My Mouth Taping Experiment

A few years ago, I dismissed mouth taping as one of those wellness fads destined to live and die on the trend cycle alongside crystal healing footpads and charcoal toothpaste. 

But over time, my stance has evolved; not because I’ve surrendered to pseudoscience, but because I’ve waded deeper into the actual science.

Several newsletters ago, I explored the mechanisms and mixed evidence behind mouth taping: the potential improvements in sleep quality, the role of nasal breathing in nitric oxide production and airway regulation, and the very real caution required for anyone with underlying issues like obstructive sleep apnea, chronic nasal congestion, or deviated septum.

Let me be clear again: If you struggle to breathe through your nose, wake up gasping, or suspect sleep-disordered breathing; see an ENT or sleep physiologist first.

But as I’ve continued hearing dozens (if not hundreds) of anecdotal reports from people (many seemingly healthy) claiming improvements in sleep quality, morning alertness, and reduced snoring with mouth taping, I’ve decided to do something rare in wellness debates: actually test it. On myself. 

(N.B I already sleep pretty well 95% of the time and this is me seeing if I can make it 96% or even a 100%!...if your sleep isn’t optimised with the basics start there beforing jumping onto something like this - fix root causes first)

My 4–6 week mouth taping trial

Starting this week, I’ll be taping my mouth shut every night…gently, I should add…using a hypoallergenic, skin-safe strip. No duct tape.

I’ll be tracking (using my Oura ring metrics) :
 

• Sleep depth

• Respiratory rate

• HRV

• Oxygen saturation (SpO₂)

• Sleep efficiency and wake events

• Subjective data:

  •  Energy levels, morning dry mouth, focus, and if I feel slightly less like a zombie before coffee.
    
    

Best practices for mouth taping

• Start during the day: Try taping for 10–15 mins while reading or working to assess comfort and nasal patency.
  

• Use the right tape: Micropore medical tape; skin-friendly and breathable.
  

• Don’t block airflow: Leave a small gap if needed or use vertical taping instead of full horizontal seal.
  

• Sleep on your side or back with head elevation…not face-down on your pillow like a Victorian ghost.
  

• STOP immediately if you wake gasping, feel panicked, or your partner accuses you of “sounding weird.”
  
  

Mouth breathing at night is associated with poor sleep architecture, increased snoring, and even higher oral cavity pH;  which can shift your oral microbiome. 

Nasal breathing, on the other hand, helps warm and filter air, boosts nitric oxide (which regulates vascular tone), and may improve oxygen efficiency.

But again: we need more robust data; better studies, longer follow-ups, and diverse participants. Until then, self-experimentation (with guardrails) is one way to explore the N=1 terrain of sleep.

I’ll report back in a few weeks with real metrics!

P.S If you want to start with optimising the basics of sleep check out my podcast with world renowned sleep expert and one of my favourite humans, Professor Gina Poe:

Things I Wish I Knew Before My 30s…

Be boring first… brilliant later

There is an irresistible pull in the new; taking up six new hobbies, start cold plunging at 6 am, start a newsletter, journaling, become a sourdough-baking, kettlebell-swinging, Wim Hof-breathing polymath… all by Friday.

Modern life has become a buffet of self-optimisation and curated dopamine and it tricks us into mistaking novelty for mastery. 

But this is something no one Instagrams: greatness begins with being boring. 

In behavioral psychology, this is called habitual scaffolding; laying down behavioral routines before layering in complexity. In neuroscience, it’s the Hebbian principle: neurons that fire together, wire together. But if they don’t fire frequently, or at all, no wire, no habit, no glory. Just another abandoned yoga mat and a French grammar app you relegated to the unused iphone apps library.

Consistency is unsexy. It’s practicing scales instead of composing symphonies. Walking the same loop every morning. Repeating reps when you'd rather “switch things up.” But it’s the repetition that lays the myelin sheath (literally) that coats your neurons and makes you faster, stronger, sharper.

Too many people skip this. They crave intensity before they’ve earned momentum. And others leap straight to technique; trying to finesse the violin before they’ve built the calluses.

I learned this the hard way. A few years ago, in a fit of New Year’s hubris, I decided to master Brazilian jiu-jitsu, write a book, and meditate daily; while working 60 hours a week. You can guess what happened. I pulled a muscle, wrote 4 pages of a "book," and fell asleep during most meditations. I had mistaken ambition for architecture.

Here’s a better order:

1. Consistency; show up. No matter how badly. Especially when you don’t feel like it.
   

2. Intensity; then push harder. Stress the system. Learn where your edge is.
   

3. Technique; and only then refine. Elegance is earned, not chosen.
   
   

Even in neuroscience, learning starts with quantity over quality. You make a lot of bad reps, fire the same circuits, and only then refine precision with feedback and plasticity.

