You close your eyes, drift off, and your mouth quietly falls open. Does the route your breath takes at night really matter? A sleep-lab study suggests it may matter more than most of us think.
Study at a glance
- Study: Fitzpatrick MF, McLean H, Urton AM, Tan A, O'Donnell D, Driver HS. Effect of nasal or oral breathing route on upper airway resistance during sleep.
- Journal: European Respiratory Journal, 2003; 22(5): 827–832.
- Design: Physiological comparison of nasal versus oral breathing during sleep.
- Key finding: Upper airway resistance during oral breathing was about 2.5 times higher than during nasal breathing while asleep.
What the research shows
In the Fitzpatrick study, researchers compared how hard the upper airway "works" when people breathe through the nose versus the mouth during sleep. They reported that resistance was roughly 2.5 times higher when breathing orally. Related sleep research has also linked mouth opening with greater collapsibility of the upper airway (for example, a 2020 computational fluid dynamics analysis in PLOS ONE in people with obstructive sleep apnea).
A smaller, separate line of research has asked whether gently encouraging lips-closed breathing helps. In a 2022 preliminary study in Healthcare (Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY), 20 mouth-breathers with mild obstructive sleep apnea wore mouth tape during sleep. The median snoring index fell from 303.8 to 121.1 events per hour, and the median apnea/hypopnea index fell from 8.3 to 4.7 events per hour. This was a small, uncontrolled preliminary study, so it cannot show cause and effect.
It is important to be balanced: a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in OTO Open (Alshehri et al.) and earlier systematic reviews describe the overall evidence on mouth taping as limited and heterogeneous, and they raise safety considerations for people with nasal obstruction. Nasal breathing during sleep is well supported physiologically; the evidence for any particular product is still developing.
Why it may work
- Lower resistance: The nasal passages may guide airflow in a way that creates less resistance in the upper airway than mouth breathing.
- Airway stability: Keeping the jaw closed may help limit the mouth opening that has been associated with a more collapsible airway.
- Conditioning of air: The nose warms and humidifies incoming air, which many people find more comfortable than a dry mouth on waking.
These are plausible mechanisms, not guarantees, and individual responses vary.
Real-world use
Many people who wake with a dry mouth or a sore throat notice they breathe through the mouth at night. Some try to support nasal breathing with simple habits such as side-sleeping, keeping the bedroom comfortably humid, and managing nasal congestion before bed. Others add a gentle aid at bedtime.
Where Gudslip fits in
The Gudslip® Mouth Tape is a gentle, hypoallergenic adhesive strip designed to encourage lips-closed, nasal breathing during sleep. If your nose feels blocked, Gudslip® Nose Strips are designed to widen the nasal passages and can be used first. This is a wellness product: it is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any condition.
How to use it
- Make sure you can comfortably breathe through your nose before bed. If you cannot, do not use mouth tape.
- Try the tape for a few minutes while awake first, to get used to the sensation.
- Dry and clean the skin around your lips, then apply the strip gently so your lips rest closed without strain.
- Remove it immediately if you feel uncomfortable, anxious or short of breath. Remove it slowly in the morning.
FAQ
Is it safe for everyone?
No. Avoid it if you have a blocked nose, a cold, allergies flaring up, or any breathing condition, and do not give it to children. Talk to a healthcare professional first if you have any doubts.
Will mouth tape stop snoring?
Research is limited. One small preliminary study reported lower snoring indices in mild sleep apnea, but results cannot be generalised to everyone.
What if I think I have sleep apnea?
Loud snoring, gasping or heavy daytime tiredness deserve a medical evaluation. Mouth tape is not a replacement for professional diagnosis or treatment.
Can nose strips help?
They are designed to open the nasal passages, which may make nasal breathing feel easier for some people.
The bottom line
Sleep-lab research suggests that breathing through the nose may create considerably less upper airway resistance than breathing through the mouth. Evidence for mouth taping itself remains early and mixed, so treat it as an optional comfort tool, not a fix, and listen to your body.
Disclaimer: This article is for general wellness information only and is not medical advice. Gudslip products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult a healthcare professional before changing your sleep routine, especially if you have a breathing, nasal or sleep condition.
References
- Fitzpatrick MF, McLean H, Urton AM, Tan A, O'Donnell D, Driver HS. Effect of nasal or oral breathing route on upper airway resistance during sleep. Eur Respir J. 2003;22(5):827–832. PubMed
- Lee YC, Lu CT, Cheng WN, Li HY. The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(9):1755. PMC
- Alshehri et al. Impact of Nasal Obstruction and Mouth Taping on Sleep Apnea Indicators: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. OTO Open. 2026. PMC
- The effect of nasal and oral breathing on airway collapsibility in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: Computational fluid dynamics analyses. PLOS ONE. 2020. Link