Should you mouth tape with a cold, congestion or allergies?

You shouldn't use mouth tape while your nose is blocked. It only makes sense when you can breathe comfortably through your nose, and a cold, an allergy flare or a sinus infection takes that away. Leave the tape off until your nose is clear again, and if it's blocked most nights, see a doctor about why.

The good news is that a cold is temporary. If mouth tape works well for you, a few nights off won't undo anything, and you can pick it back up once your nose has recovered.

Why is a blocked nose a problem with mouth tape?

With your lips taped, your nose becomes your main way to breathe. If it's congested, there's less room for air to get through. Dr. Adrian Salmon, director of UConn Health's Sleep Disorders Center, points out that with tape on it's difficult to open your mouth when airflow through your nose drops. The Sleep Foundation puts it simply: if your nose becomes blocked during the night, mouth taping can make breathing difficult.

The research doesn't offer much reassurance either. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found only 10 studies on mouth taping, with 213 patients in total. Some of those studies discussed possible risks, including asphyxiation when the nose is obstructed, and many of them excluded anyone with nasal obstruction in the first place. So there's very little data on what happens when someone with a blocked nose tapes their mouth, and the authors concluded there may be a potentially serious risk of harm for people practicing the trend indiscriminately.

Dr. Salmon told UConn Today that a person with congestion from a cold or allergies would be in "significant distress" with their mouth taped.

What does a blocked nose do to your breathing at night?

A blocked nose makes sleep breathing worse, even without tape. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in OTO Open pooled studies in which the nose was blocked, either in experiments, after treatment for nosebleeds or after nasal surgery. Nasal obstruction was linked to a clinically significant rise in breathing disruptions during sleep, about 14 more events an hour on the apnea-hypopnea index. The authors wrote that it may cause sleep apnea-like problems even in people who were previously healthy.

They also wrote that the findings underscore the importance of nasal breathing. That's the same reason mouth tape appeals to people in the first place. It's also why tape only makes sense when the nose is open: the whole idea depends on air moving freely through it.

What do sleep experts say about colds and allergies?

The Sleep Foundation lists anyone with nasal congestion or blockage, such as from allergies, a deviated septum or a cold, among the people who shouldn't use mouth tape, because nasal breathing may not be possible.

Brian Chen, MD, a pediatric sleep medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic, goes further. He says mouth tape should never be used if you have nasal congestion, chronic allergies, a sinus infection, nasal obstruction or a deviated septum, and describes it as an "unacceptable level of risk" for people with nasal obstruction or chronic allergies.

That advice also explains why so many people mouth breathe at night in the first place. The PLOS One review names allergic rhinitis, enlarged adenoids and tonsils, and a deviated septum among the most common causes. Tape doesn't fix any of them.

What about a nose that's only slightly stuffy?

A nose that feels clear when you turn the light off can still become blocked during the night, which is exactly the situation the Sleep Foundation warns about. If you're not sure whether your nose is clear enough, treat that as a no for tonight.

A simple check is our nose test. Sit quietly with your mouth closed and breathe only through your nose for two minutes. If that feels like work, your nose isn't ready for tape.

Can you use a nasal strip instead while you're sick?

A nasal strip doesn't hold your mouth closed, so you can still breathe through your mouth if your nose gives out. Cleveland Clinic lists nasal strips among the safer options for snoring, along with sleeping on your side and taking decongestants to relieve congestion. Sleep Foundation describes strips as adhesive devices that expand the nasal passage, and notes that studies have produced mixed results for snoring.

So if you want something for a stuffy night, a strip on its own is a reasonable choice, and the tape stays in the drawer. Our guide to nasal strips for allergies covers using them during a flare.

When can you start again?

You can start mouth taping again once the cold has passed or your allergies have settled and the two-minute nose test feels easy again. There's no need to rush back. Give it a few extra nights if you're still sniffing or clearing your throat.

When you do restart, use tape made for skin and make sure you can open your mouth or peel the tape off with one hand. Stop if you wake up short of breath or panicky. Our guide to whether mouth taping is safe covers the full checklist.

A gentle way back in looks like this:

1. Do the nose test in the evening, close to bedtime, not just in the morning.
2. Wear the tape for 15 minutes or so while you read, as you did when you first started.
3. If that's comfortable, wear it to bed. Fold over one corner, as Sleep Foundation suggests, so it's easy to peel off.
4. If your nose starts to feel blocked in the night, take the tape off and give it a few more days.

The research on mouth taping was done with people whose noses were working well. Many of the studies in the PLOS One review excluded people with nasal obstruction, and in the 2022 study researchers gave medicine or a nasal spray to anyone with a blocked nose before they started taping. Waiting for a clear nose puts you in the same position as the people the research is based on.

What helps you sleep with a stuffy nose instead?

Leaving the tape in the drawer doesn't mean giving up on a decent night. Our guides on how to sleep with a stuffy nose and how to unblock your nose before bed go through the practical options. If you're on any medicine for a cold or allergies, check the label or ask a pharmacist before combining it with anything else.

What if allergies keep your nose blocked?

Allergies are a different situation from a cold because they don't always pass in a week. Sleep Foundation says around 25% of people in westernized countries have an allergic reaction to things they breathe in, such as pollen, and that this often involves nasal congestion. Its advice is to treat your allergies first if you find yourself breathing through your mouth at night, to see if that helps you breathe more comfortably through your nose.

If treatment gets your nose clear and the nose test feels easy again, you're in a better position to consider tape. If your nose stays blocked, Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Chen lists chronic allergies among the reasons not to tape at all. Our article on allergies that get worse at night has more on night-time symptoms.

When is congestion a reason to see a doctor?

A few blocked nights during a cold is normal. A nose that's blocked most nights is different. Mayo Clinic notes that chronic nasal congestion or a deviated septum can contribute to snoring, and Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Chen lists both among the reasons not to tape at all.

See a doctor if your nose is blocked most of the time, if allergies keep you breathing through your mouth at night, or if you snore loudly and someone has seen you gasp or stop breathing in your sleep. Those are problems to diagnose, and mouth tape isn't a way around them.

Read next

• How to sleep with a stuffy nose
• Is mouth taping safe? Who should try it and who shouldn't
• 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.