It’s like dating. The first phase is just showing up… on time, dressed, not drunk. Then comes passion. And only later do you learn not to overshare about your ex at dinner. Technique takes time.

You’re not failing at new things because you lack talent but likely because you’re demanding excellence before commitment .... and that’s backwards because you don't earn fluency in anything by just dabbling. You earn it by surviving the dullness without quitting.

If you're going to be obsessed with anything, be obsessed with showing up.

Be boring. Be predictable. Be unsexy. But be there.

That’s how the wiring happens and over time you become the kind of person people call "disciplined" not because you were born that way or that you were blessed with this birthright but because you simply refused to stop.

Supplements You Shouldn’t Take Together 

Supplements are the modern-day band-aids for modern-day gaps: missing nutrients, depleted sleep, busy lives etc.. I’m a fiend for a few supplements myself!

They promise better energy, stronger immunity, sharper minds. But when it comes to combining them, more is not always better and sometimes, it’s worse than nothing at all.

Think of your body as a biochemical orchestra. Each nutrient has a part to play. But mistimed or mismatched supplements can create dissonance instead of harmony.

Calcium vs. Iron

Take calcium carbonate; a common antacid used to soothe heartburn and indigestion. It also doubles as a calcium supplement for bone health. But when taken alongside iron, it can hinder absorption.

Iron, particularly in its non-heme form (from plant-based sources or supplements), needs a high-acid environment for optimal uptake. Calcium carbonate, being alkaline, reduces stomach acidity making it harder for iron to be absorbed.

Tip: Take iron and calcium at separate times of day, ideally with vitamin C to boost iron absorption.

Zinc vs. Copper

Zinc and copper are like siblings fighting over the same seat on the bus. Both compete for absorption in the small intestine via shared transporters. Too much zinc; especially >40 mg/day…can cause copper deficiency, leading to anemia or even neurological issues.

Tip: If you're supplementing with zinc long-term, take copper separately or use a balanced zinc:copper ratio (usually 10:1).

Folic Acid vs. Vitamin B12 

Folic acid, a synthetic form of folate used in supplements and fortified foods, is vital for red blood cell production. But in high doses, it can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency; especially dangerous in vegans and older adults… by correcting anemia without addressing the underlying neurological damage caused by low B12.

Tip: If you’re supplementing folic acid, make sure your B12 levels are monitored, especially if you follow a plant-based diet.

Other combos to time carefully:

1. Vitamin C vs. B12: Vitamin C can degrade B12 in large doses if taken together.
   → Solution: Take them a few hours apart.

2. Calcium vs. Magnesium: Compete for absorption in high doses.
   → Solution: Take one in the morning, the other at night.
   
   

Drug-nutrient combinations can influence absorption, metabolism, or excretion so don’t just focus on what you take, but how and when you take it.

If you’re stacking supplements, make it a point to understand their interactions!

Why I’m Breaking Up With My Oura Ring (Eventually)

For the past year, I’ve faithfully worn my Oura Ring…tracking every toss, turn, REM cycle, temperature fluctuation, and whether I’ve emotionally recovered from staying up too late on a Tuesday. And I’ll be honest: it helped a lot.

At first.

When you're trying to fix your sleep, data is accountability. Oura became my biometric conscience. It nudged me away from late-night doom scrolling. It reinforced to me that consistent bedtimes matter more than weekend lie-ins. The ring didn’t just track my sleep metrics but trained me to optimise it via gamification.

But once you're trained, you don’t need the trainer forever.

There’s a growing body of evidence in behavioral science suggesting that feedback is powerful for behavior change, but only while the behavior is still forming. External tracking works best when it’s paired with internal reflection and gradually fading reliance. Otherwise, we risk becoming dependent on the feedback loop rather than building trust in our own signals.

And this is where things get murky.

Because lately, I find myself barely checking my sleep metrics because I know I feel good and that I’ve slept well. At the time of writing this I haven’t checked my sleep app for 6 days. 

So here’s the plan: I’ll be phasing out my Oura use over the next 6 months.

• In the short term, I’ll use it to track sleep only; not activity, heart rate, or readiness.
  

• Eventually, I’ll shift to spot-checking weekly to confirm trends or fine-tune routines.
  

• After that it might become what it was always destined to be: an elegant but idle piece of finger tech.
  
  

Sleep tracking is a means to an end, not an end in itself because if you need a ring forever to tell you how to sleep, you haven’t really learned how to rest.

The goal was never to be perfect but to become consistent enough that the data becomes… boring. When your scores stop surprising you, it’s a good sign you’re in rhythm.

