Last week, mouth tape went viral, and we have American Instagram fitness influencer Ashton Hall to thank. In his morning routine video, Hall claimed mouth taping was his secret weapon to better sleep and workouts. But is he right? Could this strange trend really help you run faster and perform better?
4/ Nasal Breathing & Mouth Taping During Exercise
Hall tapes his mouth shut while exercising & focuses on nasal breathing.
– Improves oxygen efficiency
– Reduces hyperventilation
– Enhances endurance & performanceShould men 50+ do this?
If you’re new to nasal breathing,… pic.twitter.com/YwkZReeGIB
— Todd Butz (@butzey) March 26, 2025
As odd as it sounds (and as creepy as it looks), mouth tape forces you to breathe through your nose by keeping your lips sealed shut. While many people use it to reduce snoring or sleep apnea symptoms, some runners have wondered if tape could give them an edge in training.
Bad news. There’s no evidence that mouth taping alone will make you run faster. However, if you have an underlying sleep issue, improving your breathing at night could help you feel more rested and less congested, which could benefit your morning runs or races. But if you’re hoping for an easy way to shave minutes off your 5K or marathon time, mouth tape likely isn’t your golden ticket.
Training yourself to breathe through your nose may be beneficial for those managing sleep conditions, but it’s not going to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon. A 2024 study published in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation explored the effects of nasal versus mouth breathing on endurance. It found that using mouth tape has next to no effect.
If you’re curious to try mouth taping to reduce snoring, there are safe ways to ease into it. Start simple, without tape—practise nasal breathing for three to five minutes before bed to get accustomed to it. If you’re ready to dive into the deep end, use mouth strips specifically designed for athletic use. Avoid Canadian household tapes like duct tape or hockey tape. Gradually build your tolerance by starting with a small gap in the tape to leave room for emergency breathing.
Can nasal strips elevate your race day performance?
The bottom line is this: unless you’re addressing a sleep-related issue, mouth tape won’t make you faster. At best, it’s an intriguing experiment for runners who are committed to improving their sleep or focusing on (more) nasal breathing. If it helps you feel more relaxed and breathe better, that’s a win, but don’t expect it to be a transformative performance tool.
