How to stop mouth breathing at night: a step-by-step guide

To stop mouth breathing at night, work through it in order. Find out why your nose isn't doing the job, clear it, set up your bed and bedroom so it stays clear, then use a nasal strip and mouth tape to hold the habit in place. Most people who breathe through their mouth at night do so because their nose is blocked, so the nose comes first and the tape comes last.

This guide pulls together the steps we cover in more detail elsewhere. If you want the background first, read why you breathe through your mouth at night and nasal vs. mouth breathing.

How do you know you're mouth breathing at night?

You're probably mouth breathing at night if you wake up with a dry mouth, bad breath or a wet patch on your pillow. Cleveland Clinic lists bad breath, drooling when asleep, dry mouth, feeling tired all the time, hoarseness and snoring as common symptoms. It calls the mix of dry mouth, bad breath and drool on your pillow your "first clue."

A bed partner is the most reliable witness. Ask them whether your mouth hangs open and whether you snore. Our list of signs you mouth breathe at night has more ways to check.

Step 1: what is causing your mouth breathing?

The cause of night-time mouth breathing is usually a nose that can't move enough air. Cleveland Clinic says most people breathe through their mouth because they can't get air in through their nose, and it names the usual reasons: nasal congestion from allergies, colds or chronic sinusitis, a deviated septum, swollen turbinates, nasal polyps, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, and sleep apnea.

It helps to sort yourself into one of four rough groups, because each one has a different fix.

• Congestion: your nose is blocked by a cold, allergies or sinus inflammation. This often comes and goes.
• Structure: something inside the nose narrows it, such as a deviated septum, large turbinates or polyps. This tends to be there all the time, often worse on one side.
• Habit: your nose feels clear when you test it, but your mouth falls open once you're asleep.
• Something more: you snore loudly and gasp, choke or stop breathing in your sleep. That points to sleep apnea, which needs a doctor.

A quick test you can do tonight: close your mouth and breathe gently through your nose for a minute or two. Cleveland Clinic says doctors use a similar lip seal test to check whether you can breathe with your mouth closed. If it feels easy, your nose is probably ready. If you struggle or feel short of air, start with Step 2 and skip the tape for now.

Step 2: how do you clear a blocked nose before bed?

Clearing a blocked nose before bed starts with the cause. For allergies, Cleveland Clinic's family medicine advice is to keep pets out of the bedroom, change your sheets at least once a week, and shower and change clothes before bed to wash off pollen you've carried in. Over-the-counter antihistamines or nasal sprays can help with allergy symptoms.

A saline rinse is one of the most useful tools here. The FDA says nasal irrigation devices are usually safe and effective when used and cleaned properly, and that rinsing can remove dust, pollen and other debris and loosen thick mucus. The one rule that matters: use only distilled, sterile or previously boiled and cooled water, never straight from the tap. Our guide on how to use a saline rinse walks through it.

If you think a cold or sinus infection is the problem, Cleveland Clinic says a provider may suggest antihistamines and decongestants, or antibiotics for a sinus infection that lasts more than 10 days. For a structural problem like a deviated septum, home steps only go so far. Cleveland Clinic lists septoplasty and turbinate reduction as surgical options a doctor may recommend. Our article on how to unblock your nose before bed covers quick fixes for tonight.

Step 3: does sleep position matter?

Sleep position matters because lying flat makes congestion worse. Cleveland Clinic explains that when you lie down, mucus can't drain as well without gravity, so it pools in your sinuses. Acid reflux also gets easier when you're flat, and Cleveland Clinic says reflux can irritate your throat and sinuses and add to congestion.

Its advice is to sleep with your head and shoulders raised, and if you sleep on your side, to try your left side, because the right side can let stomach acid travel more easily. Avoiding late meals helps with reflux too. Our guide to the best sleep position for breathing goes further.

Step 4: should you change the humidity in your bedroom?

Changing the humidity can help if your bedroom air is dry. Cleveland Clinic says a humidifier can thin mucus and ease congestion, and that dried-out airways make you more likely to snore and to wake with a dry mouth. It points to the EPA's advice to keep indoor humidity between 30% and 50%, and warns that going over 50% can encourage mold and dust mites.

