The tendency to sleep with your mouth covered: myth or reality?

The actress and now also businesswoman, Gwyneth Paltrow , shared her beauty and well-being routine a few months ago. And something about her caught the attention of many. Among his secrets, he shared one that he describes as one of his best recent discoveries: a tape that you put over your mouth when you go to sleep. “Breathing through the nose at night apparently creates alkalinity in the body and promotes better quality sleep,” it says.

Hers was a specific brand and the ribbon contained a space to leave her lips visible, but without being able to open them. Other celebrities also spoke about the possible benefits of this technique, and from there it was just a step for the phenomenon to go viral, and not just with those of that specific brand, but with no matter any wide duct tape like the ones we all have. know.

Read these must-reads Paula

On Tik Tok there are many videos showing images of people with mouth covered with duct tape, highlighting its benefits for combating stress, anxiety, depression and achieving better quality sleep. But, beyond the phenomenon itself, is it really recommended? There would be no proof of this.

“The physiological thing is to breathe through your nose,” warns Dr. Raimundo García, an otolaryngologist and academic at the Los Andes University School of Medicine. This helps filter, humidify and warm the air entering the body and plays a role in the proper functioning of the lungs by regulating air entry and exit pressures, he warns. He also points out that, during sleep, breathing through the mouth obstructs the airways by causing the tongue to move back, which can even block it.

The same is indicated by Dr. César Fuenzalida, otolaryngologist at the Otolaryngology Department of the University of Chile Clinical Hospital and sleep specialist. He emphasizes that the nose plays a key role in breathing, since it has a natural filter through the hairs, and that it also plays a key role in humidification, which improves the quality of the mucous membrane and the entire respiratory system. lungs. In other words, “The performance of this amount of air is much better than if we breathed only through our mouth” , he says. And not only: “During the day, but especially at night, “Breathing through the nose stimulates the production of nitric oxide in the perinasal cavities, which has some blood pressure regulating functions.” . In fact, this explains that if at night you breathe only through your mouth, the pressure generated throughout the oral cavity and also in the oropharynx – or the middle part of the pharynx (throat) behind the mouth – increases even up to ten times, which causes apnea or snoring.

That said, sleeping with your mouth covered to force breathing through your nose might have some benefits, but the reality is different.

Don’t leave without reading

Even though the correct thing for all human beings is to breathe through their nose, if a person cannot do it alone, it is for some reason and should not be forced, professionals warn.

“If you’re not breathing through your nose, it’s usually because it’s blocked and you need to find and correct the cause rather than forcing it. If the nose is blocked and I block the mouth – the alternative way of breathing – I endanger breathing and oxygenation, which can lead to apnea and, in extreme cases, death by suffocation,” explains Dr. Raimundo Garcia.

Dr César Fuenzalida adds that this technique would not be recommended at all. If a person is not breathing through their nose, it is because they have a problem that can range from a severe nasal deviation to chronic sinusitis, rhinitis or any other condition that prevents the body from functioning naturally. “Without a proper assessment, it would not be advisable to employ a strategy that has no scientific basis,” he says.

The doctor says that if a person breathes through their mouth, a formal evaluation by an ENT is recommended so that solutions can be recommended. This may involve surgical operations – in the case, for example, of a deviated septum -, medication or respiratory rehabilitation therapies with speech therapists.

In addition, there is another factor that is not taken into account by those who suggest performing this technique: the possible irritation and dryness of the oral area when removing the tape.

What is true is that those who have come to practice this technique usually also make other habit changes in their lives, which usually coincide with the idea of ​​taking more time for their physical and mental well-being , doing exercises, among other things. , so it is not strange that they notice positive changes, which does not mean that technique is necessarily the explanation for these improvements. In fact, sleep experts around the world who have discussed this phenomenon have pointed out that There are other ways that can help you breathe well. In fact, sleeping on your back would lead to an increased risk of mouth breathing, so changing your sleeping position might help.