Recording in the mouth, The practice of quenching it from the lips closed during sleep to encourage nasal breathing, has gained ground online, promoted as a useful solution for snoring, dry mouth and bad sleep.
While some people considered it a simple way to sleep better, medical experts warn that the practice can be at best ineffective and potentially risky for people with unsocied sleep disorders.
The trend has exploded on platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, where influencers and well-being enthusiasts claim that Save the mouth closed The night can cause deeper sleep, reduction in snoring and even improved concentration and immunity.
At first glance, it looks like a harmless sleep hack (although slightly strange). But the experts grow back, saying that the trend is getting a complex problem too much. Although nasal breathing can be beneficial, they warn that recording the mouth is not a unique solution.
Look for “recordings in the mouth” on social networks and you will find strongly divided opinions.
Innumerable videos praise benefits for the health of the promotion of nasal breathing and the reduction of snoring, while others warn that the practice could be dangerous, in particular for those who have unmatched conditions such as sleep apnea, where the restriction of air flow could pose serious health risks.
Now these warnings have scientific support.
A Canadian study published Wednesday in Plos a Confirms this danger, noting that recording the mouth could be particularly risky for people with sleep apnea – a condition that is often not diagnosed while breathing stops and begins several times during sleep.
Researchers at the London Health Center research institute in London, Ontario, have more closely examined science behind the mouth recording.
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They combed through the existing medical literature and found 10 studies, they considered a high enough quality to include in their final review. These studies have examined different ways whose people try to keep their mouths closed during sleep – from the Bande to the Buselles of the Menton – and included data from a total of 213 participants.
Two studies have shown a slight improvement in sleep apnea symptoms for a small group of people with light cases. But most research has shown no significant advantage for things like oral breathing, snoring or breathing of sleep disorders, the researchers said.
Four of the studies have reported a potential security problem: for people whose nose is blocked or narrowed, due to allergies, chronic nasal inflammation, a deviated septum or other conditions, the sealing closed the mouth could present a real risk of asphyxiation.
“Eighty percent of the published articles did not show any advantage in this practice. Twenty percent showed a slight advantage … probably statistically beneficial, but not really clinically beneficial,” said the main author, Dr. Brian Rotenberg, who is an Otolaryngology specialist at London Health Center, St. Joseph’s Health Care and Western University.
Rotenberg said that up to about three years ago, he had never heard of recording the mouth. But then the patients started to present themselves at his clinic by asking him after seeing the trend online.
While more and more people have started to mention it, he decided that if patients tried him themselves, researchers should examine the real evidence that exists to support or refute the practice.
“Our nose is a very vital structure … It humidifies the air that we breathe, it warms the air that we breathe … So breathe in the nose in all honesty that feels better. And therefore people want to breathe through the nose,” he explained.
“The problem is that many, many people there, for many reasons, they just can’t breathe through the nose. So why can’t we breathe in our nose is the real question. And there are many reasons … could be allergies, could be a deviated septum, could be nasal polyps, or even in some rare cases, you can have a nasal tumor there, and these things also happen, “added Rotenberg.
But if you do not know that you have these underlying problems, oral recording will not deal with them, he said, and could even present real health risks, especially for those who suffer from sleep apnea.
He admitted that some people report positive experiences with recording the mouth, saying that it helps them more easily cross their nose and wake up by feeling more rested.
Rotenberg does not reject these accounts – but he stressed that a person’s success does not necessarily mean that the method is safe or effective for everyone.
If you have trouble breathing in your nose, he recommends speaking with your doctor to check the underlying nasal obstructions or sleep problems.
– with Global News’ Katherine Ward files
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