why do we get "morning breath"?

Question

and why does it smell so bad? and why does it only happen at night?

Answer 1

Morning Breath"; is that horrible bad taste or smell that you wake with. You may notice it on yourself or your partner. It is also obvious after any extrended period of sleep, it doesn't have to only be in the morning. If you consume alcohol the night before and then go to sleep, you will notice a much increased morning breath problem when you wake. If you snacked during the night and did not clean their mouth afterwards, once again you will notice a worse problem when you wake.
"Morning Breath" is caused by an accumulation of Volatile Sulphur compounds made by certain anaerobic bacteria whilst you slept. These VSC's are planted on the tongue surface where they can flourish in the collection of saliva and mucus.

Why does "Morning Breath happen "?

1. Your saliva flow slows down or can even stop. This means that there is less buffering of bacteria, less oxygen input, less tongue movement. These are all signals to anaerobic bacteria to begin breeding. During the course of one night's sleep you can manufacture two generations of new bacteria and their waste products, the Volatile Sulphur Compounds.

2. Mucus in the nasal areas thicken. When this happens the mucus can attach quite tenaciously to the nasal walls making removal difficult. This nasal mucus is high in protein and is an excellent food source for "Morning Breath" bacteria.

3. Your tongue falls to the back of your throat. This action allows easy colonisation of the dorsum (back) of the tongue surface. That is why when you wake in the morning, you not only have a bad or sour taste and breath, but you can also exhibit a coating on your tongue. This coating can be yellow or white depending on its severity and the amount of sulphur contained

Answer 2

msjerge is correct. But remember, DO NOT use an alcohol-based mouthrinse to try and eliminate bad breath. Alcohol is the worst thing you can use for trying to deal with bad breath...regardless of we've been told in the past. See my profile for more information on how harmful alcohol can be and always review the ingredients of any mouthwash or product you may end up buying.