Keep it clean. Cleveland Clinic suggests filtered, demineralized or distilled water, changing the water daily and cleaning the tank every two to three days. See humidifiers for sleep for setup tips.

Step 5: can nasal strips help you breathe through your nose?

Nasal strips can help by holding the sides of your nose open from the outside. In a small randomized trial of 12 people with chronic rhinitis, a real nasal strip cut snoring frequency to about 173 snores an hour, compared with about 258 with a placebo strip. The strip didn't change snoring loudness, but less snoring overall is a good sign that more air was moving through the nose.

Strips are drug-free and easy to try for a week. They're especially useful if your nose feels tight but not fully blocked. See nasal strips for mouth breathers for how they fit into a routine.

Step 6: when should you add mouth tape?

Add mouth tape once your nose is clear and comfortable, not before. Tape is the step that deals with the habit: it keeps your lips together after you fall asleep, so your nose stays the main airway all night.

The research is small but encouraging. In a 2022 study in the journal Healthcare, 20 mouth breathers with mild sleep apnea wore tape for a week. Their median snoring index fell by 47%, and 13 of the 20 cut their snoring by at least half. People whose noses were blocked were given medicine or a nasal spray first, which is the same order this guide follows.

The bigger picture is mixed. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found 10 studies with 213 patients. Two showed improvements in sleep apnea measures, others showed no difference, and some discussed the risk of asphyxiation when the nose is blocked. The authors warned against taping "indiscriminately." That's why the nose check in Step 1 matters so much. We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Start with 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice, then try it at bedtime. Our guide on how to start mouth taping has a first-week plan, and mouth tape and nasal strips together explains how to combine them. If you'd like both in one box, our pick is the Titan Sleep System.

Can you train yourself out of mouth breathing?

You can work on the daytime side of mouth breathing. Cleveland Clinic says myofunctional therapy, exercises for the tongue, lips and cheeks guided by a trained provider, is sometimes used for mouth breathing that continues after nasal problems have been treated, and for an open-mouth resting posture. It says the therapy has no known risks.

Day-to-day awareness helps too. Notice when your lips are apart while you read or work, and close them. Our practical plan for training yourself to nose breathe covers daytime cues, and myofunctional therapy explains how the formal version works.

The mouth breathing checklist

Use this table to work through the steps in order. Don't skip ahead to tape if an earlier row is still a problem.

When should you see a doctor or dentist?

See a doctor if your nose is blocked most nights, if the steps above don't help after a few weeks, or if you have signs of sleep apnea. The NHS says to see a GP if your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, you make gasping, snorting or choking noises, or you always feel very tired during the day. Mouth tape doesn't treat sleep apnea, so get checked before relying on it. Our guide to sleep apnea warning signs explains what to look for.

A doctor can look inside your nose and throat, and Cleveland Clinic says the treatment will target whatever stops you breathing through your nose, from allergy sprays to surgery. A dentist is a good second stop if you wake with a dry mouth most days: the NHS says a dry mouth makes tooth decay more likely, and Cleveland Clinic says some dental hygienists train in myofunctional therapy. Our article on mouth breathing and teeth has more. For children, Cleveland Clinic says to ask the pediatrician to check the nose and airway, because mouth breathing can affect how a child's face grows. Our guide to mouth breathing in children covers this.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

For Steps 5 and 6, we recommend the Titan Sleep System, which puts TitanAir Nasal Strips and Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape together as one nightly set. We haven't tested or ranked products ourselves; this is our recommendation.

Titan says the strips are drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, placed just above the flare of the nostrils, and that they're designed to pair with the tape. Titan says the tape is a bamboo silk strip worn horizontally across the lips, and it suggests 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice before the first night. Titan says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and its 30-night guarantee refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• Why do I breathe through my mouth at night?
• Can you train yourself to breathe through your nose?
• How to start mouth taping: your first week

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.