Do yourself a favor and tape your mouth shut.

Apparently I snore (per my wife's observation). I've never been a restful sleeper. I could sleep 12 solid hours and still wake up exhausted. I've simply lived with that fact for the past decade, because I hate doctors, and I refuse to sleep with a breathing mask strapped to my face. Recently, I've decided to take my health into my own hands. Over the past year, I've lost 70 lbs. My goals were to lower insulin resistance to prevent diabetes & hypertension, improve my sleep, reduce stress, and cure my "incurable" psoriasis.

Of those goals, I have successfully lowered both my insulin resistance & blood pressure, and found a way to manage my stress in health ways.

Just recently, I heard about mouth taping to stop snoring. The idea is that habitual mouth-breathing in general is bad for brain function. Mouth-breathing while sleeping relaxes the muscles in the mouth and throat, which cause sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can lower blood O2 levels and cause heart damage in the long run. So ideally, we should all be breathing through our noses, especially when we sleep.

I went to the local pharmacy and bought some 3M micropore medical tape from the first-aid section, and when I went to bed, I simply places a 2 inch strip over my lips. I HAD THE BEST NIGHT OF SLEEP SINCE I WAS A CHILD! I woke up the next morning refreshed and calm. It literally felt like a weight was taken off of my chest. Where it not for my raging caffeine addiction (thanks to my snoring), I would not have needed my morning coffee before work. This is the best thing to happen for me since sliced bread.

Among other things, my new year resolution is to take full responsibility for my health and life style choices. I ended 2017 with good progress. Now my recent discovery of mouth taping has proven to be a great way to start 2018.

Mouth taping (short and simple)

If you are chronically congested, that's a good way to suffocate yourself.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Might just cause you to wake up dead. At least you won't have been snoring.

Is this something that is continued indefinitely or just until you break the habbit? I am actually kind of interested in this as I feel I may have this exact issue. I couldn't deal with the mask and I think even the tape would drive me nuts, but if it is something that would be temporary I would force myself to deal with it.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well, I wouldn't do it if you have sinus congestion, but the tape I use is very light. You can easily force your mouth open.

a reply to: RickyD

Today was my third day. I think its a matter of establishing a habit. I'll give it 3 solid months before I stop using the tape and see if I can do without it.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Good news, in many cases you are the only one that can help you.

Unfortunately Dr's are little help in most cases. I have found that they are good for broken arms-diabetes-dispensing pills. If they got to think, you better make sure you are in the drivers seat, the Dr.'s don't and really can't care. Our medical system is designed to make money first and if they help people that is a side effect.


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a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

I would suggest using breathe right strips on the nose if you have small nostrils or are congested to get more air through the nose,,,,they say mouth breathing dries out your mouth and leads to more cavities.....will be interesting to see if you keep it up and there is proof of this

come back later and let us know

I knew someone who needed a cpap machine long time ago....you had these elastic straps around your head to keep the mask in place to make a seal...they would dream there was an alien creature on their face and would wake up ripping the mask off... was a long time age...the equipment is probably better now

I wonder if what you are doing is a bit dangerous.....people with sleep apnea stop breathing many times and night they gasp for breath through their mouths at some point so they don't die

Has anybody tried the chin strap?????

a reply to: seasonal

Doctors are always last resort for me. My very own primary care physician even told me that regular doctor visits are useless. All they do is slap a band aid on the problem until the disorder is completely unmanageable.

a reply to: research100

I will definitely follow up with longer term results, but my results where immediate...like literally nigh and day. The body releases HGH while sleeping, so I would expect to have better muscle building and work out recovery among other things.

I think I started mouth-breathing because of allergies to cat hair I had as a teen. I simply perpetuated the problem as it became habit, and the extra weight made it worse. The breath right strips are a good idea, thanks.

Almost willing to try it, but I often wake up thirsty, sometimes 4+ times a night. Probably drink no less than a liter of water every night.

Maybe all that water is going out through my mouth...

Do yourself a favor and go see a pulmonologist, have a sleep study done. I put it off for years until I finally got it looked at.

Turns out I have severe sleep apnea, stop breathing over 30times an hour and my O2 was dropping below 70%. Got a cpap and I feel like a completely different person. Feel great, better attitude, completely better outlook on life. I highly recommend getting checked out. At the end of the day you can always just go back to the tape, i guess...

a reply to: lordcomac

are you thirsty a lot during the day as well and pee a lot? as a suggestion you might want to look up diabetes just in case....mouth breathing with make your mouth dry for sure

a reply to: Hazon

CPAPs force dry air into the lungs. My mother almost died from a lung infection caused by a CPAP machine. No thanks. I might get a sleep study just to see the results, but no machine for me.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest
maybe they did but they have all kinds of highspeed machines now. Mine adds moisture with a little internal humidifier. Then you just have to maintain it and keep it clean.

www.usa.philips.com...

Good Luck

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

ever considered getting a new pillow?

Got me one of those "my pillow"... i sleep pretty good ever since

And sleep has never been my friend

a reply to: Akragon

Yeah, I've tried all kinds of pillows. The results really aren't all that different. I don't like to keep my head too elevate.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Maybe I missed it, but in which position do you sleep? I'm guessing a back sleeper.

a reply to: Liquesence

Mainly on my back, but sometimes on my side.

I heard I only snore when I've been drinking.

I found that putting one of those round type pillows under the back of my neck worked wonders. It kept my head tilted back (the only times I could actually sleep on my back is with one of those pillows).