How to stop mouth breathing at night?

If you wake up with a dry mouth, sore throat, or morning headaches, there’s a good chance you’re breathing through your mouth while you sleep. Besides being uncomfortable, chronic mouth breathing can worsen snoring and sleep apnea, irritate gums, and erode dental enamel. The good news: you can often fix it once you find the root cause and use strategies that match it.

This guide pulls together clinically backed steps to help you stop mouth breathing at night and sleep better.

Why do people mouth-breathe at night?

Nighttime mouth breathing typically has one or more of these drivers:

1. Nasal blockage (allergies, chronic congestion, deviated septum, nasal valve collapse, turbinate swelling). When the nose can’t move air easily, your body “fails over” to the mouth. A significantly deviated septum can cause disturbed sleep and dry mouth from mouth breathing.
2. Sleep-disordered breathing (snoring, obstructive sleep apnea). These conditions promote open-mouth posture and fragmented sleep and require formal assessment and treatment.
3. Habits and posture (low tongue posture, weak orofacial muscles). Over time this can make nasal breathing feel “hard,” even when the nose is clear. Emerging evidence suggests myofunctional therapy structured tongue, lip, and facial exercises can reduce apnea severity and promote nasal breathing in select patients.
4. Allergies & irritants (dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke). These inflame the nasal lining and drive congestion and mouth breathing.

Quick self-check: Is your nose open?

During the day, try a gentle “alternate nostril” check: close one nostril, inhale through the other, switch sides. If one or both sides feel persistently blocked or if you routinely wake with a parched mouth you likely need to tackle nasal airflow and/or screen for sleep apnea.

How to stop mouth breathing at night: step-by-step

1) Clear the nose and keep it clear

1. Treat allergies. Use allergen avoidance (encase bedding; wash sheets hot; run a HEPA purifier in the bedroom) and discuss medical therapy (e.g., intranasal steroids or antihistamines) with your clinician. Allergies commonly lead to congestion and mouth breathing
2. Saline irrigation. Rinsing with isotonic saline (neti pot or squeeze bottle) before bed can reduce mucus and swelling so the nose does its job overnight.
3. Steam + humidification. A cool-mist humidifier in dry climates can ease nasal dryness and reduce “compensatory” mouth breathing.
4. Consider nasal dilator strips. Multiple studies show external nasal strips can modestly reduce nasal airflow resistance and improve subjective congestion and sleep in selected users. They’re drug-free and worth a low-risk trial
5. When structural issues exist. If you’ve had long-standing obstruction from a deviated septum or similar problems, an ENT evaluation can confirm the diagnosis and discuss options (medical or surgical). Severe deviation is linked to dry mouth and disturbed sleep.

Tip: If you frequently “can’t breathe” through your nose at night but feel fine in the daytime, look for triggers (bedroom allergens, recumbent reflux, very dry air) and address them first.

2) Screen for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Mouth breathing can be a symptom not just a habit. If you snore, stop breathing during sleep (witnessed apneas), wake unrefreshed, or have high blood pressure, talk to your clinician about sleep testing. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) provides evidence-based guidance for diagnosing OSA and choosing therapy.

1. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is the gold standard for moderate–severe OSA.
2. Oral appliances (custom mandibular advancement devices fitted by a trained dentist) can help adults who prefer them or can’t tolerate CPAP
3. Weight management, positional therapy, and alcohol moderation support any primary treatment.

Failing to treat OSA can keep your mouth open all night no matter how many nose sprays you use.

3) Train the tongue and lips (myofunctional therapy)

If your nose is open and apnea is addressed but your mouth still falls open myofunctional therapy (OMT) can help retrain oral posture:

1. Exercises strengthen tongue elevation, lip seal, and oropharyngeal muscles.
2. A meta-analysis reports average reductions in apnea severity (~50% in adults, ~62% in children) and improved snoring in selected patients; it’s not a cure-all, but it’s promising as an adjunct.
3. Recent RCTs and reviews continue to explore OMT as a supportive option, often alongside standard care.

Ask for referral to a clinician trained in OMT (some dentists, ENTs, speech-language pathologists, and specialized therapists offer this).

4) Be cautious with “mouth taping”

You’ve probably seen mouth-taping all over social feeds. Here’s what the evidence and experts say:

1. Potential benefit in mild cases: A small clinical study found mouth taping reduced snoring and apnea severity in mild OSA mouth-breathers.
2. But major caveats: Harvard Health and other experts warn that mouth taping can be risky, especially if you have nasal obstruction or undiagnosed sleep apnea; it may hamper breathing and disrupt sleep. It’s not a substitute for diagnosing and treating the underlying cause.

Bottom line: If you’re considering mouth taping, talk to a clinician first to rule out OSA and nasal blockage. Never use household tape; avoid if you have nasal congestion, respiratory illness, or use sedatives. News and medical outlets have highlighted safety concerns and limited evidence.

