Mouth Taping for Snoring: Does It Work? What the Evidence Says

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

There’s little good evidence that mouth taping stops snoring. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One looked at 10 studies covering 213 people: only 2 suggested a possible benefit, and only for people with mild sleep apnea. The authors said the studies weren’t of consistently high quality, and warned that people with sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea may be making things worse without knowing it. (PLOS One; Western University)

If you snore, the more useful first step is to find out how and when you snore — and whether it comes with pauses in breathing — before taping anything.

Key Takeaways

• Mouth taping means sealing the lips with tape at night to force nose breathing. It went viral on social media as a fix for snoring and “better sleep”.
• The 2025 review found 10 studies, 213 patients, and only 2 studies suggesting possible benefit — in mild sleep apnea. (PLOS One)
• The authors flagged a risk for people with sleep apnea, who may not know they have it. (Western University)
• If your nose is blocked, taping your mouth closed is a bad idea.
• Lower-risk steps — side sleeping, less alcohol before bed, treating congestion — have better support. (PMC; PMC)

What Is Mouth Taping?

Mouth taping is exactly what it sounds like: putting a strip of tape over your lips before sleep so you breathe through your nose. The idea is that nose breathing keeps the airway more stable and reduces the vibration that causes snoring. Some studies in the review used chin straps or other devices to keep the mouth closed instead of tape.

What the 2025 Review Found

Researchers at Western University in Canada pooled every study they could find on sealing the mouth during sleep in people who mouth-breathe, snore or have sleep apnea. (PLOS One)

• 10 studies, 213 patients in total.
• Only 2 of the 10 suggested mouth taping might help, and only for people with mild sleep apnea.
• The studies were not of consistently high quality, so the authors called for more research before recommending it.
• The authors warned that people with sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea could be unknowingly making their symptoms worse. (Western University)

In short: a trend with very little evidence behind it, and a downside for exactly the people most likely to try it — loud snorers.

Why Snorers Should Be Careful

Loud, regular snoring is one of the most common signs of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. Many people with sleep apnea don’t know they have it. Taping the mouth doesn’t fix a collapsing airway — and if your nose can’t carry enough air, it removes your backup route.

Talk to a doctor before trying mouth taping if:

• you snore loudly most nights
• someone has noticed you stop breathing, gasp or choke in your sleep
• you wake up with headaches or feel very sleepy during the day
• your nose is often blocked

A free first step is the STOP-BANG sleep apnea risk test — about a minute, no email required. It’s a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis.

What to Try Instead

The right fix depends on why you snore. These are lower-risk places to start:

• Sleep on your side. Lying on your back lets the tongue and soft palate fall back toward the throat. In about 56% of people with obstructive sleep apnea, breathing events are clearly worse on the back, and snoring follows a similar pattern. (PMC)
• Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Alcohol relaxes the upper-airway muscles and has been shown to increase the length and number of obstructive events during sleep. (PMC)
• Treat nasal congestion. A blocked nose from a cold or allergies increases airway resistance and can trigger snoring. (Sleep Foundation)
• See a doctor if there are warning signs. Sleep apnea is treatable, and a proper assessment beats guessing.

Measure Before You Change Anything

Whatever you try, you’ll want to know whether it actually made a difference. The simplest way is to record your snoring for a week or two before the change and a week or two after, then compare.

An app like Snollo detects and times snoring on your iPhone and keeps short clips you can play back — so you can see whether side-sleeping or skipping that evening drink changed anything, and bring real recordings to a doctor if needed. Audio is classified on the iPhone; only the event data and the clips you keep go to your own iCloud. For setup, see how to record snoring on iPhone, and for broader options, how to stop snoring.

Snollo doesn’t diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you snore loudly with pauses in breathing, talk to a doctor.

Sources

• Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review — Rhee J, Rotenberg B et al., PLOS One, 2025
• No evidence for viral mouth taping trend, sleep expert says — Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, 2025
• The Undervalued Potential of Positional Therapy in Position-Dependent Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea — Ravesloot MJL et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2013
• Alcohol, Snoring and Sleep Apnea — Issa FG, Sullivan CE, JNNP, 1982
• Why Do People Snore? Common Causes of Snoring — Sleep Foundation