WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Get Morning Breath?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. Lauren voc Obam here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our former host, Christian Sager. This one pertains to

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most annoyingly persistent aspects of the human condition,

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<v Speaker 1>morning breath. Hey, they're brain stuffers. Have you ever woken

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<v Speaker 1>up seen someone else and have them say, hey, Christian,

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<v Speaker 1>your breath smells like a hot bathroom. You might respond

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<v Speaker 1>by saying, wow, that was totally uncalled for. Everyone's got

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<v Speaker 1>bad breath first thing in the morning. But then this

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<v Speaker 1>hypothetical person who's calling you by my name for some

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<v Speaker 1>reason says, everyone, Okay, prove its smart guy, why do

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<v Speaker 1>we get morning breath? Well, if you find yourself in

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<v Speaker 1>this situation, here's how I recommend that you proceed. You

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<v Speaker 1>can start by telling them that bad breath in general

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<v Speaker 1>is caused by all kinds of things. Obviously, what you ingest,

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<v Speaker 1>like garlic, onions or alcohol can contribute. Their strong odors

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<v Speaker 1>go through your blood stream and are exhaled by your lungs.

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<v Speaker 1>And some bad breath is caused by systemic infections or

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<v Speaker 1>something gross in your lungs or gastro intestinal tract. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>it's a dental problem like gum disease or trapped food

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<v Speaker 1>particles under a broken filling. Even sinus infections and diabetes

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<v Speaker 1>can give you bad breath, but the most likely culprit

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<v Speaker 1>is bacteria. There are millions of bacteria just in your mouth,

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<v Speaker 1>and these little living beings excrete teensy tiny bits of

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<v Speaker 1>waste with a pungent odor. This is what usually makes

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<v Speaker 1>your breath smell bad, especially in the morning. The reason

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<v Speaker 1>why it's worst in the morning is dry mouth. When

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<v Speaker 1>your mouth is wet, saliva washes away and controls bacteria

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<v Speaker 1>with oxygen. But when it's dry, like when you first

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<v Speaker 1>wake up, these bacteria just hang out like disgusting couch potatoes.

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<v Speaker 1>They devour compounds, pro teens, amino acids, and any leftover

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<v Speaker 1>food in your mouth. The wastes they excrete are called

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<v Speaker 1>volatile sulfur compounds v s c S for short, and

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<v Speaker 1>they're comprised of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptain, and dime methyl sulfide.

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<v Speaker 1>All of these stink like an old sock soaked in

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<v Speaker 1>the juice of rotten meat. So when you're asleep, you're

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<v Speaker 1>producing less saliva to control these nasty bacteria. Smells there's

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<v Speaker 1>not much we can do about it happening, but brushing

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<v Speaker 1>your teeth, flossng, and you know, drinking water before bed

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<v Speaker 1>will help reduce the amount of compounds of the bacteria

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<v Speaker 1>can feast on. Brushing again first thing in the morning

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't hurt either. So I guess what I'm saying here

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<v Speaker 1>is brush your teeth. Today's episode was written by Christian

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of

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<v Speaker 1>iHeart Radios How Stuff Works. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other topics, visit our home planet has stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Works dot com plus for more podcasts for my heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio because the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.