What Causes to You Wake up With a Bitter Taste in Your Mouth?

Waking up with a bitter taste in your mouth can be both alarming and uncomfortable. If you are a generally healthy individual and find yourself with a bitter tongue in the morning it may signify nothing more than a lack of saliva production during sleep, causing an over-production of bacteria build-up in your oral cavity. However, if you find yourself waking up with a bitter tongue on a consistent basis, it may be indicative of an underlying health problem. Check the guide below for reasons why you could be waking up with a bitter tongue.

Take care of your teeth before bed

Your tongue produces a natural amount of bacteria. If you make sure you brush your teeth in between meals, after dinner time and before bedtime, you will notice a considerable difference in the way your breath smells in the morning. That is because, brushing helps clear the body of natural bacteria build-up and removes the plaque attributed to bad breath from your teeth. Flossing is also an important part of mouth hygiene and if you are thorough with your flossing, you may find after a few weeks that your bitter morning taste has ceased. Gargling with a natural listerine that contains a natural antiseptic derived from plant sources, may also help alleviate a morning bitter taste.

Smoking and coffee

If you use any kind of tobacco products on a regular basis you may be contributing to a bitter and unpleasant taste in your mouth. Cigarettes leave chemical particles on your tongue long after you have smoked causing a build-up of toxic waste and bacteria, leading to a bitter taste that takes over the entire mouth. Regular smoking can also dry out the tongue leading to more serious diseases such as gingivitis and halitosis.

Coffee is a another culprit in producing bad breath and a bitter taste in the mouth. Coffee contains an extremely high sulphur compound and slows down the production of salivation which leads to bad breath. If you are an avid coffee drinker, try to limit yourself to one cup a day in the morning and follow with an full eight-ounce glass of water.

Gastric reflux

Gastric Reflux, otherwise known as GERD is a common ailment that many people suffer with that causes the acid of your stomach to enter your mouth, leaving you with a bitter taste on your tongue. If you are not sure whether or not you may be suffering from gastric reflux, aside from waking up with a bitter taste in your mouth, here are some common symptoms:

• Heartburn
• Chest pain
• Pain that increases while resting
• Pain that increases after eating a meal
• Bitter taste in both the mouth and the back of your throat

If you can identify with two or more of these symptoms, it is best to seek professional medical advice to understand how to treat this underlying cause of bad breath.

Candida overgrowth

The build-up of yeast – especially in women – can be a major contributor to the feeling of bitterness in the mouth and tongue. Candida is a single cell organism that occurs naturally in the body and is kept in balanced by other healthy bacteria that lives in the intestinal lining. When yeast outnumbers healthy bacteria, it may turn into a yeast infection (an over-growth of yeast in the body) and cause local irritation in the throat, mouth, genitals, nailbeds and sinuses. A thick white coat along with a cracked tongue and bitterness may be the first clue that you are suffering from an overgrowth of yeast. Other symptoms may include depression, abdominal bloating and re-occurring bladder infections.

Check your liver

Waking up with a bitter or strange taste in your mouth may be caused by a more serious problem such as a liver condition. When the liver is not functioning properly there is a build-up of waste in the body (in which the liver can not eliminate) causing a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth. This can also cause food to taste different and may cause a person to suddenly lose their appetite. If you are waking up with a heavy bitter or metallic taste in your mouth it is advised to seek medical advice immediately, you may be suffering from a moderate to serious kidney infection.