5 Body Odours You Should Never Ignore!
Every runner has to deal with a few unpleasant odours, but these smells can signal more than a skipped shower.
BODY ODOUR #5: Bad breath is a symptom of sleep apnea
If your morning breath is consistently ripe – even if you brush your teeth regularly – you could be dealing with undiagnosed sleep apnea, a disorder that causes your breathing to sporadically stop and start while you sleep.
Sleep apnea can lead to excessive snoring, causing you to breathe through your mouth throughout the night. This can make your mouth very dry, which is a common cause of bad breath, says Raj Dasgupta, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.
This allows bacteria to breed more readily – and when certain kinds multiply, they produce a sulfurous gas that can give your breath a rotten egg smell.
If you’ve ruled out other causes of bad breath, but still wake up with a smelly mouth and you suffer from daytime sleepiness and snoring, schedule an appointment with your doctor. It’s vital sleep apnea gets diagnosed quickly: The sleeping condition has been strongly associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, so treating it sooner than later can spare you of its long-term health effects, Dr. Dasgupta says.
Once you’re diagnosed, your sleep doctor can recommend a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP), a mask that rests over your nose and mouth helps that helps keep your airways open while you snooze.
Additional reporting by Jada Green
JUMP TO:
BODY ODOUR #1: Fruity Breath Is a Symptom of Diabetes
BODY ODOUR #2: Stinky Feet Is a Symptom of Athlete’s Foot
BODY ODOUR #3: Smelly Poo Is a Symptom of Lactose Intolerance
BODY ODOUR #4: Strong-smelling Urine Is a Symptom of a Urinary Tract Infection
BODY ODOUR #5: Bad breath is a symptom of sleep apnea
The article 5 Body Odors You Should Never Ignore originally appeared on Men’s Health.
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