How To Sleep With Your Mouth Closed

Sleeping with your mouth closed might seem like a small detail, but it can have a significant impact on your overall health. Many people unconsciously sleep with their mouths open, leading to issues like dry mouth, snoring, and even disrupted sleep. Fortunately, there are simple and effective strategies to help you sleep with your mouth closed, improving your sleep quality and well-being. We discuss them in this blog!

How To Sleep With Your Mouth Closed

If you find yourself habitually sleeping with your mouth open, here are detailed strategies to help you transition to sleeping with your mouth closed:

1. Practice Proper Sleep Positioning

Your sleep position can significantly impact whether you breathe through your nose or mouth during sleep. Certain positions naturally encourage mouth breathing, while others promote nasal breathing.

• Sleep on Your Side or Stomach: Sleeping on your back can cause your jaw to drop open, especially if your muscles are relaxed during sleep. Side or stomach sleeping positions help keep your mouth closed and reduce the likelihood of snoring.
• Use a Body Pillow: If you have difficulty maintaining a side-sleeping position, a body pillow like our Cuddler can provide support and prevent you from rolling onto your back during the night. The Cuddler is ergonomically designed with natural Melofoam, making it satisfyingly squashy and able to mold to your body.

• Elevate Your Head Slightly: Raising the head of your bed by a few inches or using a bolster pillow can prevent your mouth from falling open while still promoting nasal breathing. 

2. Train Your Jaw and Tongue Muscles

Weak jaw or tongue muscles can contribute to sleeping with an open mouth. Strengthening these muscles can help you maintain a closed mouth during sleep.

• Jaw Exercises: Perform exercises that strengthen your jaw muscles, such as gently opening and closing your mouth while resisting with your hand, or holding a pencil between your teeth for a few minutes each day.
• Tongue Exercises: Engage in mouth and throat exercises like pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth or holding your tongue flat against your palate for several seconds. These exercises help tone your tongue muscles, encouraging them to stay in place during sleep.
• Mewing: This technique involves keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth, lips closed, and teeth lightly touching throughout the day. Mewing helps retrain your muscles to maintain this position naturally during sleep. 

3. Address Nasal Congestion

Having a stuffy nose is a common reason people resort to mouth breathing. You can address this by:

Nasal Irrigation: Use a saline nasal spray or a neti pot to rinse your nasal passages before bed. This can help clear mucus and allergens, reducing congestion.
Humidify Your Bedroom: Dry air can irritate your nasal passages, leading to congestion. Use a humidifier to maintain optimal humidity levels (around 40-60%) in your bedroom.
Allergy Management: If allergies are causing your nasal congestion, consider taking antihistamines before bed, using hypoallergenic bedding, and keeping your sleeping area free from dust, pet dander, and other allergens.
Breathing Strips or Nasal Dilators: Nasal strips and dilators are designed to open up your nasal passages, making it easier to breathe through your nose. These can be particularly helpful if you have a deviated septum or chronic nasal congestion.

4. Improve Your Breathing Habits During the Day

Your breathing habits during the day can influence your nighttime breathing patterns. Here are some tips to consider:

• Nasal Breathing Exercises: Practice inhaling and exhaling through your nose during the day, especially during physical activity. This can help strengthen your nasal passages and make nasal breathing more natural during sleep.
• Buteyko Breathing Method: The Buteyko technique focuses on reducing the amount of air you breathe to improve oxygenation and promote nasal breathing. The method involves breathing exercises that encourage slow, calm nasal breathing.
• Diaphragmatic Breathing: Engage in deep breathing exercises that emphasize breathing from your diaphragm rather than shallow chest breathing. This helps improve lung capacity and promotes more effective nasal breathing. 

5. Create a Relaxing Sleep Environment

Stress and anxiety can lead to poor breathing habits, including mouth breathing. Creating a calming sleep environment can help you relax and encourage proper breathing during sleep.

