mouth taping at night

[FireDragon76]

Anybody else try this?

I tried this on the suggestion of a youtube holistic dentist (Mark Burhenne, D.D.S.), because it can help prevent mouth breathing at night, which has alot of bad health effects (such as tooth decay, narrowing dental arch and teeth crowding, and UARS/sleep apnea, and just generally poor sleep). It took a few nights to get used to, but it did eventually start improving my sleep, especially when I combined it with practicing correct tongue posture.

I'm also discovering I have some issues if I sleep on my back, as my airway becomes more restricted (my tongue falls back slightly, causing snoring or light sleeping), so I try to sleep on my side. That's lead me to research myofunctional exercises to try to get my tongue and throat stronger in the long run.

 

[Lost4words]

Baloney and utter rubbish spouted by so called 'experts' online.

Stay clear of them.

Live normally.

God bless you

 

[Richard.20.12]

Have you tried sleeping without a pillow? At first it will seem very awkward but it helps with your neck flexibility and doesn't take long to adjust to. Also in the summer if you don't use air conditioning its a lot cooler not using a pillow. If you tend to toss and turn at night the pillow gets in the way and is always in the wrong position. By having no pillow this problem is eliminated. I think its really helped my teeth grinding. It just feels right.

You can check this by putting a mic/phone near your head all night and record yourself. (Probably better to use a mic so the phone isn't right close to you for hours and hours every night. Anyway, play this file through a program like Audacity that shows you the waveform so you can see when you're making noise. You don't want to listen to 6+ hours of nothing after all. Another option is to use sound activated recording but I'm not sure how well this works. The better the mic the better it should work I guess. I'm using a Blue Snowball Ice USB mic (their cheapest model) and it picks up lots of detail even when 2' away from my head. And of course it picks up snoring and you can hear how you're breathing. (Most people sound much older than they are when they sleep!) Its a very good thing to monitor. Then you can compare when you eat close to bedtime to when you don't. There might be a significant difference as the sugars we digest give us energy and probably cause us to sleep much less soundly. I know when I fly I make a point of always taking off on an empty stomach, especially if its a morning flight. Obviously no coffee! It makes it so much easier to doze off during the flight which really helps pass the time. Then, just before landing, a little food in your stomach will give you an energy boost especially if you're dealing with jet lag and want to stay up til night which really helps. Strong cardio exercise is also very good for jet lag.

 

[Amittai]

A person that is no nearer than the other end of a you tube can't know you and you can't know them; they might be out to promote influence.

I expect you turn the "wrong way up" when you "aren't looking"!

Some people say if it works, work it; but it's your own job to apply all cautions.

The idea of obstructing breathing strikes me as totally destructive and immoral.

Are there other ways of avoiding the ills mentioned?

(I started to sleep propped up.)

Above all, pray to God for rest; "He gives rest to His beloved".

 

[Tanj]

I have a serious snoring problem, and tried every anti snoring device on the market, and they are all rubbish, except this one:

https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/

Obviously this is anecdotal and not intended as any kind of medical advice.

 

[FireDragon76]

I have a serious snoring problem, and tried every anti snoring device on the market, and they are all rubbish, except this one:

https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/

Obviously this is anecdotal and not intended as any kind of medical advice.

Years ago I tried a nose clip with limited success. I don't think the problem is in my nose, it's in my mouth. I've got a narrow palette and crowded teeth on my lower jaw, and my tongue is probably a little bit too big for my mouth (interestingly enough, taping my mouth at night and using correct tongue posture has seemed to straighten some of the teeth ever so slightly, to the point I notice my bite has changeD).

I'm going to try out an inexpensive splint activator but I will definitely have to keep that mouthguard device in mind. I'm also looking into "mewing" and myofunctional exercises in general.

Splint activator - Wikipedia

Have you tried sleeping without a pillow? At first it will seem very awkward but it helps with your neck flexibility and doesn't take long to adjust to. Also in the summer if you don't use air conditioning its a lot cooler not using a pillow. If you tend to toss and turn at night the pillow gets in the way and is always in the wrong position. By having no pillow this problem is eliminated. I think its really helped my teeth grinding. It just feels right.

You can check this by putting a mic/phone near your head all night and record yourself. (Probably better to use a mic so the phone isn't right close to you for hours and hours every night. Anyway, play this file through a program like Audacity that shows you the waveform so you can see when you're making noise. You don't want to listen to 6+ hours of nothing after all. Another option is to use sound activated recording but I'm not sure how well this works. The better the mic the better it should work I guess. I'm using a Blue Snowball Ice USB mic (their cheapest model) and it picks up lots of detail even when 2' away from my head. And of course it picks up snoring and you can hear how you're breathing. (Most people sound much older than they are when they sleep!) Its a very good thing to monitor. Then you can compare when you eat close to bedtime to when you don't. There might be a significant difference as the sugars we digest give us energy and probably cause us to sleep much less soundly. I know when I fly I make a point of always taking off on an empty stomach, especially if its a morning flight. Obviously no coffee! It makes it so much easier to doze off during the flight which really helps pass the time. Then, just before landing, a little food in your stomach will give you an energy boost especially if you're dealing with jet lag and want to stay up til night which really helps. Strong cardio exercise is also very good for jet lag.

I use a memory foam pillow and a special pillowcase that's cool in the summer. I haven't really tried sleeping without a pillow but it's possible it might be better than using a pillow. I just tend to find sleep without a pillow a bit disconcerting, especially because I'm a side sleeper.

A person that is no nearer than the other end of a you tube can't know you and you can't know them; they might be out to promote influence.

I expect you turn the "wrong way up" when you "aren't looking"!

Some people say if it works, work it; but it's your own job to apply all cautions.

The idea of obstructing breathing strikes me as totally destructive and immoral.

Are there other ways of avoiding the ills mentioned?

(I started to sleep propped up.)

Above all, pray to God for rest; "He gives rest to His beloved".

It doesn't obstruct your breathing it's more like a training device. Nasal breathing is the natural way for humans to breathe most of the time, breathing through the mouth chronically causes lots of health problems.

You can still open your mouth if you had to do so. After a few nights you just don't breath through your mouth anymore, and you only breath through your nose at night. If you do find yourself waking up or taking off the tape at night regularly, Dr. Burhenne recommends you see a doctor, because it could be a sign of upper airway restriction syndrome or sleep apnea.