以下是专家对睡前用胶带粘住嘴唇的“潮流”的看法。

在 TikTok （抖音）的一段视频中，有人声称这样做给了她更多能量（有精神）。 也有人说他们的下巴轮廓更尖锐（美了）； 改善皮肤、情绪和消化功能； 减少脑雾、蛀牙、牙龈疾病和口臭； 和增强了免疫系统。

嘴巴贴胶带是一种简单的生活窍门，只需在睡觉前轻轻地将一块对皮肤无损的胶带贴在嘴唇上，使其保持闭合状态，以鼓励通过鼻子呼吸。据称它的好处已经在社交媒体上掀起了风暴。

但这些福利真的有科学依据吗？ 当你熟睡时用胶带封住你的嘴安全吗？ 我们请教了几位专家来了解一下。

用鼻呼吸有什么好处？

斯坦福大学的声音和吞咽专家安·科尔尼（Ann Kearney）研究用胶带封住嘴如何帮助打鼾的人，她说通过鼻子呼吸有显着的好处——无论是在晚上还是白天。

她说，鼻呼吸是一种比通过嘴吸气和呼气“更高效、更有效的呼吸方式”，因为它可以加湿和过滤空气，并激活下肺，让你进行更深、更充分的呼吸。 它还可以帮助你在入睡时放松身体。

克利夫兰诊所的睡眠专家马里·霍瓦特医生说，通过鼻子呼吸还可以帮助过滤掉过敏原、病原体和灰尘，可能有助于预防感染和过敏。【注：我把Dr.都翻译成“医生”，而不是“博士”。】

当你通过鼻子呼吸时，鼻窦自然会产生一种称为一氧化氮的气体。 南加州大学凯克医学院的肺部和睡眠医学专家 Raj Dasgupta 医生说，当一氧化氮从鼻窦流向肺部并进入血液时，它可以帮助降低血压。 他说，这种气体可以扩张血管，也可能改善血液流动。

科尔尼女士说，张着嘴睡觉可能会导致你醒来时口干舌燥，这可能会导致蛀牙、口臭、声音嘶哑、以及嘴唇干燥、干裂。

嘴巴贴胶带有任何经过证实的好处吗？

尽管最近很流行嘴巴贴胶带，但这种做法带尚未得到广泛研究。 一些小型试验，研究了嘴巴贴胶带是否可以缓解患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停等睡眠状况的人的打鼾。这种情况是在睡眠时，部分或全部上呼吸道被阻塞，导致整个晚上呼吸反复“停止和重新开始”。

例如，在一项针对轻度阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停患者的小型研究中，研究人员发现，在20 名用胶带封住嘴唇睡觉的患者中，有 13 人在贴胶带时打鼾比不贴胶带时打鼾少。在另一项研究中，研究人员对 30 名患有轻度阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停的患者进行了研究，这些患者在睡觉时往往通过嘴呼吸。研究人员发现，平均而言，当他们在嘴被用胶带封住时，他们的打鼾程度比平时要轻。

但科尔尼博士说，现有的关于嘴巴贴胶带的研究很有限，而且我们对这种做法如何使一般人受益知之甚少。

波士顿布莱根妇女医院的睡眠医学专家安德鲁·威尔曼医生研究了嘴巴贴胶带。他表示，虽然这种做法不能治愈睡眠呼吸暂停等疾病，但它可能有助于改善这些人的呼吸（airflow）并减少打鼾。 这样，可能有助于这些人的“同床人”睡得更深、更安宁。

但其他一些说法则不太明确。 记者兼《呼吸：失落艺术的新科学》一书的作者詹姆斯·内斯特 (James Nestor) 表示，“没有任何证据表明你会变得更美丽或拥有更鲜美的皮肤。”

嘴巴贴胶带安全吗？

科尔尼医生说，并不是每个人都适合嘴上贴胶带。 如果你很难通过鼻子呼吸，或者一整天尝试用鼻呼吸时都能听到自己的声音，则不应尝试用晚上胶带封住嘴。 相反，她说，应该由耳鼻喉科医生进行评估。 鼻中隔偏曲、过敏、鼻窦炎、或慢性充血等解剖学问题可能会导致鼻子呼吸困难。

霍瓦特医生说，如果你经常打鼾或醒来时感觉更累而不是精神焕发，请考虑在使用嘴巴贴胶带之前先去看睡眠专家。 睡眠呼吸暂停等疾病会导致白天打鼾和疲劳，因此首先了解问题的根源很重要。 达斯古普塔医生说，即使你没有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停，在尝试用胶带封住嘴之前也应该咨询医生。

内斯特先生说，如果你确实决定尝试一下，那么使用正确的胶带很重要。 他说，不要伸手去拿一般的胶带（duck tape）或任何不易去除的胶带。 “胶带应该能够轻松撕下，没有任何张力或阻力，”内斯特先生补充道，就像手术胶带一样。 封嘴的目的不是紧封住你的嘴唇，而是提醒你的肌肉放松。

内斯特先生建议从白天开始逐渐练习。 他说，每次将胶带贴在嘴上约 10 分钟，然后第二天再贴上 20 分钟左右。 几周后，你的身体可能会适应通过鼻子呼吸，你可以在睡觉时尝试使用胶带封嘴巴。

达斯古普塔博士说，如果这听起来没有吸引力，还有其他生活方式的小调整可以解决用嘴呼吸的问题。 他说，吸烟和饮酒会刺激鼻腔并使鼻腔充血，导致人们张着嘴睡觉。因此，如果你吸烟或饮酒，可以减少吸烟和饮酒，以促进鼻呼吸并缓解打鼾。 他指出，鼻带、鼻扩张器、以及喉咙和舌头锻炼也可以解决打鼾问题。 科尔尼医生说，仰睡也可能会导致你用嘴呼吸；因此改变你的睡眠姿势可能会有所帮助。

但专家表示，哪怕是用胶带或其他方式进行的最小调整，也不太可能从根本上改变你的健康或休息质量。 令人沮丧的事实是，大多数“健康黑客”无法在一夜之间解决你的问题。 “没有一种简单的方法可以改善睡眠，”达斯古普塔医生说。

丹尼·布鲁姆 (Dani Blum) 是《时代周刊》的“健康”专题副记者。

Can a Piece of Tape Help You Sleep?

