taping your mouth shut so you breathe through your nose while you're asleep.
While the method has gone viral online, including on TikTok, it doesn't take a genius to see how taping your mouth shut could pose a danger to someone who's asleep.
The idea is that breathing through your nose is better than your mouth when asleep, and taping your mouth shut forces you to breathe through your nose.
Paediatric sleep specialist Brian Chen, MD, explained in a blog post for Cleveland Clinic that you should not use this technique if you have things like a heart condition, chronic allergies, any nasal congestion or obstruction, enlarged tonsils, or a deviated septum.
Dr. Chen advised: “For individuals already struggling with conditions like nasal obstruction or chronic allergies, mouth taping introduces an unacceptable level of risk.
“Having your mouth taped closed forces you to rely on only your nose for air, potentially leading to severe respiratory distress, significant drops in oxygen levels and exacerbation of underlying health issues during sleep.”
Another issue is that there isn't sufficient evidence that taping up your mouth even helps with snoring.
“Most of the evidence is anecdotal,” Dr. Chen said.
He added: “There’s not strong enough evidence to support that mouth tape is beneficial, and it’s not part of our current practice to treat any sleep disorder.
“Mouth taping could also cause an allergic reaction from the tape or a skin irritation or rash, so you should always talk to a doctor before starting this practice.”