Struggling with snoring or waking up with a dry mouth? Mouth breathing might just be behind these frustrating symptoms!
What’s more, mouth breathing during sleep can lead to restless nights, poor sleep quality, and even contribute to health issues like obstructive sleep apnea.
The good news? There are several innovative devices such as mouth tape, designed to help keep your mouth closed while you sleep, improving your sleep quality and overall health.
In this guide, we'll explore the best devices available to stop mouth breathing, reduce snoring, and ensure you wake up feeling refreshed and breathing through your nose!
Types of Devices To Keep Your Mouth Closed
There are various devices available that aim to stop mouth breathing and keep your mouth closed while you sleep.
Each one works differently and some may be more effective than others, but their goal remains the same: to help improve sleep quality and reduce snoring. Let’s take a look!
1. Mouth Tape
Mouth taping is the most effective method for keeping your mouth shut while sleeping. By taping your mouth closed, this prevents mouth breathing and helps to train your body to breathe through your nose.
This can reduce or eliminate snoring, prevent dry mouth, improve relaxation and sleep quality, and even support oral health by promoting healthy saliva production. Learn more here about the benefits of mouth taping for sleep. (1) (2) (3) (4)
Mouth tape is super easy to use and non-invasive. For the most comfortable mouth taping experience, it’s essential to choose a high-quality mouth tape like Dream Recovery, which is made from luxuriously soft organic bamboo silk, and a specialized hypoallergenic adhesive that is gentle on the skin and easy to remove.
Learn more about why Dream Recovery is the best mouth tape for sleeping and other top brands for mouth taping.
Try Dream Recovery Mouth Tape Now
2. Chin Straps
Chin straps are another solution for keeping your mouth closed during sleep. These straps wrap around the top of your head and under your chin to gently hold your jaw in place, preventing your mouth from opening.
Like mouth tape, chin straps can be especially useful for CPAP users or those who snore due to mouth breathing.
One of the pros of chin straps is that they are reusable and pretty easy to adjust. On the downside, some people may find them uncomfortable or too restrictive, especially if they move a lot during sleep.
For more information on choosing between chin straps and mouth tape, explore this article: Chin Strap vs Mouth Tape.
3. Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs)
Mandibular advancement devices are oral appliances designed to treat snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. They’re also sometimes simply called “mouth guards”
These mouth guard devices work by positioning your lower jaw forward, keeping your airway more open, and preventing your mouth from fully opening during sleep.
While these devices can be effective at preventing snoring and opening the airway, they often don’t fully prevent mouth breathing. MADs are also most effective when made with a custom fit by your dentist, making them more expensive than some other options.
For some people, a mandibular advancement device is a good choice, especially if suggested by your dentist or healthcare provider, though some users may experience jaw discomfort, soreness, or claustrophobia when using them.
4. Nasal Strips and Nasal Dilators
Although not directly aimed at keeping your mouth shut, nasal strips and dilators improve nasal airflow, making it easier to breathe through your nose which might reduce the likelihood of you breathing through your mouth during sleep.
These devices work in similar ways, by opening up the nasal passages, allowing for better airflow, which can reduce snoring and improve sleep quality.
Nasal strips do this by “pulling” the nose open from the outside, while nasal dilators are placed inside the nose to “push” it open. Learn more here about nasal strips vs nasal dilators.
They’re a good alternative for individuals who experience nasal congestion or blockages and can’t use devices that prevent mouth breathing.
How to Choose the Right Device
When choosing a device to help you train yourself to sleep with your mouth closed, it's important to consider a few key factors.
First, take a look at the underlying cause of your mouth breathing. Is it due to a bad habit, nasal congestion, nasal obstructions, or mild sleep apnea?
It’s always recommended to discuss this with your healthcare practitioner, especially if you suspect an obstruction or sleep apnea is involved.
If you can safely breathe through your nose, mouth taping is usually considered the most effective option, since it instantly prevents mouth breathing and activates nasal breathing.
Comfort is also a critical consideration. While some people may prefer the simplicity and efficacy of mouth tape, others might find a chin strap or nasal dilator more comfortable if they get anxious about completely sealing their lips.
You can find out more here about why you can’t breathe through your nose when you sleep, and if you’ve already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, check out these great CPAP alternatives.
FAQ
How can you keep your mouth closed while sleeping?
You can keep your mouth closed while sleeping by using mouth tape or other devices such as chin straps, mouth guards, or nasal dilators, which help to encourage nasal breathing.
How do you train your jaw to stay closed while sleeping?
The best way to train your jaw to stay closed while sleeping is by applying mouth tape before you go to bed.
Are there any side effects of mouth taping?
Mouth taping is considered very safe and there have been no reports of injury, however, some people may experience anxiety at the thought of having their mouth sealed shut. Skin irritation around the lips may also occur if you react to the tape’s adhesive. That’s why it’s essential to choose a mouth tape that is made using a specialized hypoallergenic adhesive and breathable materials such as Dream Recovery.
Final Thoughts
If you sleep with your mouth open you might be struggling with disrupted rest, snoring, and even health complications like poor oral health and higher blood pressure.
Various devices like chin straps and mouthguards offer solutions to keep your mouth closed and promote nasal breathing.
However, mouth tape stands out as the best option to keep your mouth closed while sleeping thanks to its ease of use and effectiveness at keeping your lips safely sealed throughout the night.
Try mouth taping now with Dream Recovery Mouth Tape
References:
- Watso, J. C., Cuba, J. N., Boutwell, S. L., Moss, J. E., Bowerfind, A. K., Fernandez, I. M., Cassette, J. M., May, A. M., & Kirk, K. F. (2023). Acute nasal breathing lowers diastolic blood pressure and increases parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability in young adults. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 325(6), R797–R808. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00148.2023
- Allen, Ruth. (2015) The health benefits of nose breathing. Nursing in general practice.
- Lee, Y. C., Lu, C. T., Cheng, W. N., & Li, H. Y. (2022). The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(9), 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
- Tamkin J. (2020). Impact of airway dysfunction on dental health. Bioinformation, 16(1), 26–29. https://doi.org/10.6026/97320630016026