Team GB's Adam Burgess Shares How Mouth Taping Upgraded His Performance
Team GB Canoeist Adam Burgess won his first silver medal on day three of the Olympic Games in the canoe slalom singles. From Stoke-on-Trent, the 32-year-old athlete crossed the line in 96.84 seconds, missing gold by 5.48 seconds to Nicolas Gestin. The silver win is the first men's canoeing Olympic medal since Beijing 2008.
After competing, in an interview with Sky Sports, Burgess shared how the method of nasal breathing and mouth taping has elevated his athletic efforts and sleep quality. The athlete who is a qualified breath coach and studies breathing science shared, 'It's a very simple trick that we can use to improve our sleep to ensure nasal breathing throughout the night.'
When explaining the method he uses, he says he applies a small piece of tape across the middle of his lips "like postage stamp size."
'Put it on half an hour before you go to bed for the first time, get used to it,' said Burgess. 'If you can use your nose for one minute, it will stay open. The more you use it, the more open it will become. The easier it will be to use during the day as well.'
While more research is needed, sleep quality has been shown to be negatively affected by mouth breathing, according to research published in the journal Sleep. Evidence in the area of nasal breathing for sports is promising. For example, a study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness on basketball players incorporating a nasal breathing protocol showed favourable effects on performance.
Burgess is in no doubt that his success is down to this method. 'I've been doing this for 7 or 8 years now and I'm not sure if I'd even still be in a boat, you know, what it's done for me, for injury prevention,' he says.
'I keep saying "I get more robust with age". I'm 32 now. I had all my injuries in late teens, early twenties. Correcting my breathing when I was 25 was a huge turning point for me. Not only for keeping my physical wellness, but also mental, and then the performance side on race day as well.'
Burgess was also keen to add that if you're at any risk of having sleep apnea, not to do mouth taping and instead seek professional advice first.
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