Gross Reason Why Your Breath Smells So Bad in the Morning

Waking up in the morning isn’t the easiest part of the day, especially when you realize your breath stinks (or that of the person next to you!). Turns out there is an actual reason for it, but—just to let you know—it isn’t a pleasant one.

Bad Breath in the Morning?

Have you noticed that you might be quite turned off in the morning when you breathe in while yawning and notice the smell is really bad? Interestingly, it doesn’t have anything to do with what you’ve eaten—it’s all about bacteria.

Usually, bacteria thrive in our dry mouths. While sleeping, we produce less saliva, which means that a nice long sleep offers optimal conditions for bacteria to feed on leftover food particles and dead cells in and around the oral cavity, from your gums to your teeth and tongue. In turn, the bacteria leave behind waste that has sulfur in it—and it is the sulfur that causes your bad morning breath.

What Can Be Done?

There are a few things that can be done to prevent such bad breath. You can try a tongue scraper! Get that gross stuff off the back of your tongue, but make sure it’s swallow-safe material you’re using. Or, if you’d prefer, Listerine strips also work. They stimulate saliva, which helps counteract bacteria activity.

So if you want to keep your mouth moisturized enough or you want to try staying away from the food part of the Allium family such as onions, garlic, leeks, and even shallots. Those particular foods contain plenty of sulfur and can also cause bad breath! Steer clear of them if you don’t want the person waking up next to you to be horrified. And remember: brush regularly and floss!