Ivanka Trump seems to be one of the many people who have hopped on viral beauty trends. The First Daughter revealed how she religiously follows one beauty trend that helps her sleep better. An expert has now come forward to reveal how “concerning” the trend really is.
Ivanka appeared as a guest on Skinny Confidential podcast at the beginning of the year. The 43-year-old mentioned how she uses mouth tape before going to bed to help her sleep better. She also shared how she pairs the practice with magnesium to optimize her sleep quality.
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Ivanka is not the only celebrity who has admitted to using the strange beauty trend. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow shared how she sleeps with mouth tape on. She also confessed that it was her “strangest nighttime habit.”
Mouth-taping forces you to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth. It also helps lower blood pressure and allows the user stop snoring. Some other alleged benefits are filtering allergens and decreasing anxiety.
Dr Pena Orbea spoke to Cleveland Clinic about the alleged benefits of the mouth tape. The expert claimed that there is not “strong enough evidence to support that mouth tape is beneficial.”
Another expert based out of Pittsburgh took to TikTok to debunk the myth surrounding the beauty trend. Dr Chisom Ikeji revealed how “concerning” the practice is and urged people to stop using it. She explained how breathing through your nose is beneficial because the air is “moistened and humidified” before reaching the lungs.
“And, we have these tiny structures in our nose called cilia, and these cilia help filter tiny particles like dust, pollen, bacteria, viruses, it’s really the body’s first line of defence against respiratory illness,” she added in the video.
Dr Ikeji also noted how breathing through the mouth can be extremely disadvantageous. A person who breathes through the mouth can be at risk of gum disease and dental carriers. “The risks of taping your mouth shut at night far outweigh the benefits,” she added.
The doctor explained that if a person is breathing through their mouth instead of the nose there could be an underlying reason for it. “There is a reason why your body is compensating for something, and for you to tape your mouth shut at night and say, ‘I know better,’ that’s not a good idea,'” Dr Ikeji concluded.
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She also spoke about the popular claim that mouth-taping slims the jawline of the person using it. “What mouth taping is not going to do is improve your jawline, come on now, you guys, it makes no physiological sense,” she reasoned. The expert pointed out that there was no evidence supporting the claim.
Dr Ikeji advised people with snoring issues to consult a doctor instead of using a mouth tape. She also noted that a humidifier could help “moisturize” the air in the room. Lastly, the expert urged people to work on their “sleep hygiene” to help them get a better quality of sleep.
