Social media fad of mouth taping during sleep may pose severe risks: Researchers

Do you follow the social media trend of taping mouth while sleeping to help breathe from the nose instead of mouth Beware it could pose serious asphyxiation risksAsphyxiation is a condition where oxygen is deficient in the body often leading to impaired breathing or suffocationWhen the nasal passages are blocked breathing switches from the nose to the mouth Mouth breathing has been linked to sleepdisordered breathing which includes conditions ranging from snoring to obstructive sleep apnoea where breathing stops and starts frequently during sleepHowever a recent trend amplified by social media has some people taping their mouths shut at night to treat sleepdisordered breathing by preventing mouth breathingMouth taping has been recommended by many social media influencers and celebrities who claim it can lead to better sleep enhanced oral health and antiageing resultsldquoOur research shows that taping the mouth shut during sleep is dangerous especially among those who may not be aware they have sleep apnoeardquo said Dr Brian Rotenberg an otolaryngologist and sleep surgeon at Western University UKldquoThese individuals are unknowingly making their symptoms worse and putting themselves at greater risk for serious health complications like heart diseaserdquo he addedThe researchers evaluated 10 previously published studies to evaluate the potential benefits of sealing the mouth shut using tape or other devices such as chin straps for a total of 213 patientsThe practice can make existing sleepdisordered breathing worse by restricting airflow putting additional stress on the respiratory system and increasing the risk of suffocation when patients experience a nasal obstruction the team said in the paper published in the journal PLOS OneOut of the 10 studies two suggested that among a subset of people with mild obstructive sleep apnoea mouth taping may be associated with some slight improvement in a standard measure of sleep apnoea severity However other studies found no evidence that mouth taping might help treat mouth breathing sleepdisordered breathing or sleep apnoeaFour of the 10 studies included a discussion of a potentially serious risk of asphyxiation posed by sealing the mouth shut during sleep for people whose mouth breathing is caused by serious restriction or blockage of nasal airwaysSerious nasal obstruction could result from conditions such as hay fever chronic rhinitis deviated septum sinonasal disease or enlarged tonsilsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params