Mouth taping for sleep apnoea risks asphyxiation: review

There is little evidence to support the celebrity-driven practice, authors find.

A social media trend of night-time mouth taping could be dangerous for those with sleep apnoea, a review shows.  

Taping the mouth shut while sleeping is being promoted by celebrities as a way to encourage nose breathing to improve sleep apnoea, sleep quality, concentration and even bad breath. 

However, a review of 10 studies and 233 patients found little evidence to support the claims — instead highlighting a risk of asphyxiation.

Just two studies showed an improvement in those with mild obstructive sleep apnoea, wrote the authors, from the London Health Sciences Center in Ontario and the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine.