TikTok’s newest trend is being labeled dangerous by health experts.
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Doctors are worried due to this new viral trend on TikTok.
Mouth Taping is the latest risky TikTok trend that involves people taping their mouths while they sleep.
With several creators taking part in the trend, videos with the hashtag #mouthtaping on the short video sharing platform have been viewed over 24 million times.
The video sees creators taping their mouths before sleeping at night in a bid to promote nasal breathing. Creators are practicing the dangerous trend to get improved oral health and better quality of sleep.
Health coach Cody Rodriguez shared the video on TikTok where he says, “The goal is to breathe through your nose while you’re asleep versus your mouth.” He claims that taping his mouth every night before going to sleep has given him better oral hygiene, and reduced snoring.
The video that Cody shared last year has received over five million views on TikTok. Under the post's comments sections, several people have claimed that they have tried this trend.
One person wrote, “I do this every night, expect I tape my whole lips. At first, I thought I’d panic but no issues. Sleep SO much better, lessened snoring, no dry mouth.”
Some health experts are now speaking out against the dangerous viral trend.
The Sleep Foundation has found side effects of mouth taping that include irritation on or around the lips, and disturbance in sleep due to difficulty in breathing only through noes.
Sleep Expert, James Wilson aka The Sleep Geek tells Newsweek, “Unfortunately, mouth taping is an extreme way of encouraging nose breathing that has some serious health risks.”
He spoke about an increase in risk for those who suffer from sleep apnea, a condition when your breathing stops and starts during sleep.
Cover image: Facebook
