Mouth taping with asthma: what the research found and what to ask your doctor

If you have asthma, talk to your doctor before you try mouth tape. The one trial of mouth taping in people with asthma found most of them coped with it well, but it made no difference to their asthma. So tape isn't an asthma treatment, and whether it's sensible for you depends on how well your asthma is controlled and how well your nose works.

That's a more reassuring picture than some of what you'll read online. It's also a reason to have the conversation with your doctor rather than skip it.

What did the asthma trial find?

The study is a 2009 trial from the University of Nottingham, published in Respiratory Medicine. The researchers started from a reasonable idea. Nose breathing warms, filters and moistens the air you breathe in, and they noted that the Buteyko technique encourages it at night by taping the mouth. If taping helped asthma, it would be a simple thing to do.

They recruited 51 adults whose asthma was causing symptoms. Each person spent four weeks taping their mouth at night with microporous tape, as in the Buteyko technique, and four weeks breathing as usual, in random order, with a washout period in between. The people measuring the results didn't know which period was which.

Here's what they found:

• 50 of the 51 people finished the study.
• They taped on a median of 26 out of 28 nights.
• 36 said mouth taping was very or fairly acceptable.
• There was no difference between the taping and normal breathing periods in morning peak flow, asthma symptom scores or any of the other measures.

The authors concluded that taping the mouth at night had no effect on asthma control in people with symptomatic asthma.

What does that mean for you?

The asthma trial has two takeaways for you. On the positive side, adults with asthma in a supervised study were able to tape almost every night, and most found it acceptable. That's useful if your main question is whether you'd cope with it.

On the other side, it didn't help their asthma. Sleep Foundation sums it up the same way, noting that studies of mouth taping in people with asthma haven't shown meaningful benefits.

The trial also has limits. It was small, it lasted four weeks, and the participants' lung function was fairly good on average. The abstract doesn't report on side effects, so it can't tell you how safe taping is for someone whose asthma is poorly controlled or who has frequent attacks at night. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found only 10 mouth taping studies in total, with 213 patients, and rated the evidence as poor.

What do the safety guidelines say?

Sleep Foundation lists people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among those who shouldn't use mouth tape unless a doctor advises it. That's the clearest guidance available, and it's why this page starts with talking to your doctor.

It isn't a blanket ban. It's a recognition that asthma varies a lot from person to person, and your doctor knows things about yours that a general guide can't.

The NHS notes that asthma symptoms may be worse at night and early in the morning, and advises seeing a GP if asthma is waking you up at night. If that's happening to you, the night-time symptoms are the thing to deal with first. Tape won't help them, and having your mouth taped is the last thing you want during a bad night.

Is nasal breathing still worth working on?

Nasal breathing may still be worth working on, as part of a wider program. A 2020 Cochrane review looked at breathing exercises for adults with asthma, including yoga, breathing retraining and the Buteyko method. Many of these programs encourage relaxation and nasal breathing along with other changes to how you breathe. The review covered 22 studies with 2,880 people and found breathing exercises may improve quality of life, hyperventilation symptoms and lung function, although the quality of the evidence ranged from moderate to very low.

A 2026 meta-analysis of seven randomized trials of the Buteyko technique, added to standard care, found a modest improvement in asthma control. The authors said the evidence remains limited and larger trials are needed.

These are whole breathing programs, and in the Buteyko trials they were added to normal asthma treatment rather than replacing it. The one trial that tested mouth tape on its own found no effect on asthma. If you're interested in breathing retraining, ask your asthma nurse or doctor whether it's available. Our guide to nasal breathing exercises covers some of the basics.

What should you ask your doctor?

A short list makes the conversation easier:

1. Is my asthma controlled well enough that mouth tape is reasonable to try?
2. Do my night-time symptoms suggest my treatment needs changing?
3. Is anything blocking my nose, such as allergic rhinitis or a deviated septum, that I should treat first?
4. With tape on, how quickly could I reach and use my reliever inhaler?
5. Are there signs that would mean I should stop?

It helps to bring your asthma action plan and, if you use one, your peak flow diary. If your doctor would rather you didn't try tape, you can still ask about the breathing programs above.

It's also worth mentioning if you snore loudly or wake up gasping. Those can point to sleep apnea, which mouth tape doesn't treat. Our guide to snoring vs sleep apnea covers the warning signs.

If your doctor says it's fine, how do you start?

If your doctor says mouth tape is fine, start with your nose. Do the two-minute nose test: sit quietly with your mouth closed and breathe only through your nose. If that's hard, don't tape, and our guide to why your nose is stuffy at night may help find out why.

Then ease in:

• Use a small piece of tape made for skin, and fold over a corner so you can grab it.
• Wear it while awake for 15 minutes or so before trying it overnight.
• Keep your reliever inhaler within reach, as your action plan says.
• Skip the tape on nights your asthma is playing up, or when you have a cold.

Our guide to how to start mouth taping has a full first-week plan, and mouth tape with a cold explains when to take a break.

Read next

• Is mouth taping safe? Who should try it and who shouldn't
• Nasal vs mouth breathing
• Is mouth taping safe for me?, our short checklist

* 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.