Quick answer: nasal strips widen your nostrils from the outside to make nasal breathing easier; mouth tape holds your mouth closed to force nasal breathing. Nasal strips are the safer starting point for almost everyone: they have no real contraindication and are genuinely low-risk, even though the evidence for their snoring benefit is mixed. Mouth tape only makes sense once you’ve confirmed you can breathe through your nose without difficulty, since taping your mouth shut with a blocked nose is a real safety risk.
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How They’re Different
These two products get lumped together as “nighttime breathing aids,” but they solve different problems from different directions.
Nasal strips are adhesive strips worn across the bridge of the nose. Sleep Foundation explains they mechanically pull the nostrils open from the outside, widening the nasal passage and reducing airflow resistance. The goal is to make nasal breathing itself easier.
Mouth tape does the opposite job: instead of improving nasal airflow, it holds the mouth closed so you’re forced to use the nose you already have, whatever state it’s in. See our full best mouth tape for sleep guide for the safety details before considering it.
Who This Is For
- You breathe through your mouth at night out of habit, or don’t know why you default to it
- You or a partner have noticed mild snoring and want a low-risk first step before trying anything more involved
- You wake up with a dry mouth or dry nose most mornings, a common sign of mouth breathing overnight
- You want to know whether nasal breathing is even realistic for you before spending money on either product
- You don’t have loud snoring, gasping, or observed breathing pauses, since those point to sleep apnea and need a doctor’s evaluation, not either of these products
Quick Recommendations
- Start here for almost anyone: nasal strips. They carry essentially no risk and are worth trying before mouth tape regardless of your situation.
- Best nasal strip overall: Breathe Right Extra Strength Clear, a widely available three-band design and a reasonable default for a first try.
- Best for more noticeable congestion: ZzzTape Nasal Strips, built with a thicker center rod for a stronger pull.
- Best for a big pack: Instaclear Extra-Strength, a 50-count pack of clear extra-strength strips with a large buyer base.
- Move to mouth tape only if: you’ve confirmed clear nasal breathing and still default to mouth breathing out of habit. See our best mouth tape for sleep guide before trying it.
How We Chose
Each nasal strip option is compared on manufacturer specifications, verified retailer listings, and patterns across verified buyer reviews, then rated on a 10-point scale for how well it fits its stated use case, not just general quality. Picks are updated if a better option emerges or a listing goes stale.
We don’t accept payment for placement in this list.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Nasal Strips | Mouth Tape | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Widens nostrils externally | Forces mouth closed, relies on existing nasal airflow |
| Safety profile | Low risk, no real contraindication | Unsafe with nasal obstruction or undiagnosed sleep apnea |
| Evidence for snoring | Mixed: some studies show no better than placebo | Weak: only mild OSA cases showed benefit in reviewed studies |
| Good starting point? | Yes, for almost anyone | Only after confirming clear nasal breathing |
| Treats sleep apnea? | No | No |
Which Should You Try First?
- Not sure why you’re mouth breathing → start with nasal strips. They’re low-risk and address a plausible cause (restricted nasal airflow) directly.
- Confirmed your nose breathes fine but you still default to mouth breathing out of habit → mouth tape is a reasonable next step, since the issue isn’t airflow, it’s habit.
- Any nasal congestion, allergies, or a deviated septum → nasal strips only, or better, treat the congestion itself first (see how to unblock your nose before sleep). Do not use mouth tape.
- Loud snoring, gasping, or a partner has noticed breathing pauses → neither product is the right first step. See a doctor about sleep apnea before trying either.
A Few Nasal Strip Options
Prices below reflect listings as of publication and change often.
We don’t accept payment for placement in this list.
- Breathe Right Extra Strength Clear (Rating: 8.7/10): the long-standing, widely available option with a three-band design. Why we recommend it: a reasonable default if you’re trying strips for the first time.
- ZzzTape Nasal Strips (Rating: 8.4/10): a 4-way pull design with a thicker middle rod and hypoallergenic adhesive; the Amazon listing is new, with very few reviews so far. Why we recommend it: aimed at more significant congestion than a standard strip.
- Instaclear Extra-Strength (Rating: 8.2/10): a 50-count pack of clear extra-strength strips, with about 15,000 Amazon ratings averaging 4.1 out of 5. Why we recommend it: the largest pack in this list, so it suits anyone who expects to use strips nightly.
Comparison Guidance
If you want a reliable, no-frills default, go with the Breathe Right Extra Strength Clear. If your congestion is more noticeable than average, the ZzzTape’s thicker center rod is built for a stronger pull. If you expect to use strips nightly and want a big pack, the 50-count Instaclear Extra-Strength is the one to look at; compare the per-strip price with Breathe Right before buying. None of the three changes which product category, strips versus tape, is the right starting point for your situation.
Common Buying Mistakes
- Reaching for mouth tape first because it sounds more effective. Nasal strips are the safer starting point for nearly everyone; mouth tape only makes sense once nasal breathing is already confirmed clear.
- Taping your mouth shut while congested. If your nose is blocked by allergies, a cold, or a deviated septum, mouth tape removes your only airway. Treat the congestion first, or stick to strips.
- Assuming a higher rating means a stronger effect on snoring. All three nasal strip picks are compared on fit for their stated use case; none of them turns mixed snoring evidence into a guaranteed result.
- Using either product as a workaround for suspected sleep apnea. Loud snoring, gasping, or observed breathing pauses call for a doctor’s evaluation, not a strip or tape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use nasal strips and mouth tape together?
Some people do: the strip widens the nostrils and the tape keeps the mouth closed. If you go this route, the same rule applies: don’t use mouth tape unless nasal breathing is already reliably clear, strip or no strip.
Do nasal strips actually stop snoring?
The evidence is mixed. Some people and their partners notice less snoring; controlled studies have often found effects close to placebo. They’re low-risk enough to be worth trying, but don’t assume a strong effect.
Which is safer, nasal strips or mouth tape?
Nasal strips, by a wide margin. They have essentially no contraindication. Mouth tape carries a genuine risk for anyone with nasal obstruction or undiagnosed sleep apnea.
Do either of these treat sleep apnea?
No. Neither is a treatment for sleep apnea. If apnea is suspected, both should wait until you’ve been evaluated by a doctor.
What This Product Cannot Fix
Neither product treats sleep apnea, and neither fixes a structural cause of blocked breathing like a deviated septum or chronically swollen nasal tissue, those need a doctor’s evaluation, not a strip or tape. Nasal strips can’t clear congestion caused by allergies or a cold; they only widen what airway is already there. And mouth tape doesn’t create nasal airflow, it just relies on nasal airflow you already have, so it can’t substitute for treating the congestion itself. If snoring is loud, or comes with gasping or breathing pauses, that’s a sign to see a doctor, not to try either product first.
Key Takeaways
Start with nasal strips. They’re low-risk regardless of your situation, even though the snoring evidence is mixed. Only move to mouth tape once you’ve confirmed clear nasal breathing, and treat neither as a substitute for a sleep apnea evaluation if that’s a real possibility.
About this article
Written by the Sleep Fixes editorial team. We’re not medical professionals. We research each topic against primary sources and hold ourselves to being critical and thorough about what actually makes it onto the site.
This article is part of Sleep Fixes. It is not medical advice. If you snore loudly, gasp during sleep, or have been told you stop breathing at night, talk to a doctor before trying either product.