Social media has given us some crazy ideas in recent years. From ridiculous challenges to dangerous medical misinformation, there’s a new trend every week, and some of them are downright bad. Take for example the newest trend: mouth taping.
Some of us remember having our mouth taped as a punishment as a child, but this practice has gone viral so to speak, for its purported sleep improvement benefits.
Social media users are now taping their mouths closed as a way to quit snoring and alleviate the problem of dry mouth, but this is a terrible idea. Here’s why.
Dry Mouth
Do you want to alleviate dry mouth caused by sleeping with your mouth open? Taping your mouth closed at night certainly can solve that problem, but honestly, why would you want it to. It’s uncomfortable, irritating, and it could hamper your breathing. If you do suffer from dry mouth, keep a bottle of water by your bedside, and speak to Dr. Abelar about adding a moisturizing mouth wash to your oral health routine.
Snoring
Do you snore? While studies on mouth taping for snoring were inconclusive, this is another bad idea. That’s because again, it can make it difficult to breathe, especially if you suffer from sinus issues.
Oral Hygiene
Taping your mouth shut can have dangerous side effects on your oral health and could possibly cause some pretty bad breath in the process!
Sleep Apnea
Do not- we repeat do not- use tape to treat your sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is not caused by mouth-breathing, it is caused by an obstruction to the airway. While you may not snore as much with a taped mouth, gasping for air is a characteristic of sleep apnea that would be made difficult with a taped mouth, and could be extremely dangerous. Instead, speak to Dr. Abelar about custom crafting a sleep orthotic for you which can help prop your airway open, allowing you to breathe properly as you sleep.
Sleep orthotics are the safe, comfortable alternative to sleep apnea treatments like CPAP therapy. To learn more about how a sleep orthotic can work for you, please contact Dr. Abelar’s office in San Deigo to schedule a consultation today.
