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Viral Hostage Tape sleeping trend gains steam as doctors warn of potential dangers

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Viral Hostage Tape sleeping trend gains steam as doctors warn of potential dangers

Videos across social media are touting the benefits of taping your mouth shut while you sleep, but some doctors aren’t convinced.

Hostage Tape, a brand that sells mouth tapes, has gone viral on TikTok for advertising the sleep benefits reportedly associated with its products. In a tongue-in-cheek advertisement viewed nearly 3 million times, the company ironically tells viewers not to use its products.

“Don’t do it. Please don’t tape your mouth while you’re sleeping,” a man in the TikTok video says before listing its benefits. “It’s going to lead to improved sleep, better muscle recovery and a whole lot of other benefits.”

“Just don’t do it. But if you’re wondering how to do it, get your Hostage Tape.”

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Hostage Tape, a brand that sells mouth tapes, has gone viral on TikTok for promising users a better sleep experience. (iStock | Hostage Tape)

The video’s comments section was filled with critics and fans alike.

“This stuff is absolutely legit,” one person wrote. “Been taping for about a year and this is the most comfortable and held the best. Transformed my life ‘overnight’ (lol).”

“[A]ll fun and games until u wake up a stuffed nose and sleep paralysis at the same time,” a skeptic wrote.

According to the company’s website, Hostage Tape mouth tape is breathable, hypoallergenic and easy to take off, despite the eerie name associated with it. The tape supposedly trains sleepers to snooze with their mouths closed, and it can be used simultaneously with CPAP machines.

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“It might seem bizarre, but our body was built to breathe through our noses,” Hostage Tape’s website reads. “Research suggests that most people breathe through their mouths while sleeping.”

“Mouth breathing has also been shown to increase the risk of developing sleep apnea and other medical conditions,” the description adds.

“By applying a flexible and breathable piece of tape, you can prevent mouth breathing and potentially decrease the complications associated with it.”

Split image of Hostage Tape products

Hostage Tape says its mouth tapes are safe and comfortable to use. (Hostage Tape)

In an email to Fox News Digital, Hostage Tape said it is endorsed by a large ear, nose and throat clinic in Southern California. The company also sent a doctor’s positive letter about its mouth tape.

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“It’s important to emphasize the positive aspect of using Mouth Tape: for individuals who can comfortably close their mouths and breathe softly through their noses without resistance, this product can be a game-changer,” the letter reads. “In most cases, even patients with conditions like a deviated septum can breathe through their noses for prolonged periods, especially during sleep when it’s not a rigorous activity.”

Despite the brand’s reported benefits, Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel warned the trend is “dangerous.”

“If the nose or sinuses are clogged or there is an anatomical blockage such as a polyp, a clogged sinus or a deviated septum, it may interfere with complete breathing,” Siegel told Fox News Digital “Mouth breathing is essential as a backup.”

Siegel, who serves as a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said nasal breathing at night does have some health benefits, though. Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat shared some of Siegel’s concerns and advised that it should never be used on children.

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“Some potential serious concerns I have for mouth taping include airway obstruction, difficulty breathing if you have nasal congestion, allergies, or if there is something wrong with your nose that can hinder airflow and become more dangerous at night,” Nesheiwat said. “If you have undiagnosed sleep apnea, and you use mouth tape, it could possibly make your sleep apnea worse by restricting airflow exacerbating the sleep apnea.”

But she added that nasal breathing may be beneficial to overall respiratory health.

Split image of man sleeping with tape on mouth and Hostage Tape products

While nasal breathing has its benefits, Dr. Marc Siegel cautions that mouth tape could be dangerous to use. (iStock | Hostage Tape)

“I think it is critical to see [doctors] first for a sleep study test to determine the cause of your symptoms prompting you to try mouth taping,” she said. “I don’t recommend mouth taping as we need to first determine the underlying cause of symptoms.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

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Paleo and Atkins Diets: Low-Carb for Different Reasons | Woman's World

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7 important health stories this week you simply can't miss

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7 important health stories this week you simply can't miss

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Every day of the week, Fox News Digital publishes a range of health and wellness pieces to keep you up-to-date on medical research, new medications, mental health trends, success stories and more.

In case you missed them, here are a few of the biggest health stories from the past week.

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As always, you can see a full list of recent health pieces at http://www.foxnews/health

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1. FDA tells COVID vaccine makers to update their fall shots

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that COVID vaccine manufacturers update their formulas for fall doses, in an attempt to target the KP.2 strain of the JN.1 variant. 

Dr. Marc Siegel shared insights on the risks as this variant grows more prominent. Click here to get the story.

“It makes sense to target the KP.2 strain because it is becoming the predominant strain — it is surging in California and will spread across the country,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

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2. Expert offers 7 tips to soothe sunburned skin

If not treated properly, sunburn can lead to severe skin damage and increase the risk of skin cancer, experts warn. 

Angela Rosoff, a San Francisco-based wellness and beauty expert, shared some proven remedies to treat sun-damaged skin. Click here to get the story.

Woman with sunburn

More than one out of every three adults experienced a sunburn last year, according to a survey by the American Academy of Dermatology. (iStock)

3. Tiger mosquitoes blamed for spread of dengue fever

As dengue fever continues to spread throughout Europe, experts are naming an invasive mosquito species as the culprit. 

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Infectious diseases experts weighed in on the level of risk and share prevention tips. Click here to get the story.

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Tiger mosquito

Tiger mosquitoes — the species Aedes albopictus — have spread into 13 EU countries, according to an alert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (iStock)

4. Certain exercises could reverse Alzheimer’s, expert says

In her new book, “Reversing Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Heather Sandison, a renowned expert in dementia care, offered specific recommendations for the types of exercise that can benefit patients living with the disease. 

 

“Exercise benefits several of the root causes of neurological disease,” she wrote. Click here to get the story.

Weekend recap

Sunburn remedies, new COVID vaccines, anti-Alzheimer’s exercises and more important stories are covered here.  (iStock)

5. Experts bust sunscreen myths

Some claims on social media about sun safety have led to a major misconception that sunscreen could cause skin cancer. 

Dermatologists debunk these potentially dangerous myths. Click here to get the story.

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woman using sunscreen on a beach

Thirty-two percent of Americans believe that a tan makes people look better and healthier, according to the Orlando Health Cancer Institute study. (iStock)

6. New Alzheimer’s drug gets thumbs-up from FDA advisory committee

Donanemab, designed to treat mild cognitive impairment and other symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease, was endorsed by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel. 

Here’s what that could mean for patients. Click here to get the story.

Older woman taking pills

Eli Lilly officials presented clinical trial results showing that the drug, donanemab, slowed cognitive and functional decline for people with mild cognitive impairment due to early stages of Alzheimer’s. (iStock)

7. FDA panel rejects MDMA-assisted therapies for PTSD

Many veterans’ hopes were dashed when an FDA advisory committee voted against the overall benefits of MDMA when used to treat PTSD. 

Advocates and doctors discussed what this means for the future of psychedelic treatments. Click here to get the story.

FDA sign next to a sad veteran

“When I heard the verdict, all I could think about was the hopes of those veterans being dashed … and not having a solution for them,” one advocate said. (iStock)

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Better Than Ozempic? Doctors Say These Medications Are Better for Weight Loss Than the Popular Semaglutide 

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Better Than Ozempic? Doctors Say These Medications Are Better for Weight Loss Than the Popular Semaglutide 



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