Do you wake up and immediately feel a poor taste in your mouth? If you wake up each morning with bad breath, it can be embarrassing to be around anyone until you brush your teeth, and even more, it may be a sign that something is amiss.
Poor oral hygiene, underlying health conditions, and unhealthy lifestyle habits can all contribute to morning breath, but addressing each cause can help you avoid bad breathing in the morning.
Causes of Morning Breath
If you wake up in the morning with bad breath, one of the following may be the cause:
Having a Dry Mouth
If your mouth is also dry in the morning, this may be part of the reason for your morning breath. Saliva plays an important role in maintaining your oral health by creating an environment that good bacteria favor. However, if your mouth is dry, the bad bacteria—the ones that contribute to bad breath—can take over.
One possible cause of dry mouth is breathing through your mouth while you’re sleeping, which can occur with snoring, sleep apnea, or congestion from a cold or allergies. Dry mouth can also result as a side effect of certain medications.
It’s easy to remedy a dry mouth and improve your bacterial count. One study found that drinking water, or even rinsing your mouth with water, in the morning reduces various compounds released by bacteria, including volatile sulfur compounds and hydrogen sulfide, by 30% to 60%. This was shown to improve morning breath, overall.
Poor Oral Hygiene
As expected, if you don’t brush your teeth and maintain good oral hygiene, bacteria and food particles can remain in your mouth, contributing to bad breath.
In severe cases, those who regularly slack on their oral health may develop gum disease. Both periodontitis and gingivitis are types of gum disease that can cause bad breath.
Poor oral hygiene can also result in tooth cavities, which provide a space for bacteria to hide out, making it hard to clean the bacteria. This can then further contribute to bad breath.
Smoking
Smoking is linked to morning breath and halitosis in general. Part of this is because smoking can dry out your mouth and place you at a greater risk of gum disease.
GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where acid from the stomach travels the wrong way through the esophagus. Sometimes, it can make its way up into the mouth, which can then contribute to bad breath. The ensuing irritation can also cause post-nasal drip, which may also lead to halitosis.
GERD is more common at night because you’re lying down, which is why it may contribute to bad breath in the morning.
Pre-Bed Snacks
The food that you eat can influence your breath, and if you’re eating strong-smelling foods before bed, such as garlic, coffee, onions, or spices, the smell may linger come morning, even if you brush your teeth after eating them.
Underlying Medical Conditions
Sometimes, your bad breath may be because of an underlying medical condition. For instance, untreated diabetes can cause bad breath, as can certain infections, such as sinusitis, tonsilitis, and bronchitis. Kidney and liver disease, as well, may cause bad breath for some individuals.
If an underlying medical condition is the cause of your bad breath, though, you will experience other symptoms specific to the condition, not just bad breath.
How to Prevent Morning Breath
If you’re tired of scaring everyone away with your morning breath or rushing to the bathroom to brush your teeth before anyone talks to you, here are some tips to prevent morning breath:
Brush, Floss, and Rinse
If you’re looking to lessen morning breath, your priority should be your oral hygiene, and not just brushing, either—the whole routine.
Brushing your teeth twice a day can help to keep bacteria under control. Flossing, however, shouldn’t be skipped because this practice also helps to clear out stuck food particles that can taint your breath if left undisturbed. Flossing also helps to clear bacteria out of the space between your teeth.
You should also use mouthwash to preserve your oral health. One study on mouthwash and how it influences morning breath found that its daily use significantly reduces the number of bacteria in saliva, which then equates to fresher breath.
These actions of brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash tackle two causes of bad breath: leftover food and bacteria.
If you want to up the ante, you can consider using a tongue scraper to remove bacteria from the tongue. It may trigger your gag reflex, though, so be aware of that.
Finally, if you wear dentures, be sure to take them out at night and clean them thoroughly. This way, you can clean the crevices that dentures make in your mouth, and by cleaning the dentures themselves, you ensure that they are clean and ready for use the next day.
Hydrate
A dry mouth is one of the greatest causes of bad breath, and staying hydrated can help combat this through more than the momentary moisture offered by drinking. Drinking more water throughout the day can increase the amount of saliva that your mouth produces, which can provide long-term protection from a dry mouth.
Conversely, it can be helpful to know what dries out the mouth and avoid it. Alcohol, caffeine, and smoking can all contribute to a dry mouth, so try avoiding these beverages and habits.
Avoid Strong-Smelling Foods
Certain foods can have a strong aroma that lingers. Garlic and onion are just a few examples of foods that can last all night, causing morning breath. That’s not to say that you have to avoid these foods entirely, but consider avoiding them at night so that your breath doesn’t stink in the morning.
Talk To a Doctor
If you’ve tried the remedies listed above and your bad morning breath persists, consider talking to a doctor. If you are taking medication that causes a dry mouth, they may be able to prescribe an alternative that doesn’t have this side effect.
In some cases, morning breath can be a sign of a medical condition. Your doctor can help you survey for other symptoms and decide if this is a cause worth investigating.
Don’t Stink Up Your Morning
No matter how well-rested you feel in the morning, your breath may not be as fresh. If you have morning breath, it may be because of a dry mouth, poor oral hygiene, smoking, GERD, strong-smelling nighttime snacks, or an underlying medical condition. Addressing these possible causes can help you to maintain your health and prevent morning breath once and for all.