Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. Lauren voc Obam here with a classic episode from our former host, Christian Sager. This one pertains to one of the most annoyingly persistent aspects of the human condition, morning breath. Hey, they're brain stuffers. Have you ever woken up seen someone else and have them say, hey, Christian, your breath smells like a hot bathroom. You might respond by saying, wow, that was totally uncalled for. Everyone's got
bad breath first thing in the morning. But then this hypothetical person who's calling you by my name for some reason says, everyone, Okay, prove its smart guy, why do we get morning breath? Well, if you find yourself in this situation, here's how I recommend that you proceed. You can start by telling them that bad breath in general is caused by all kinds of things. Obviously, what you ingest,
like garlic, onions or alcohol can contribute. Their strong odors go through your blood stream and are exhaled by your lungs. And some bad breath is caused by systemic infections or something gross in your lungs or gastro intestinal tract. Maybe it's a dental problem like gum disease or trapped food particles under a broken filling. Even sinus infections and diabetes can give you bad breath, but the most likely culprit
is bacteria. There are millions of bacteria just in your mouth, and these little living beings excrete teensy tiny bits of waste with a pungent odor. This is what usually makes your breath smell bad, especially in the morning. The reason why it's worst in the morning is dry mouth. When your mouth is wet, saliva washes away and controls bacteria with oxygen. But when it's dry, like when you first wake up, these bacteria just hang out like disgusting couch potatoes.
They devour compounds, pro teens, amino acids, and any leftover food in your mouth. The wastes they excrete are called volatile sulfur compounds v s c S for short, and they're comprised of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptain, and dime methyl sulfide. All of these stink like an old sock soaked in the juice of rotten meat. So when you're asleep, you're
producing less saliva to control these nasty bacteria. Smells there's not much we can do about it happening, but brushing your teeth, flossng, and you know, drinking water before bed will help reduce the amount of compounds of the bacteria can feast on. Brushing again first thing in the morning wouldn't hurt either. So I guess what I'm saying here is brush your teeth. Today's episode was written by Christian and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of
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