5) Optimize sleep hygiene & bedroom setup

1. Side-sleeping can reduce snoring and tongue collapse in some people with positional issues.
2. Elevate the head of the bed a few inches to ease nasal drainage and reduce mouth-opening reflexes.
3. Limit alcohol within 3–4 hours of bedtime; it relaxes airway muscles and promotes open-mouth snoring.
4. Keep the room clean & allergen-light (wash bedding weekly in hot water; encase pillows/mattress; consider a HEPA purifier).

Harvard Health notes that persistent “stuffy nose” often reflects chronic issues or structural blockage addressing the cause, not just symptoms, is key.

A simple nightly routine (10 minutes)

Use this sequence to stop open mouth breathing at night and make nasal breathing your default:

1. Rinse: Saline nasal rinse, then gentle nose blowing.
2. Relieve: If you use an intranasal steroid or antihistamine (per clinician advice), apply it now.
3. Open: Apply an external nasal strip to support the nasal valve (optional but helpful for many).
4. Humidify: Run a cool-mist humidifier and keep a glass of water by the bed.
5. Position: Side-sleep; elevate the head of the bed slightly.
6. Train: Do 3–5 minutes of OMT-style tongue and lip exercises (e.g., sustained tongue-to-palate hold, nasal-only diaphragmatic breathing). Evidence is growing that regular practice helps reinforce nasal breathing.

Special situations

Children who mouth-breathe

In kids, mouth breathing can stem from allergies, enlarged adenoids/tonsils, or nasal obstruction. Because it can affect sleep quality and even facial growth patterns over time, get a pediatric evaluation; treatments may include allergy care, myofunctional training, or ENT procedures.

Deviated septum, polyps, or chronic sinus disease

If your nose never feels open or you’ve had repeated sinus infections ask for an ENT assessment. Structural problems (e.g., severe deviated septum) are linked to dry mouth and sleep disturbance; correcting the airflow bottleneck often resolves nighttime mouth breathing.

Suspected sleep apnea

If your partner notices loud snoring, gasping, or pauses in breathing, or you’re excessively sleepy, arrange sleep testing. Treatments such as CPAP or custom oral appliances target the true problem and often eliminate mouth breathing as a downstream effect.

What about gadgets and “natural hacks”?

1. Nasal dilators/strips: Low-risk, inexpensive; modest benefit for some.
2. Essential oils, spicy foods, or hot showers: May give temporary decongestion but are not long-term fixes.
3. Mouth guards & chin straps: Mouth guards (mandibular advancement devices) are prescription-grade for sleep apnea; over-the-counter versions don’t treat OSA. Chin straps may keep the mouth closed but won’t fix a blocked nose or apnea. Follow medical guidance.
4. Mouth taping: Avoid DIY unless you’ve been medically screened; safety concerns remain.

When to see a doctor

1. You can’t breathe comfortably through your nose most nights
2. You snore loudly, gasp, or feel extremely sleepy during the day
3. You have recurrent sinus infections, nosebleeds, or facial pain
4. You tried the routine above for 3–4 weeks with little improvement

Sleep clinicians follow AASM guidelines to diagnose and treat sleep disorders; a tailored plan (CPAP, oral appliance, allergy therapy, or ENT care) usually resolves the mouth-breathing problem at its source.

FAQ

How to stop open mouth breathing at night fast?
Start with a nose-first approach (rinse, treat allergies, nasal strip), then optimize position and humidity. If snoring or daytime sleepiness is present, screen for OSA treating apnea is the fastest way to stop habitual open-mouth sleep.

Does mouth taping work to stop breathing through the mouth at night?
It may reduce snoring in select mild cases, but experts warn of safety risks and limited evidence. Always rule out nasal blockage and OSA before attempting it.

Can exercises train me to nose-breathe in sleep?
Yes myofunctional therapy strengthens tongue and lip seal and has shown reductions in apnea severity and snoring when used with standard care.

What if my nose is always blocked?
Long-standing obstruction (e.g., deviated septum) is a medical issue; an ENT can offer targeted solutions.

Sources

1. Mayo Clinic: Deviated septum complications (dry mouth, disturbed sleep). Mayo Clinic
2. Harvard Health: Allergies & chronic congestion; perspectives on mouth taping and snoring. Harvard Health
3. AASM: Diagnostic guideline for obstructive sleep apnea. PMC
4. American Dental Association: Oral appliances for OSA role and effectiveness. Ada Association
5. Myofunctional therapy evidence: Meta-analysis and clinical research. PMC
6. Nasal dilator research: Reduced nasal resistance and improved subjective sleep in congestion. BioMed Central
7. News/health reporting on mouth-taping safety (context). AP News