TikTok is the perfect storm of psychological tricks, with one billion monthly active users, TikTok ranks among the top social media apps.
We love to hate on TikTok (love more than hate) for a variety of reasons, the social media app popular among Gen Z and millennials is no stranger to unorthodox hacks. However, with the most recent, doctors are unimpressed.
Mouth taping is as simple as it sounds – applying a line of tape on your mouth before going to sleep to encourage breathing out of your nose.
The hashtag mouth taping on TikTok has more than 24.7 million views as influencers share how they started the home remedy to better their sleep.
Mouth taping is a widely used as an at-home remedy for promoting nose breathing while you sleep. People who tape their mouths shut at night might be doing so to stop problems like snoring or poor breath.
Mouth taping for sleep has only been investigated in a few small scientific studies, so the majority of its alleged advantages are subjective.
TikTok wellness influencer “Move with James” posts about mouth taping regularly to his 23.9k followers, with his videos reaching millions of viewers.
He began mouth taping to help with his snoring and sore throat after waking up tired after eight hours of sleep.
“It has helped me reduce my snoring, relieve shoulder and neck tension, get better sleep, wake up without a sore throat and nose-breathe better during the day,” he says in another video.
Experts concur that nose breathing is healthier than mouth breathing since it can help filter out dust and allergens, increase your oxygen intake, and humidify the air you breathe in.
@isabelle.lux Mouth Tape Benefits #mouthtape #mouthtaping #antiaging ♬ original sound - Isabelle ⚡️ Lux
Mouth breathing, on the other hand, can dry up the mouth, raising the risk of poor breath and gum inflammation.
US-based general practitioner David Culpepper told “Fox News Digital”: “To put it quite simply, intentionally obstructing your airways during sleep is a terrible idea.”
“If your nasal cavity becomes obstructed during the night because of a cold or allergies … you could suffocate from not getting enough air.”
Medical professionals warn that the home remedy has the potential to be harmful, and will not address the underlying medical conditions that may be causing mouth breathing and snoring.
Read the latest issue of IOL Health digital magazine here.
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