Why Does Breath Smell So Bad In The Morning? - Cosmopolitan

Whether you've had a big boozy night or not, you can almost guarantee you'll wake up every morning with a grim taste in your mouth - which more often than not equals a grim smell. It's not glamorous, but it's true. It's why a glass of water by your bedside table is a godsend if you ever wake up in close proximity to another human, because it serves as some kind of dilution to the abhorrent smell that will emerge if you open your mouth to speak.

But why? Why must we go through this hardship every morning? Luckily, Men's Health asked an expert to find out.

It turns out it's all to do with how much saliva you produce overnight. Essentially: not very much. Prosthodontist Mazen Natour explained that saliva serves to wash away bacteria in the mouth which can cause odours. The less saliva we produce (so therefore the drier the mouth), the more smelly bacteria can grow - meaning our breath smells far from fresh first thing.

The expert also pointed to snoring and breathing through your mouth during the night as other causes of making your mouth dry. So if you're guilty of either of the above, you can expect your morning breath to be next level unfortunately.

But there is one positive to be taken out of this: bad breath in the morning is completely normal. It will be worse, mind you, if you skip a bedtime brush of your teeth the night before, because the leftover food particles will encourage the growth of bacteria. So don't be lazy.

You might shy away from morning kisses because you're paranoid your breath stinks, but be reassured: your partner's will be much the same.

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Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. news, features and health. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go.