Summary
Chalene Johnson shares a one-year update on her mouth taping experiment, revealing that she no longer tapes nightly because she successfully retrained herself to breathe through her nose during sleep. As a lifelong chronic mouth breather who believed she could not breathe through her nose, Chalene explains how mouth taping broke that habit in under 30 days, leading to dramatically improved sleep scores on her Oura ring, the end of her chronic dry mouth, and zero new cavities after a lifetime of constant dental problems. Beyond sleep improvements, Chalene describes unexpected changes to her jaw and face shape from a year of nasal breathing and altered tongue posture, comparing before-and-after photos that show a more defined, square jawline. She covers the practical side of getting started -- recommending postage-stamp-sized pieces of light tape or purpose-made mouth tape with breathing holes for beginners -- and notes that the habit carried over into daytime awareness of breathing during exercise. She recommends Andrew Huberman's podcast for deeper research on the topic and emphasizes consulting a doctor before starting if you have sleep apnea or respiratory issues.
Key Points
- Chalene successfully retrained herself to nose-breathe during sleep within about 30 days of mouth taping, and no longer needs tape nightly
- Her Oura ring sleep scores improved significantly after starting mouth taping, especially REM sleep duration
- A lifetime of chronic cavities and dental problems stopped completely once she began nasal breathing at night
- Nasal breathing filters particles, humidifies and warms air, slows breathing rate, lowers blood pressure, and boosts nitric oxide for better oxygen absorption
- Unexpected facial changes occurred over a year: more defined jawline attributed to changed tongue posture from habitual nasal breathing
- Start with a postage-stamp-sized piece of light tape or purpose-made mouth tape with a breathing hole for the first few nights
- Mouth taping helped her fall asleep faster by forcing slower, more meditative breathing patterns
- She still uses mouth tape situationally in hotels and dry environments where mouth breathing tends to return
Key Moments
Nose breathing filters air, warms it, and boosts oxygen absorption
Chalene Johnson explains that nose breathing filters impurities, humidifies and warms air before it reaches the lungs, regulates breathing rate to reduce stress and heart rate, and produces nitric oxide for better oxygen absorption, all of which support immune function and exercise performance.
"When we breathe through our nose, it slows down our breathing rate, which slows down our stress level, slows down our heart rate, and it helps us to manage stress. Also, your nasal sinuses produce nitric oxide, which is a molecule, I sound so smart now, that plays a very significant role in the way your body absorbs oxygen."
Mouth taping trained the habit of nasal breathing in under 30 days
After using mouth tape consistently, Chalene discovered she no longer needed it because she had retrained herself to keep her mouth closed at night. Her Oura ring showed improved sleep scores, especially REM sleep, and most people can develop the nasal breathing habit in under 30 days.
"I don't mouth tape on a regular basis because I don't need to, because I've now developed the habit. There are times, however, where it's kind of like anything else, like counting macros."
Mouth taping may change facial structure through tongue position
Chalene noticed unexpected changes in her jaw and face shape after a year of mouth taping, with her jaw appearing more square and defined. A follower suggested that nasal breathing changes tongue placement, which over time can shift the jaw position and facial structure.
"this person sent me a DM and they're like take a look at some of the research regarding how by breathing through your nose, it changes the position of where you place your tongue, which means I've placed my tongue in a different position now for a year."
Lifelong dental problems improved after starting mouth taping
After a lifetime of frequent cavities and root canals despite rigorous dental hygiene, Chalene's dental checkups dramatically improved after starting mouth taping. She attributes this to ending nighttime mouth breathing, which was drying out her mouth and causing decay.
"I haven't had a cavity. I haven't had anything other than like a cap fall off, which is just is what it is. But I haven't had any like new cavities, no new decay, nothing since I started doing this."
