Seriously gross reasons why you might wake up with bad taste lingering in your mouth

Experts have explained exactly why we might wake up with a bad taste in our mouths in the morning.

If only real life was like a film, where everyone woke up with perfectly smelling breath and a face ready for the day.

Unfortunately, things are very different here in the real world, as we are all too well aware. And in fact, it's very common to wake up thinking - 'what on earth did I eat the night previous?'

But it seems as though what we're eating may not be a directly contributing factor to waking up with bad breath. And there's actually a couple of reasons why you may be experiencing it, which dentist Dr. Travis Wilson has explained.

Lack of saliva

A dentist has given some reasons why you may wake up with bad breath in the morning (Getty Stock Images)

It's normal to have a decreased amount of saliva in your mouth during sleep, and it often saves you from drooling all night long - thank goodness.

But this lack of saliva can lead to a very dry mouth the next day, which is often why there might be such a bad taste, Dr. Wilson explains.

He suggested that the bitter taste could be a direct result of having such a dry mouth over night.

Bad oral hygiene

Not brushing your teeth at night could be a reason why you wake up with bad breath (Getty Stock Images)

It's an obvious one, but failing to brush your teeth before bed is a huge risk factor when it comes to waking up with bad breath.

Dentists have previously suggested that brushing before bed is one of the most important times, after all the food we have consumed during the day.

Dr. Wilson said if we fail to brush or floss before bed, food particles remain in your mouth overnight and can lead to an unpleasant smell in the morning.

It also allows for the formation of bacteria in your mouth, which realistically we want to avoid at all costs.

Smoking and use of tobacco products

It should go without saying that smoking can make your breath smell bad (Getty Stock Image)

While we know the general health risks of smoking, and how tobacco affects our body, it could also be having an impact on our oral hygiene.

Products that require chewing tobacco in particular, could be leading to a bad taste in your mouth.

But smoking has been more generally linked to bad breath in the morning.

Health issues

Dr. Wilson has also stressed how for some, waking up with bad breath could be happening through no fault of their own.

It's been found that having diabetes, a sinus infection, postnasal drip, or other health issues, could cause a bad taste in your mouth in the morning.

But this might occur at any other time of the day too, according to experts.