For many people who are seeking the benefit of restorative sleep, the idea of mouth taping at night may seem intimidating.

You may worry you won't be able to get enough air to breathe, or that you won't know how to start breathing through your nose. Perhaps you've heard about "mouth breathing face"—the facial changes that can result from chronic mouth breathing—and want to prevent these structural effects. Fortunately, there are simple practices you can do during the day to naturally train your body to breathe through the nose at night, and best of all, these steps will also help calm you during the day.

What is Mouth Breathing Face?

Before we dive into solutions, it's helpful to understand what "mouth breathing face" actually means. This term refers to the facial characteristics that can develop from chronic mouth breathing, particularly when it starts in childhood. These changes include an elongated face, narrower jaw, less defined jawline, and changes in dental alignment. While the most dramatic effects occur during development, chronic mouth breathing in adults can also affect facial muscle tone and appearance. The good news? Learning how to stop mouth breathing and transitioning to nasal breathing can help prevent these changes and even improve facial muscle tone in adults.

How to Stop Mouth Breathing:The Power of Daytime Practice

The simplest, easiest way to begin training your body to nose breathe at night is to practice slow and steady breathing during the day.  If you're wondering how to stop mouth breathing, the answer starts with conscious daytime practice that naturally carries over into sleep.

Beyond helping to introduce the body to the concept of nose breathing, adding this practice to your daily routine will help calm the mind, rest the stomach and prepare you for better sleep.

How to Start Breathing Through Your Nose

Learning how to start breathing through your nose is simpler than you might think. Here's a gentle, step-by-step approach:

To start, keep your lips closed and breathe in slowly through the nose and exhale slowly through the nose. Keeping your lips closed during your daily nose-breathing practice will help your body become comfortable having your lips taped at night with mouth tape like Simply Breathe.

While breathing in through your nose, focus your thoughts on two muscles: the tongue and the diaphragm. Hold the tip of your tongue on the front portion of your palette with slight pressure and follow your breath as you slowly contract your breathing muscle, the diaphragm. It will expand your belly while it pulls air slowly into the lungs.

While breathing out through the nose, relax your abdomen muscles and let the air naturally leave softly through your nose.

This technique is the foundation of how to stop mouth breathing—by creating a new, conscious breathing pattern during the day that your body will naturally adopt during sleep.

Learning How to Start Breathing Through Your Nose

You can practice this slow and steady breathing at the following times:

• When you wake up
• Before and after eating
• When you lie down to fall asleep

Consistent practice at these key times is essential for learning how to start breathing through your nose naturally. Each session reinforces the pattern, making nasal breathing more automatic.

This intentional breathing pattern has a tremendous calming effect on your mind. It is a breathing pattern that you will carry naturally into restful sleep. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, you can also practice this breathing technique to calm your mind and help yourself fall back asleep.

Preventing Mouth Breathing Face Through Consistent Practice

By following these simple steps for how to stop mouth breathing, you're not only improving your sleep quality—you're also preventing the facial changes associated with mouth breathing face. Whether you're concerned about preventing structural changes in children or maintaining facial muscle tone as an adult, the solution is the same: consistent nasal breathing, supported by gentle mouth taping at night.

Remember, learning how to start breathing through your nose is a journey, not a race. Start with short practice sessions during the day, gradually building comfort and awareness. Within weeks, nasal breathing will become your natural default, protecting both your health and your facial structure from the effects of mouth breathing.

Have you tried it? Let us know what you think in the comments below!