Establish a Bedtime Routine: Engage in relaxing activities before bed, such as reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing mindfulness meditation. This can help reduce stress and promote nasal breathing.
Keep Your Bedroom Cool: A cool bedroom (around 60-67°F or 15-19°C) can make breathing easier and more comfortable, reducing the likelihood of mouth breathing.
Limit Stimulants Before Bed: Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and heavy meals in the hours leading up to bedtime, as these can disrupt your ability to fall asleep and maintain proper breathing patterns

6. Use Mouth Tape or Chin Straps

Mouth tape and chin straps are designed to gently encourage mouth closure during sleep. These can be effective for sleepers who struggle to keep their mouths closed naturally.

• Mouth Taping: Apply a small, hypoallergenic tape across your lips before bed. Start with a small piece of tape and apply it vertically or horizontally over your lips. If you’re new to mouth taping, consider using a tape specifically designed for this purpose, such as Myotape, which is less adhesive and easier to remove.
• Chin Straps: A chin strap wraps around your head and under your chin, supporting your jaw and helping keep your mouth closed. Place the strap under your chin and adjust it snugly around your head. Ensure it is comfortable and not too tight to avoid discomfort or skin irritation. 

Changing your breathing habits can take time, so it’s important to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. You may use a sleep tracker or keep a sleep journal where you record your sleep quality, any techniques you’ve tried, and your observations on how you feel in the morning. Combined with the tips above, you’re on your way to stop mouth breathing at night.

Next, let’s look more closely at how mouth taping works in helping you sleep with your mouth closed, as it is a popular tip on how to keep your mouth closed while sleeping.

Does Mouth Taping Actually Help?

Mouth taping has gained popularity as a method to encourage nasal breathing during sleep. The idea is simple: a small piece of tape is placed over the lips to gently keep the mouth closed, encouraging breathing through the nose. While popular, mouth breathing has both advantages and disadvantages, as we discuss below:

Benefits of mouth taping include:

• Improved Breathing: Nasal breathing helps filter and humidify the air, which can be more beneficial for respiratory health compared to mouth breathing.
• Reduced Snoring: Some sleepers find that mouth taping reduces snoring, as the soft palate is less likely to vibrate when breathing through the nose.
• Better Sleep Quality: Nasal breathing is often associated with deeper, more restful sleep because it promotes better oxygen exchange and reduces the likelihood of waking up due to a dry mouth or throat. 

Potential downsides may include:

• Comfort Issues: Some sleepers have shared that mouth taping is uncomfortable and even claustrophobic, especially if they have a sensitive gag reflex or are unaccustomed to nasal breathing.
• Nasal Congestion: If you have a stuffy nose due to allergies, a cold, or another condition, mouth taping can be problematic. It might make breathing difficult and could lead to a feeling of suffocation.
• Skin Irritation: Repeatedly applying and removing tape can cause irritation or even sores around the lips. Using hypoallergenic tape can help mitigate this risk.
• Safety Concerns: For some sleepers, especially those with severe sleep apnea or other breathing issues, mouth taping could pose a risk if the nasal passages become blocked during sleep. In these cases, consult a healthcare professional before trying mouth taping. 

In the next section, we look at how you can know whether or not you tend to sleep with your mouth open.

How Do I Know I Sleep With My Mouth Open?

Mouth breathing during sleep can often go unnoticed, especially if you sleep alone. But, there are several signs and symptoms that might indicate you’re sleeping with your mouth open, including:

