Myotape Faqs

Who can benefit from MYOTAPE?

Children aged from four years and adults.

What is the benefit of nose breathing during sleep?

The body is actually designed for nasal breathing, so it’s much better to breathe through your nose. Habitual mouth breathing is surprisingly common, but it’s an unhealthy way to breathe. Once you reach the age of 40, you’re 6 times more likely to spend at least part of your sleep breathing through an open mouth. And around 50% of children mouth-breathe at least some of the time.

Mouth breathing causes you to inhale more air than the body needs, unbalancing the blood biochemistry. This is a dysfunctional breathing pattern called chronic hyperventilation. It causes blood CO2 levels to drop, and without adequate carbon dioxide, the body is not able to access adequate amounts of oxygen from the blood. When you mouth-breathe, you also bypass the dilatory properties of nasal nitric oxide and CO2. The nose becomes congested and it becomes difficult to breathe any other way than through the mouth.

Chronic hyperventilation, and its nighttime alter ego, sleep-disordered breathing, factor in many physical and mental illnesses, from high blood pressure to anxiety disorder. While nasal breathing engages the diaphragm, slows and normalizes breathing volume, and filters and warms the air before it enters the lungs, keeping the airways moist and protected from irritants, bacteria and viruses, mouth breathing does none of these things.

It’s time to make the switch!

How do I know if I mouth breathe during sleep?

If you wake in the morning with a dry mouth, smelly breath, or sore ribs from your partner’s frustrated efforts to stop you from snoring, it’s likely that you mouth breathe during sleep. Your sleep quality and health will be compromised and you probably experience daytime fatigue and problems with focus and concentration.

Why MYOTAPE?

MYOTAPE has been specifically designed by breathing expert Patrick McKeown in order to solve a problem that he observes daily with his clients. Patrick has been working with children and adults since 2002, helping people to restore functional breathing, improve their health and enhance their sporting and academic performance. Having suffered from chronic asthma, which negatively impacted his quality of life in many ways, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge to help others. His insight and research into mouth breathing in children is driven by a desire to help every child reach his or her full potential.

How do I use MYOTAPE?

Remove the paper backing from your MYOTAPE
Using your hands, gently stretch the tape by about 20%
Bring you lips together
Gently place the tape so that it surrounds your mouth

My child mouth breathes during sleep. Should I be concerned?

Yes. Childhood mouth breathing is known to be detrimental to development of the face, airways and teeth and children with sleep-disordered breathing are likely to struggle at school. No child should ever snore. If you notice your child breathing through an open mouth, during the day or at night, it’s vital that you take steps to restore nasal breathing.

How do I help my child to use MYOTAPE?

Firstly, if your child has nasal congestion, please watch and practice the free children’s breathing program, which is available online at ButeykoClinic.com/buteykochildren/

MYOTAPE is not suitable for children under 4 years of age
The tape should not be used if your child is unable to remove it by themselves
Do not use the tape if your child has a tummy upset or is at risk of vomiting
Children must only use MYOTAPE with adult supervision

MYOTAPE should be worn every day while your child is awake, for between 30 minutes and 2 hours. It is especially important to use MYOTAPE when your child is distracted, for example, while playing with toys, drawing, watching TV or using an iPad.

MYOTAPE can also be used for children over four years of age during sleep. Please consult with a medical doctor before using the tape with your child during sleep.

Applying the tape:

Remove the paper backing from your MYOTAPE
Using your hands, gently stretch the tape by about 20%
Encourage your child to bring his or her lips together
Gently place the tape so that it surrounds your child’s mouth

Is there anyone who shouldn’t use MYOTAPE?

Do not use MYOTAPE if you have consumed alcohol or drugs or taken any type of prescribed sedative medication
Do not use the tape if you feel nauseous or may vomit
MYOTAPE is not suitable for children under four years old
MYOTAPE cannot be worn if you have facial hair. In order to adhere to the skin, it must be applied to a shaven face

What is MYOTAPE made from?

MYOTAPE is made using cotton and hypoallergenic, skin-friendly glue. The glue is Japanese-made, latex-free acrylic glue.

Is the tape comfortable to wear?

Yes. The tape is a training support, not a punishment! The idea behind the light elastic tension, which ‘reminds’ the mouth to close rather than sealing the lips, is to make it easy and rewarding to restore nasal breathing. We want you to see results from your very first week, and we want to help you restore healthy breathing patterns for long-term health. For this reason, MYOTAPE is specifically designed to be comfortable to wear.

Can I still talk with the tape on?

Yes. MYOTAPE allows the freedom to open the mouth at any time, and to communicate effectively whilst wearing the tape.

The tape came off the first time I used it. Does this mean it’s not working?

No. Most people need a few nights to become used to using the tape. If you have developed the habit of mouth breathing during sleep, it can take a while to retrain the breath. The best thing to do is to persist with the tape. You will soon find that the tape stays in place all night.

Can I use each tape more than once?

No, each strip is single use.

How long should I use the tape for?

In order to change behavioral patterns, we recommend that you wear the tape for 60 to 90 nights. If you are using MYOTAPE with your child during the day, again it takes between 60 and 90 days to change a habit, so the tape should be used consistently over this time if nasal breathing is to be restored.

Why won’t the tape stick?

Make sure that the area around the mouth is clean and dry before applying the tape. Avoid using moisturizer or lip balm to this part of your face in order that the skin-friendly glue can adhere properly.

If you have facial hair, the tape will not stick. It is designed to adhere to the skin.

What if I don’t snore?

If you don’t snore, you will still find MYOTAPE beneficial. By making sure that you nose breathe during sleep you will activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which triggers relaxation and promotes deep sleep. You’ll experience better blood gas exchange, so your body and brain are better oxygenated. You’ll harness nasal nitric oxide, boosting your immunity and regulating your blood pressure. And you’ll avoid waking up with a sore throat, dry mouth, stuffy nose and fuzzy head.

What if I can’t breathe through my nose?

Mouth breathing usually occurs because our ability to breathe nasally is impaired in some way. This is why nasal congestion is a symptom of asthma, rhinitis and many other common conditions. However, breathing through the nose allows blood vessels and airways to dilate, and decreases feelings of nasal stuffiness and bronchoconstriction.

If you are unable to breathe through your nostrils, Patrick’s nasal breathing training program will teach you to decongest your nose. This will allow you to restore nasal breathing during rest and physical exercise. It will also make it possible to establish whether you can breathe comfortably through your nose during sleep.

If it is only difficult to breathe nasally rather than impossible, consider using a nasal dilator alongside MYOTAPE until nose breathing feels easier.