The Sleep Newsletter #9

Welcome !

And a g’day to 42 of our new subscribers!

This is the Sleep Newsletter. We help you sleep better every day.

If you missed our last edition, we spoke about visualisation: why it’s amazing for your sleep, how to do it and what to visualise + other nuggets of sleep wisdom.

In Today’s Edition:

• 😷 The viral sleep trend everyone is talking about

• 🚽 The material more dirty than a toilet seat

• 📱 TikTok baby!

To quote the legendary Mr. Mugatu from Ben Stiller’s Zoolander…

“I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” 💊

And that’s exactly how I felt when I heard people were starting to tape their mouths before bed.

I mean, seriously?

Are they practicing what it feels like to be abducted?

But it transitioned from one story, probably about some crazy person, to EVERYONE talking about it.

It felt like when the fidget spinner first came out.

Or when Taylor Swift dropped her most recent album (what up swifties!).

And well… because you know me as the sleep guy, I had to give it a go.

And boy, was I surprised!

So welcome to the Sleep Newsletter: mouth tape edition.

I’ll cover what mouth taping is, how it feels and helps your sleep, the science behind it and the pros & cons.

What is mouth taping?

Mouth taping is a trend where people are taping their mouths to encourage breathing through their nose when they sleep.

The idea is that it’s healthier to breath out of your nose than your mouth (we’ll get to this later).

The tape is usually a rubbery material that’s stretchy, but you could do this with masking tape (I don’t recommend that though!)

How Does it Feel?

Honestly, it’s not as uncomfortable as you think.

And it’s not one of those things that you have to try really hard to stop doing.

Once the tape covers your mouth, it feels natural to breath through your nose.

The Science

Because this is a new trend, the scientific studies behind it are small and conflicting.

Kind of like my 7 year old cousins fighting over the last piece of Christmas cake…🍰

But there is evidence to suggest that mouth taping does improve snoring and the severity of sleep apnea.

For mouth breathers that don’t snore, all I would say is you don’t snore YET.

It’s a small sample size, but breathing through your mouth when asleep puts you at a higher risk of becoming a snorer, developing sleep apnea & higher blood pressure.

If you think that’s bad, it gets worse…

Apparently, the more you breath through your mouth, it more it changes the complexion of your face.

This can lead to ‘adenoid face’, which sounds as terrifying as it does made up.

Long story short, you don’t want this.

Developing ‘adenoid face’ essentially makes your jawline puffier by receding your chin and reducing the airways through your neck.

It compacts your airways and leads to less airflow.

Here’s a visual I found online, to scare the jepeers out of chronic mouth breathers:

Clearly, this is an extreme case.

But if you are a known mouth breather, this should spark some alarm.

So mouth tape helps with all of that, which is great.

But there are some alternative views.

That’s common when something like goes viral, but the cons are worth mentioning.

So I’ve quickly listed out the pros and cons to give you the full picture:

Mouth Taping Pros & Cons

Pros

• Become less susceptible to illness and throat infections;

• Healthier gums, as they become inflamed by over breathing in your sleep;

• Nose breathing adds moisture to the air to prevent dryness in your lungs and bronchial tubes

Cons

• If your nose is clogged or obstructed, this actually reduces overall airflow rather than improving it;

• If you vomit or have acid reflux while your mouth is taped, the stomach contents go into your lungs (this seems unlikely?);

• Some doctors argue that the obstruction to your breathing is detrimental, not beneficial. And can lead to obstructive sleep apnea;

Because this is new, I would say watch this space.

I personally think the jury is still out on whether mouth taping and blocking an airflow channels is actually a good thing long term.

But there you have it!

A quick summary of everything to know about mouth tape.

Email me at [email protected] if you’ve used mouth tape before.

I’ll give you a $ discount if to tell me about your experience, positive or negative.

I’m dead serious.

Lets just say…. COZO is interested 😉

I’m always rambling about how most of us sleep in absolute filth.

Our pillowcases are like a colosseum for fighters.

Except the fighters in combat are your sweat, bacteria, other chemicals and dirt.

And it’s SO bad for your skin.

Yet, most of you sleep in the filth anyway.

Hey! Don’t get offended…

That used to be me too.

Now I have the proof to back it up.

And would you guess, cotton is the main culprit.

If you aren’t a COZO customer, you probably sleep on a cotton pillowcase.

If you are a COZO customer, you probably have friends that sleep on a cotton pillowcase.

Well… I have some bad news.

Cotton pillowcases absorb up to 17X more bacteria than a dirty toilet seat.

If unwashed for less than a week, it carries over 3 million (!) colony forming units of bacteria per square inch.

Think of these guys crawling around!

✋ Hands up if you are terrified.

You should be.

But there’s a solution.

🚨 Shameless plug alert!

Eucalyptus material is the perfect fibre for repelling bacteria and moisture.

That’s because it’s hypoallergenic and contains Eucalyptol.

And what’s Eucalyptol?

It’s a natural organic compound that is anti-bacterial and perfect for sensitive skin.

Our Eucalyptus material prevents 96% of bacterial growth on your pillowcase, and is the healthiest material on the market for your skin.

You can learn more about our Eucalyptus material here

If you want to browse our beautiful Eucalyptus pillowcases, click here

As you know, the Sleep Newsletter is all about helping you improve your sleep.

We give unique sleep hacks, interesting sleep info and we have some laughs along the way.

Well… I laugh.

And that’s all that matters, right?

But it’s all in written form.

And for many of us in the 21st century, we respond to visual stimulation.

So I’ve started to go multi-platformed up in here!

I’ve started posting my sleep tips on TikTok.

Here is an example of two I made last week:

@cozosleep

We all love a late night snack! So why not indulge in ones that are healthy and will help you fall asleep faster? Healthier sleeps await! ... See more

@cozosleep

This is the BIGGEST myth about sleep. So prioritise your sleep today! #sleep #sleeptips #smallbusiness #CapCut

If you learnt something from this content (and if you have TikTok), please give us a follow and share with your friends!

And on that note, it’s time for me to hit the hay.

Until next time 💤

-jim (Founder of COZO)