It happens every morning. The dreaded alarm goes off, offering the start of a brand new day. You hit snooze– that should buy you a little time. In an act of ultimate procrastination, you stew around in your warm bed in a race to soak up its last bits of comfort before the impending bell tolls for the second time, this time commanding you to get up. Could there be a more aggressive way to wake someone up in the morning? You take a deep, anticipatory breath and are instantly reminded that there could be. Your exhale has lingered, and it taunts you into shamefully covering your mouth in order to spare the room’s fresh air and/or your sleeping partner. You spring to your feet and head straight to the bathroom faucet to remedy the force that has both rivaled your alarm clock and shocked you into a full state of consciousness– your morning breath.

To put it simply, morning breath is nothing more than bad breath, or halitosis. Halitosis is a common problem with a variety of causes, ranging from simple diet and lifestyle choices to more complex oral health and medical conditions.[1] Chronic issues with halitosis are not very common. Still, almost all of us wake up with some type of bad breath. But why in the morning? 

Bad breath is a direct and adverse effect of a dry mouth. During the day, while we are awake, our mouths produce saliva that washes away and controls thriving bacteria. In contrast, as we sleep at night, saliva production stops, creating the ultimate breeding ground for bacteria to grow. This bacteria breaks downs proteins, amino acids, and leftover food particles in a process that produces volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs).[2] These VSCs give off an unpleasant odor, making them responsible for that embarrassing morning breath we all experience. It’s as simple as that, really– morning breath comes from compounds that are produced in our dry mouths as we sleep.

Everyone experiences morning breath, and, unfortunately, nothing can be done to completely prevent it. However, there are a few ways to lessen it. It is helpful and recommended to brush/floss before bed, stay hydrated, and limit your uses of alcohol and tobacco. All efforts should focus on keeping the mouth from becoming completely dry. Other than that, keep in mind that there is no cause for medical worry, and you are certainly not alone.

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-p-connelly-dds/cause-of-morning-breath_b_1069602.html

[2] http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/867570-overview#aw2aab6b4