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/well/live/mouth-taping-benefits-sleep.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Here’s what experts say about the trend of taping your lips closed at bedtime.

In a video on TikTok, one person claims it gives her more energy. Others, a sharper jawline; improved skin, mood and digestion; reduced brain fog, cavities, gum disease and bad breath; and a strengthened immune system.

The purported benefits of mouth taping, a simple life hack that involves gently placing a piece of skin-friendly tape over your lips to keep them shut while sleeping to encourage breathing through your nose, have taken social media by storm.

But are these perks actually backed by science? And is it safe to have your mouth taped shut while you’re fast asleep? We asked a few experts to find out.

What are the benefits of nasal breathing?

Ann Kearney, a voice and swallowing specialist at Stanford University who studies how mouth taping might help people who snore, said that there are significant benefits to breathing through your nose — whether at night or during the day.

Nasal breathing is a “more efficient, effective way of breathing” than inhaling and exhaling through your mouth, she said, because it humidifies and filters the air, and activates the lower lungs, letting you take deeper, fuller breaths. It can also help your body relax as you ease into sleep.

Breathing through your nose can also help filter out allergens, pathogens and dust, potentially helping to defend against infections and ward off allergies, said Dr. Marri Horvat, a sleep specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.

When you breathe through your nose, your sinuses naturally produce a gas called nitric oxide. As nitric oxide flows from the nasal sinuses to the lungs and into the blood, it can help lower blood pressure, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. The gas can widen blood vessels, he said, potentially also improving blood flow.

Sleeping with your mouth agape may cause you to wake up with a dry mouth, Ms. Kearney said, which can contribute to cavities, bad breath, a hoarse voice and dry, cracked lips.

Are there any proven benefits of mouth taping?

Despite its recent popularity, mouth taping has not been extensively studied. A few small trials have looked into whether mouth taping can alleviate snoring in people with pre-existing sleep conditions, like obstructive sleep apnea — which occurs when part or all of your upper airway is blocked while you sleep, causing breathing to stop and start repeatedly throughout the night.

In one small study in people with mild obstructive sleep apnea, for instance, researchers found that among 20 patients who slept with their lips taped shut, 13 snored less with the tape than they did without it. In another study, including 30 patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea who tended to breathe through their mouths while sleeping, researchers found that they snored less severely, on average, when they wore a patch over their mouths than they did when they didn’t.

But the existing studies on mouth taping are limited, Dr. Kearney said, and we know little about how the practice could benefit people in general.

Dr. Andrew Wellman, a sleep medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who has studied mouth taping, said that while the practice won’t cure a condition like sleep apnea, it may help improve a person’s airflow and reduce their snoring, which in turn may help their bed partner to have a deeper, more restful sleep.

But some of the other claims are less definitive. “There is zero evidence that you’ll be more beautiful or will have clearer skin,” said James Nestor, a journalist and author of “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.”

Is mouth taping safe?

Not everyone is a good candidate for mouth taping, Dr. Kearney said. If you struggle to breathe through your nose or can hear yourself when you attempt to nasal breathe throughout the day, you should not try mouth taping. Instead, she said, get evaluated by an ear, nose and throat doctor. An anatomical issue like a deviated septum, or allergies, sinusitis or chronic congestion, may explain any difficulty breathing through your nose.

And if you regularly snore or wake up feeling more tired than refreshed, Dr. Horvat said, consider seeing a sleep specialist before reaching for mouth tape. A condition like sleep apnea can cause snoring and fatigue during the day, so it’s important to understand the root of your problem first. Even if you do not have obstructive sleep apnea, you should consult with a doctor before trying mouth taping, Dr. Dasgupta said.

If you do decide that you want to try it, it is important to use the right tape, Mr. Nestor said. Don’t reach for duct tape or anything that isn’t easily removable, he said. “The tape should be able to effortlessly come off, without any tension or resistance,” Mr. Nestor added, like surgical tape. The goal of mouth taping isn’t to seal your lips shut — it’s to remind your muscles to relax.

Mr. Nestor recommended easing into the practice by starting during the day. Place the tape over your mouth for about 10 minutes at a time, he said, and then work up to 20 minutes or so the next day. After a few weeks, your body may acclimate to breathing through the nose, and you can try out mouth tape while you sleep.

If that doesn’t sound appealing, there are other small lifestyle tweaks that can address mouth breathing, Dr. Dasgupta said. Smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol can cause people to sleep with their mouths open by irritating and congesting the nasal passages, he said, so if you partake in those activities, cutting back can encourage nasal breathing and alleviate snoring. He noted that nasal strips, nasal dilators and throat and tongue exercises can also address snoring. Sleeping on your back may also cause you to mouth breathe, so changing your sleep position may help, Dr. Kearney said.

But minimal tweaks — from a piece of tape or otherwise — are unlikely to radically transform your health or the quality of your rest, experts said. The discouraging truth is that most “health hacks” won’t solve your problems overnight. “There is no one easy way to fix your sleep,” Dr. Dasgupta said.

Dani Blum is an associate reporter for Well at The Times.