Published on 02/15/2022 at 11:51 a.m.,
Reading 2 mins.
On Tik Tok, several influencers advocate “Mouth taping”. A trick that would promote sleep, but which actually involves dangers for breathing.
Tape your mouth to improve nose breathing, reduce snoring and promote sleep. It’s “Mouth tapping”, one of the new trends currently circulating on the Tik Tok social network.
And like many health trends on social networks, this trick entails more risks than the opposite. Lots of influencers are talking about this tip, but the first and most viewed is a fitness influencer video. We can see the young woman explaining with her cross-shaped pieces of adhesive in her hands, that this little accessory gives her “the deepest sleep ever known”.
Risk of breathing problems
It was enough for other influencers, seeing the viewing success, to reproduce the same video. But this technique is not without danger. Interviewed by Glamor magazine, Lindsay Browning, psychologist and neuroscientist (a person with expertise in this field this time) admits that mouth breathing can cause snoring, bad breath or dry mouth in the morning. But, she also points out that taping your mouth at night can “damage your lips”, cause pain when removing the tape and above all cause breathing problems. If your nose gets clogged at night and your other source of oxygenation is blocked “it can be dangerous.”
Consult a therapist online
Know how to identify reliable health information
A large number of influencers devote themselves on social networks to providing well-being and sometimes health advice. The problem is that they are neither experts nor health professionals, but their visibility leads to trends that convey false information and health risks. Very often behind these tips, there is also hidden product placement that is sometimes well hidden (sometimes not even at all). It is important to know how to identify real medical and impartial sources for a tip that may involve your health or well-being.
An influencer is not a medical expert. A doctor specializing in his field, a scientific study, a medical journal are reliable sources when they are not promoting products, they are simply trying to convey useful information, taking care to explain all aspects of this tip. : benefits and risks or contraindications (because there are always some). The information must have been tested and validated on a sufficient number of people and over a long enough period.