July 1, 2026 • 8 mins
Mouth-taping is a health practice that involves placing an adhesive tape over your mouth while you sleep at night.
The idea is to counteract the harms of mouth-breathing while you sleep, which has been linked to sinus infections, asthma and dental issues.
Betta Sleep Mouth Tape founder Richard Norris joined the Afternoons team to unpack the health benefits.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Mouth tape it is something that's gaining a lot of
traction around the world.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Loop ear plugs are great for the non snoring. Partner
says this texture. Yeah, it's funny because I never got
on the mouth tape because of snoring. I got it
to make me breathe through my nose. This Texas says.
My daughter, who is a dentis say's mouth breathers have
worse teeth, bacteria and plat the other thing I'm doing.
I forgot to tell you about the other part of
(00:42):
my regime. I've also got a nasal opener. So you
put this tape on and it opens up your nostrils right,
and then you're cover your mouth, put on your loop
ear plugs, put on you do not disturb imask and
you've become a sleep CHAMPIONIP.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You've taped up all the led You've got the blackout curtains.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, I mean, your partner's not that keen to make
out with you, but.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You get a good sleep. Yeah, you can always do
it in the morning. I look at that.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Richard you're involved in bitter Sleep mouth tape your developer
is that?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
How's going? You know? I founded it?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Ah, there you go. Will you're a good person to
talk to about it.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah, I mean I think probably a very smaller story
to a lot of people. I read the book Breath
about years ago. My sister had at a beach house
over summer. It was a book she passed it to me. Yeah,
she said, you should read this. It's it should be
really boring, but it's actually great.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
It was the chapter of mouth taping. I've been kicked
out of my beard beardroom by my Partner's the story
for years and so that night were I could find
a sellotape, so I put slotape over my mouth. That
lasted a done an hour, but I didn't smart that hour.
Then I used next hear tape, but at that time
there's nothing commercially available. So I started developing the tape,
(01:55):
and I think you guys are right. The adhesive is
the hardest that I figured out pretty quickly what we
wanted it to be in terms of it had to
be breeable, so the more you stretch it, the more
ear you can get through, so that you're training yourself,
to keep your mouth sarten, to breathe in your nose.
You don't want a hole in the tape because that
defeats the purpose and you don't need it if you
make it breedable. But I think some of the issues
(02:17):
that people run to is adhesive is on your skin
for a long period of time, but the more sticky
it becomes. So we discovered that the way to get
off in the morning isn't to take it off with
your hands, it's to actually push it off with your tongue,
and the saliva actually completely negates the adhesive and it
comes off as if there's nothing there.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
All right, How long did it take you to work
that one out, Richard?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
It took too long that if I'm honest. And then
we've actually just developed a new one, which is which
is Collage on It that is will be in instores
this week and it's available on light a moment. So
we made that with even softer adhesives, and it's got
collagen our vera vitamins in it, and we put extreme
(03:01):
amounts as much as we could put onto each patch.
So you actually wake up in the morning and after
a few days you can really feel the different around
your lips in your mouth, so we're trying to get
away from the We use a very a medical grade
adhesive it's called Hinkel out of Germany on on all
of the tapes, but with the allow vera in the
collage and we can make the adhesive even softer and
(03:22):
that one has absolutely no learnt so it can't be
being you residu it all on your mouth in the morning.
So it's it's it's just brilliant.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And do you recom mean, like because I'm using a
nostril opener as well, Like, yeah, are you guys doing those?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Yeah, we do. We do two types. I think absolutely
what once your mouth is shut, then you may as
well maximize the amount of boxing you're getting in and
so yeah, we do. We redesign the shape of them
so that the adhesive ones that stick over you your
nose work better. And then we've got sort of the
Rolls Royce, which is we call magnet breathe band, which
is a plastick band. Yeah, so we use we have
(04:00):
to hand furnish of magnets the patches because it's so
strong that machines can't can't furnish it. And so the
magnetic stick on outside nostrils and onto the band and
it pulls your nose and executive the right place to
open up as wide as possible. So we should record
people when they tried it for the first time. Most
people just laugh because it feels like they couldn't breathe
before once they feel the difference with it with their
(04:22):
nose open.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
So how long ago did you start this company?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Richard?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
About eighteen months? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Wow, I mean considering the growth you've seen, I mean
that's saying something right, the amount of people that are
looking into the nose breathing and particularly the snoring and
reaching out for products like yours.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, it's gone really really well. We got picked up
early on by Chemistry. Wearehouse and unique um and Life
Pharmacies here and we're now in Australia and we'll be
in ab Abu Dhabi and Dubai pretty soon. So I
think the thing is on customer number one. Everything has
to be used on me first, so I'm a pretty
tough customer, so everything has to be has to be perfect.
(05:05):
So theory, if anybody has any issues with that, just
reach out to Blossom and we've sort anything out. But
it's amazing. I think for me sleeping with my mouth closed. Now,
for years I had dry lips. I used bliss sticks.
