What causes bad morning breath and how do you prevent and get rid of it
“Morning breath” is an expression for the bad breath that people commonly have when they wake up. It happens to most people, but in varying degrees. Many people want to get rid of it because couples often share a bed and would like to enjoy a cuddle, or even a kiss, in the morning without the embarrassment of bad breath. Although many people believe it is just a fact of life and that you cannot do anything about it, there are actually several steps you can take to significantly reduce it, or maybe even eliminate it from your mornings.
What causes morning breath
While we sleep during the night, many of our bodily functions stop or slow down, and the glands that produce saliva are among them. Saliva is very important in fighting bad breath because it is high in oxygen, which kills the anaerobic bacteria. Saliva also helps break down food particles and removes them from the mouth when it is swallowed. Because there is less saliva during sleep, the mouth is exposed to less oxygen, and less of it circulates to cleanse the mouth and carry particles away. To learn more about this, read our article on What Causes Bad Breath.
How to get rid of morning breath
Getting rid of morning breath once you are awake is simple: drink water, eat breakfast, then floss, brush your teeth, and gargle your favorite mouthwash. The trouble is that most people would rather wake up without having to deal with morning breath at all. If that is what you want, you need to do several things before bed to prevent bad morning breath the next day. The next section covers them.
If the person with the bad morning breath isn’t you but your partner, read our article on How To Tell Someone They Have Bad Breath and direct them to this website.
Prevention
To prevent morning breath, it is important to keep the mouth as free as possible of particles such as plaque and food. These particles fuel the bacteria and help them multiply. The bacteria eat the particles, and bad breath comes from the volatile sulfur compounds produced by the anaerobic respiration of these bacteria.
You also want to create an environment that is less hospitable to the bacteria. The bacteria that cause bad breath thrive in an acidic environment, so you want to make sure your mouth is alkaline instead, which inhibits their growth.
Based on these two fundamentals of eliminating bad breath — removing the bacteria’s food source and creating an inhospitable environment for them — here are some steps you can take to prevent morning breath.
Floss, Brush, Clean Tongue, and Gargle Mouthwash
This one is a no-brainer. Brushing, flossing, and cleaning your tongue are the most important tools we have for removing food particles from the mouth. Make sure you take your time as you brush and floss, and do a thorough job. If you rush, it is little wonder you have bad morning breath. Read about our Comprehensive Oral Care Regimen to learn the best techniques and tools for cleaning your mouth properly.
Keep your mouth wet
A dry mouth encourages the growth of bad-breath bacteria, so it is important to keep your mouth moist while you sleep. Here are some things that help increase saliva production:
Use a Non-Alcoholic Mouthwash
Mouthwash that contains alcohol dries out your mouth, and a dry mouth is the last thing you want as you go to bed. Use a mouthwash that does not contain alcohol, and try to choose an oxygenating one such as TheraBreath. Read our Using Mouthwash article to learn which mouthwash to use and how best to use and gargle it. You can also make your own excellent mouthwashes; to learn how, read our article on How To Make Mouthwash.
Stop breathing through your mouth
Breathing with your mouth open dries it out faster than anything else, and dust, allergens, and other airborne particles will collect in your mouth, none of which is good for fresh breath either. It is hard to do anything consciously while you sleep, such as forcing yourself to breathe through your nose, because you are unconscious. What you can do, though, is make sure your sinuses and nasal passages are clear before you go to sleep. Many people who breathe through their mouth as they sleep do so because their body knows that breathing through a congested nose is too difficult. If you suffer from congestion, try the methods listed in our post-nasal drip article, especially nasal irrigation. These should help reduce nasal congestion and let you breathe more easily through your nose.
Use Saliva Stimulants
There are various dry mouth products on the market that increase saliva flow, including some you can even keep in your mouth while you sleep, such as XyliMelts. If you wake up during the night, it is also a good idea to drink some water and swish it around in your mouth a bit.
Gargle Baking Soda
Gargling baking soda before going to bed makes your mouth more alkaline, which is good for killing bacteria. Just put a teaspoon in a cup of water and gargle the solution for a minute. Swallow a little of it too (it’s not harmful) to fully coat the back of the throat. Then spit out the rest, and do not rinse your mouth before going to bed.
Practice Proper Oral Health Care
Bad breath is caused by an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria that release bad-smelling gases when they feed on proteins in your mouth. To get rid of morning breath, it is important to reduce the population of these bacteria, which you do mainly by practicing proper oral health care every day. To learn about effective products and procedures, read our article on How To Get Rid of Bad Breath.