Nose or mouth breathing? How to test it yourself at home

Many people don't know whether they breathe through their nose or mouth while sleeping. That's understandable: you're unconscious. Yet, there are clear signs visible during the day and immediately after waking up. With a simple self-test, you can discover within a few days if mouth breathing is an issue for you and what you can do about it.

How do you recognize mouth breathing in yourself?

Mouth breathing during sleep leaves traces that you can immediately observe in the morning. The most recognizable sign is a dry mouth or dry throat upon waking. The mouth has been open all night, causing moisture to evaporate.

Other signs include bad breath in the morning for no apparent reason, regular snoring (whether reported by your partner or not), and a feeling of fatigue that doesn't match the number of hours you've slept. All these signs point in the same direction.

During the day, you can also pay attention to your breathing habits. Do people breathe through their nose when they are sitting calmly, reading, or working in front of a screen? If you notice that your lips are parted and you are breathing through your mouth at rest, there is a good chance that this pattern will intensify at night.

Self-test: signs of mouth breathing

You can map out mouth breathing yourself in a few ways. The following checklist will help you quickly get an idea of your own breathing pattern. The more points you recognize, the greater the chance that mouth breathing is an issue for you.

• You wake up in the morning with a dry mouth or throat.
• You regularly have bad breath immediately after waking up.
• Your partner reports that you snore or make sounds during sleep.
• You breathe more often through your mouth than through your nose during the day at rest.
• Your lips are dry or cracked, even if you drink enough.
• You are tired after a night's sleep without any other clear cause.
• Your nose feels stuffy in the morning, while it's less so during the day.

What does your morning feeling tell you?

The morning is the best time to assess your nighttime breathing. Your body has just had a night, and the effects are still visible. Upon waking, take a moment to consciously check how your mouth and throat feel.

With nasal breathing, the mouth is normally moist, the breath is neutral, and the throat feels clear. With mouth breathing, the opposite is true. A consistently dry mouth after a night's sleep is a reliable sign that your mouth has been open.

Keep this up for a week. Note each morning how you wake up. After seven days, you will have a pattern that shows whether mouth breathing is incidental or structural.

How to use a simple test at home

There are two simple methods to test for mouth breathing at home, without equipment or a doctor.

The tape test

Place a small piece of paper tape or mild mouth tape over your lips before going to sleep. If you wake up in the morning and the tape is still in place, you slept with your mouth closed. If the tape is off or crooked, your mouth has opened.

Only use tape specifically designed for mouth use, such as hypoallergenic mouth tape. Regular tape is too strong and can irritate the skin. Only perform this test if your nose is clear enough to breathe comfortably.

The mirror test

Hold a small mirror horizontally under your nose while sitting at rest. Breathe normally. If the mirror fogs up on the nose side, you are breathing through your nose. If the fogging is on the bottom or absent from the nose, you are partly breathing through your mouth.

This is a test for during the day, but it gives a good indication of your basic pattern. People who breathe through their mouth during the day almost certainly do so at night as well.

First step: what can you do now?

If you conclude from the test that mouth breathing is an issue for you, mouth tape is the most direct and inexpensive first step. Mouth tape keeps the lips closed during sleep and encourages the body to automatically breathe through your nose.

Start with a trial period of two weeks. Use the tape every night and note how you wake up. Most people notice a difference within a few nights: less dry mouth, less snoring, and a fresher feeling in the morning.

Is your nose also stuffy? Combine mouth tape with nasal strips. Nasal strips open the nostrils from the outside and make nasal breathing easier, so you don't unconsciously revert to mouth breathing.

Start immediately with PurelyGoods mouth tape and test the difference