I was like an alcoholic hiding alcohol everywhere, but with
bloss sticks, and now I benef to use it. And
I think it's just purely because I'm breathing through my
(05:26):
nose at nights. My mouth isn't drying out, my lips
aren't drying out. It's just this. It feels little to me.
If I forget the mouth tape somewhere in the morning,
I feel a little bit as if I've been drinking,
and it's purely the dehydration. Once you're used to out taping,
you just that dehydration's gone, so you just feel so
much better. I don't wake up overnight to drink, so
therefore I'm actually I was sleeping through the night. So
(05:49):
it's you know, I'm a massive convert, and I'm really
not the sort of person that you would typically think
would get into this sort of thing. But it just
works so well because I couldn't find anything commercially available.
That's why I started it. And during the time that
I was developing it, it took a long time to get
it right, and that time a few popped up, but
we're still there's nothing that's that's as good as ours globally.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
To be honest, I love that you read a book
at your sister's batch and then you start a company.
That's that's a that's a great story. Hey, Richard, do
you have any stats on diminishing amorous activity in the
bedroom from people like me with all the mouth and
nose and face gear on and your partner going jeez, loser.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Nothing exactly, but I hear that they're not seeing as
many you know, the potential things that people might use
alongside others rather than mouth takes in the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Okay, it just takes a bit of planning, mates.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, what about what about ear plugs? That that's another
part of you know, like the whole the whole sleep thing.
There's so many elements to it, right, Breathing through your
nose as a good one. There's there's the eye masks,
so you know not you know, you're not having the light,
but also if you can block out the hearing. I mean,
are you an advocate of that of of you know,
(07:05):
you know, all those different kind of things, Richard, I think.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
My mind pretty racist at one hundred miles an hour.
So I often if I wake up and just need
a little bit, I'll listen to a podcast for a
couple of minutes. Again overnight. So I am a big advocate.
I think of having everything silent. I haven't found any
year plugs that I actually think are really comfortable.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, that's a problem.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
So that's yeah, potentially maybe something we could do. But
for me, I think sleep is the foundation of health. Yeah,
you know, we think it was a component of it,
but if you don't if you're not sleeping. My badground
was an abscent bankrupt on Wall Street in New York.
So we used to work till two three in the morning,
seven days a week, and it got to the point
where I'd wake up in the morning and I feel sick.
(07:48):
And it was just sleep deprobation. So I know exactly
what it's like when you're not sleeping. Well, it's just
it destroys your days.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Good on, you're Richard, that's developer of Bitter Sleep mouth
tape and not a paid for a situation.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Then no, he was just listening.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
We're just talking about it, that's right. That was a
real conversation.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
What a great KEYWI story.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Yeah, I love it. I didn't know anything about like that,
so I got on you bring in Richard.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
For more from News Talk set B listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Mouth tape it is something that's gaining a lot of
traction around the world.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Loop ear plugs are great for the non snoring. Partner
says this texture. Yeah, it's funny because I never got
on the mouth tape because of snoring. I got it
to make me breathe through my nose. This Texas says.
My daughter, who is a dentis say's mouth breathers have
worse teeth, bacteria and plat the other thing I'm doing.
I forgot to tell you about the other part of
(00:42):
my regime. I've also got a nasal opener. So you
put this tape on and it opens up your nostrils right,
and then you're cover your mouth, put on your loop
ear plugs, put on you do not disturb imask and
you've become a sleep CHAMPIONIP.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
You've taped up all the led You've got the blackout curtains.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, I mean, your partner's not that keen to make
out with you, but.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You get a good sleep. Yeah, you can always do
it in the morning. I look at that.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Richard you're involved in bitter Sleep mouth tape your developer
is that?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
How's going? You know? I founded it?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Ah, there you go. Will you're a good person to
talk to about it.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Yeah, I mean I think probably a very smaller story
to a lot of people. I read the book Breath
about years ago. My sister had at a beach house
over summer. It was a book she passed it to me. Yeah,
she said, you should read this. It's it should be
really boring, but it's actually great.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
It was the chapter of mouth taping. I've been kicked
out of my beard beardroom by my Partner's the story
for years and so that night were I could find
a sellotape, so I put slotape over my mouth. That
lasted a done an hour, but I didn't smart that hour.
Then I used next hear tape, but at that time
there's nothing commercially available. So I started developing the tape,
(01:55):
and I think you guys are right. The adhesive is
the hardest that I figured out pretty quickly what we
wanted it to be in terms of it had to
be breeable, so the more you stretch it, the more
ear you can get through, so that you're training yourself,
to keep your mouth sarten, to breathe in your nose.
You don't want a hole in the tape because that
defeats the purpose and you don't need it if you
make it breedable. But I think some of the issues
(02:17):
that people run to is adhesive is on your skin
for a long period of time, but the more sticky
it becomes. So we discovered that the way to get
off in the morning isn't to take it off with
your hands, it's to actually push it off with your tongue,
and the saliva actually completely negates the adhesive and it
comes off as if there's nothing there.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
All right, How long did it take you to work
that one out, Richard?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
It took too long that if I'm honest. And then
we've actually just developed a new one, which is which
is Collage on It that is will be in instores
this week and it's available on light a moment. So
we made that with even softer adhesives, and it's got
collagen our vera vitamins in it, and we put extreme
(03:01):
amounts as much as we could put onto each patch.
