Experts warn against followng Ashley Graham's sleeping habit, despite 'benefits'
Ashley Graham has recently revealed that she now sleeps at night with her mouth taped shut. The mom, 35, posted a photo on her Instagram Story, claiming that she has been sleeping better ever since she started taping her mouth. Graham recently also unveiled a significantly toned and slimmer body as she visited Cannes Film Festival in France.
"I started taping my mouth shut when I sleep and I have never slept better - and even better when I wake up. Don't knock it till you try it!!" Graham captioned a photo which showed her sleeping with her mouth taped. Mouth taping is a practice carried out by several people who find it difficult to breathe through their nose while sleeping in an attempt to prevent scratchy throat, bad breath, and snoring.
What is s mouth taping?
Mouth taping is a viral TikTok trend that experts say one should be skeptical of. The process forces a person to breathe through their nose, which has several benefits over breathing through the mouth, including lowering blood pressure, filtering allergens, regulating the temperature of your breath, humidifying the air you breathe and moisturizing your throat, and decreasing anxiety. Mouth breathing, on the other hand, causes a dry mouth, bad breath, and sore throat.
However, taping the mouth prevents a person from breathing in full and deep breaths. It can also lead to skin irritation. One might develop an allergic reaction or rash from using the wrong kind of tape. There is not enough scientific evidence to support the anecdotal benefits behind the trend and a healthcare provider must be consulted for safer alternative treatments.
Is mouth taping safe?
“Mouth taping could cause an allergic reaction from the tape or a skin irritation or rash,” warned sleep medicine specialist Cinthya Pena Orbea, according to Cleveland Clinic. “Before starting this practice, you should talk to your doctor about this,” Orbea added.
“Most of the evidence is anecdotal. There is not strong enough evidence to support that mouth tape is beneficial,” Orbra said, adding, “Mouth taping is not part of our current practice to treat any sleep disorder. Nonetheless, in patients with sleep apnea, we may recommend mouth taping or to wear a chin strap to decrease an air leak while you’re using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night.” Sleep apnea is a condition where a person repeatedly stops breathing while sleeping.