So if you're someone whose sleep is still erratic, by all means use the tools. Wear the ring. Learn the cues. But eventually, aim to outgrow it.

The real upgrade isn’t the latest wearable but the moment you stop needing it! 

Beating Antibiotic Resistance With Diet?!

Antibiotic resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis and by 2050, it could kill more people than cancer. But amid the doom and pharma hand-wringing, there’s a surprisingly simple potential strategy hiding in your cereal bowl: dietary fiber.

What the science shows

A groundbreaking study of 290 healthy U.S. adults examined their gut “resistomes” (the collective antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) carried by gut microbes). Researchers dug into dietary patterns using food frequency questionnaires and shotgun sequencing of stool samples. The results were striking:

• Higher fiber, lower ARGs: Individuals consuming diets rich in fiber and plant-based diversity had significantly fewer ARGs in their gut microbiomes.
  

• Soluble fiber stood out: Just 8–10 g of soluble fiber daily; found in oats, beans, fruit, and veggies…was strongly linked with lower levels of ARGs.
  

• Anaerobic gut shift: Those with fewer ARGs had more strict anaerobe bacteria (e.g., Clostridiaceae), which don’t carry resistance genes like facultative anaerobes (e.g., E. coli).
  
  

Animal feeding studies have long shown that diet shapes resistome composition but this is one of the first large human cohorts to link a high-fiber diet with a lower burden of antibiotic resistance genes. 

Fiber-rich diets feed beneficial anaerobic microbes, crowding out facultative species that often harbor resistance genes and exchange them via horizontal gene transfer.

The study found that diet diversity predicted ARG abundance even more strongly than fiber alone… emphasizing that a variety of plant foods is key. Fiber = resilience; a microbiome stable and rich in fiber-fermenting bacteria is less permissive to ARG-harboring pathogens, compared to low-fiber, high-protein diets.

What you can do

• Aim for 30+ grams of fiber per day, including at least 8–10 g of soluble fiber (e.g., oats, beans, apples).
  

• Diversify your plate: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils, nuts, seeds.
  

• Reduce red/processed meat…especially from intensively farmed sources where antibiotic use is common.
  
  

Yes, antibiotic resistance is a complex global challenge but the key to reducing your personal “resistome” might be as simple as eating more and more varied plant fiber.

While further intervention trials are needed, the evidence is already compelling: diet is low hanging intervention against antibiotic resistance.

P.S If you want to learn more about the gut, microbiome science sign up to my newsletter dedicated to bring you short, snappy actionable tips on this:

How Often Should You Clean or Replace Everyday Items?

Some things in life should be washed more often than we like to admit. Others like your mattress are plotting the downfall of your sinuses. 

Mattress: Replace every 7–10 years

Your mattress gains weight over time. Not from guilt but from dead skin, dust mites, and fungal spores. Studies have found up to 10 million dust mites living in older mattresses, which can trigger allergies and worsen asthma. If you wake up congested or itchy, your bed may be (partly) to blame if it’s more of an antique than a new purchase…

Pillows: Replace every 1–2 years, wash every 3 months

Pillows trap sweat, oil, skin cells, and bacteria, making them a cozy biofilm factory. Research shows they can harbor fungi like Aspergillus and even Staphylococcus. Wash synthetic pillows in hot water and dry on high heat to kill microbes.

Pillowcases: Wash every 5–7 days

Your pillowcase comes into contact with your face for hours. Dirt and oils from your skin (and any hair products) transfer onto the fabric, contributing to acne, dermatitis, and allergic reactions. Dermatologists recommend changing cases twice a week if you're acne-prone.

Blankets & Duvets: Wash every 2–3 months

These accumulate dust mites, skin flakes, and sweat. Use hot water (60°C or 140°F) if possible to eliminate allergens.

Shower Curtains: Wash every month

Be honest, when did you last do this?! Shower curtains and liners attract biofilm and mildew, especially in humid environments. Toss plastic liners into the washing machine with vinegar and baking soda. Mold exposure can irritate respiratory tracts.

Jeans: Wash every 10-20 wears

Unless visibly soiled, denim can be washed sparingly. Over-washing fades dye and weakens fibers. But beware: not washing for months can cause skin infections (especially in warmer weather or post-exercise).

Carpets: Deep clean every 6–12 months

Vacuuming isn’t enough. Carpets trap pet dander, pollen, dust, and bacteria. Carpets can harbor more allergens than smooth floors. Steam cleaning helps reduce the load.

Your home doesn’t have to be sterile but some grime fights back. Regular cleaning and timely replacements help reduce allergens, skin irritation, and even microbial overgrowth. Think of it as hygiene that keeps evolving with you…and your immune system.

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