So you actually wake up in the morning and after
a few days you can really feel the different around
your lips in your mouth, so we're trying to get
away from the We use a very a medical grade
adhesive it's called Hinkel out of Germany on on all
of the tapes, but with the allow vera in the
collage and we can make the adhesive even softer and
(03:22):
that one has absolutely no learnt so it can't be
being you residu it all on your mouth in the morning.
So it's it's it's just brilliant.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And do you recom mean, like because I'm using a
nostril opener as well, Like, yeah, are you guys doing those?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Yeah, we do. We do two types. I think absolutely
what once your mouth is shut, then you may as
well maximize the amount of boxing you're getting in and
so yeah, we do. We redesign the shape of them
so that the adhesive ones that stick over you your
nose work better. And then we've got sort of the
Rolls Royce, which is we call magnet breathe band, which
is a plastick band. Yeah, so we use we have
(04:00):
to hand furnish of magnets the patches because it's so
strong that machines can't can't furnish it. And so the
magnetic stick on outside nostrils and onto the band and
it pulls your nose and executive the right place to
open up as wide as possible. So we should record
people when they tried it for the first time. Most
people just laugh because it feels like they couldn't breathe
before once they feel the difference with it with their
(04:22):
nose open.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
So how long ago did you start this company?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Richard?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
About eighteen months? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Wow, I mean considering the growth you've seen, I mean
that's saying something right, the amount of people that are
looking into the nose breathing and particularly the snoring and
reaching out for products like yours.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, it's gone really really well. We got picked up
early on by Chemistry. Wearehouse and unique um and Life
Pharmacies here and we're now in Australia and we'll be
in ab Abu Dhabi and Dubai pretty soon. So I
think the thing is on customer number one. Everything has
to be used on me first, so I'm a pretty
tough customer, so everything has to be has to be perfect.
(05:05):
So theory, if anybody has any issues with that, just
reach out to Blossom and we've sort anything out. But
it's amazing. I think for me sleeping with my mouth closed. Now,
for years I had dry lips. I used bliss sticks.
I was like an alcoholic hiding alcohol everywhere, but with
bloss sticks, and now I benef to use it. And
I think it's just purely because I'm breathing through my
(05:26):
nose at nights. My mouth isn't drying out, my lips
aren't drying out. It's just this. It feels little to me.
If I forget the mouth tape somewhere in the morning,
I feel a little bit as if I've been drinking,
and it's purely the dehydration. Once you're used to out taping,
you just that dehydration's gone, so you just feel so
much better. I don't wake up overnight to drink, so
therefore I'm actually I was sleeping through the night. So
(05:49):
it's you know, I'm a massive convert, and I'm really
not the sort of person that you would typically think
would get into this sort of thing. But it just
works so well because I couldn't find anything commercially available.
That's why I started it. And during the time that
I was developing it, it took a long time to get
it right, and that time a few popped up, but
we're still there's nothing that's that's as good as ours globally.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
To be honest, I love that you read a book
at your sister's batch and then you start a company.
That's that's a that's a great story. Hey, Richard, do
you have any stats on diminishing amorous activity in the
bedroom from people like me with all the mouth and
nose and face gear on and your partner going jeez, loser.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Nothing exactly, but I hear that they're not seeing as
many you know, the potential things that people might use
alongside others rather than mouth takes in the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Okay, it just takes a bit of planning, mates.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, what about what about ear plugs? That that's another
part of you know, like the whole the whole sleep thing.
There's so many elements to it, right, Breathing through your
nose as a good one. There's there's the eye masks,
so you know not you know, you're not having the light,
but also if you can block out the hearing. I mean,
are you an advocate of that of of you know,
(07:05):
you know, all those different kind of things, Richard, I think.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
My mind pretty racist at one hundred miles an hour.
So I often if I wake up and just need
a little bit, I'll listen to a podcast for a
couple of minutes. Again overnight. So I am a big advocate.
I think of having everything silent. I haven't found any
year plugs that I actually think are really comfortable.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, that's a problem.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
So that's yeah, potentially maybe something we could do. But
for me, I think sleep is the foundation of health. Yeah,
you know, we think it was a component of it,
but if you don't if you're not sleeping. My badground
was an abscent bankrupt on Wall Street in New York.
So we used to work till two three in the morning,
seven days a week, and it got to the point
where I'd wake up in the morning and I feel sick.
(07:48):
And it was just sleep deprobation. So I know exactly
what it's like when you're not sleeping. Well, it's just
it destroys your days.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Good on, you're Richard, that's developer of Bitter Sleep mouth
tape and not a paid for a situation.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Then no, he was just listening.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
We're just talking about it, that's right. That was a
real conversation.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
What a great KEYWI story.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Yeah, I love it. I didn't know anything about like that,
so I got on you bring in Richard.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
For more from News Talk set B listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
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