1. Dry Mouth: Waking up with a dry mouth or throat is one of the most common signs of mouth breathing during sleep. Saliva production decreases when you breathe through your mouth, leading to dryness.
2. Bad Breath: Chronic mouth breathing can lead to bad breath (halitosis) due to the dry environment, which allows bacteria to thrive.
3. Snoring: Mouth breathing often causes or exacerbates snoring, as the airflow through the mouth can cause vibrations in the soft tissues of the throat.
4. Sore Throat: A sore or scratchy throat upon waking could be a result of sleeping with your mouth open, as the airflow can dry out and irritate the throat.
5. Chapped Lips: Constant airflow over the lips during mouth breathing can lead to dryness and chapping.
6. Frequent Waking: If you find yourself waking up frequently during the night, it could be due to discomfort from mouth breathing or a related issue like sleep apnea.
7. Nasal Congestion: If you have chronic nasal congestion or sinus problems, you might be compensating by breathing through your mouth during sleep.
8. Fatigue: Mouth breathing can lead to poor sleep quality, leaving you feeling tired and groggy during the day, even if you’ve had enough hours of sleep. 

If you share a bed, ask your partner if they’ve noticed you sleeping with your mouth open or snoring. Some sleep trackers or apps can monitor your breathing patterns and may provide insights into whether you’re mouth breathing during sleep. Alternatively, set up a camera or use your phone to record yourself sleeping for a night. Review the footage to see if your mouth remains open during sleep.

Next, let’s look at why sleeping with your mouth closed is beneficial and why you should care to fix mouth breathing.

Benefits Of Sleeping With Your Mouth Closed

Sleeping with your mouth closed can offer several benefits, primarily by promoting nasal breathing. These include:

• Better Oxygenation: Nasal breathing improves the efficiency of oxygen exchange, leading to better overall health and potentially improved cognitive function.
• Enhanced Oral Health: Mouth breathing can lead to dry mouth, which in turn increases the risk of cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. Keeping your mouth closed helps maintain saliva flow, which protects your teeth and gums.
• Lowered Risk of Sleep Disorders: Mouth breathing is linked to conditions like obstructive sleep apnea. By promoting nasal breathing, you may reduce the likelihood of developing or exacerbating these conditions.
• Reduced Snoring: Snoring often results from mouth breathing, so keeping your mouth closed can significantly reduce this disruptive habit.
• Decreased Throat Irritation: Mouth breathing can cause the throat to become dry and irritated, especially in colder months. Nasal breathing helps maintain moisture levels, reducing discomfort.
• Better Sleep Hygiene: Ensuring nasal breathing encourages a healthier sleep pattern, making it easier to fall and stay asleep, which is crucial for mental and physical well-being. 

Mouth breathing during sleep isn’t always a cause for concern, but there are situations where it’s important to seek medical advice. We discuss these cases in the next section.

When To See A Doctor

You should speak to a medical professional about sleeping with your mouth open if you experience:

• Chronic Mouth Breathing: If you find that you’re consistently sleeping with your mouth open, despite trying various remedies, consult a doctor. Persistent mouth breathing can lead to other health issues, such as dental problems, sleep apnea, and poor sleep quality.
• Associated Symptoms: If you experience additional symptoms, such as loud snoring, choking or gasping during sleep, morning headaches, or extreme daytime fatigue, these could be signs of sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, and you should see a doctor.
• Oral Health Issues: If you notice an increase in cavities, gum disease, or bad breath despite maintaining good oral hygiene, it could be related to chronic mouth breathing. A dentist or doctor can help address the underlying cause.
• Breathing Difficulties: If you find it difficult to breathe through your nose during the day as well as at night, or if you frequently experience nasal congestion, an ENT specialist may be able to diagnose and treat the issue.
• Facial Development Concerns in Children: If a child is consistently mouth breathing, address it early. Mouth breathing in children can affect facial growth and dental development. A pediatrician, dentist, or orthodontist can evaluate the child and recommend appropriate treatment. 

Conclusion

Sleeping with your mouth closed is more than just a habit—it's a key to better health and restful sleep. By incorporating the tips and techniques outlined in this blog, you can gradually train yourself to breathe through your nose during sleep. Whether it’s adjusting your sleep position, strengthening your jaw muscles, or using aids like mouth tape, these strategies can make a noticeable difference in your sleep quality. If you continue to struggle with mouth breathing, seeking professional guidance can provide additional solutions tailored to your needs.