Mouth tape and nasal strips both help you breathe through your nose at night, but they solve different problems. One keeps your mouth closed; the other opens your nose. Here's how to work out which one you need.
The quick answer
- Mouth falls open at night? Try mouth tape.
- Nose feels blocked or narrow? Try nasal strips.
- Both? Use them together. The strip opens your nose, so keeping your mouth closed with tape feels natural.
Signs you breathe through your mouth at night
- You wake up with a dry mouth or a sore, scratchy throat
- Your partner says you snore with your mouth open
- There's a damp patch on your pillow in the morning
If that sounds like you, mouth tape keeps your lips gently closed so you stay breathing through your nose. In a small 2022 study, 13 of 20 adults who breathed through their mouths snored at least 50% less with tape (Lee et al., 2022), though a 2025 review says the wider evidence is still limited (Rhee et al., 2025).
Signs your nose is the problem
- Your nose often feels stuffy at bedtime
- You snore more with a cold or hay fever
- Breathing through your nose feels like hard work when you lie down
Here, nasal strips are the place to start. For snoring caused by blocked or narrow airways in your nose, the NHS lists strips that hold your nose open as a treatment. (NHS: snoring)
Why lots of people use both
Mouth tape only feels comfortable if breathing through your nose is easy. If your nose is even slightly blocked, adding a strip makes all the difference. That's why we sell them as a pair: strips open your nose, and tape keeps your mouth closed.
How to start
- Start with a nasal strip for a couple of nights and notice how your breathing feels.
- Add mouth tape once breathing through your nose feels easy. Try it for a few minutes while you're awake first.
- Give it a week. Most people need a few nights to get used to it.
A quick safety note
Don't use mouth tape if your nose is blocked, if you feel unwell, or on children. Neither product treats sleep apnoea. See a GP if your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, you gasp or choke in your sleep, or you're always very tired during the day. (NHS: sleep apnoea)
