What Is Vaper’s Tongue?
Throughout your time vaping, you might very well discover a moment when you suddenly cannot taste your favorite vape juice anymore, or your tongue feels slightly numb. This is what is known as the disturbingly dreadful vaper’s tongue. Not to worry though, vaper’s tongue won’t last forever. It can last for 24 hours or up to a few days, but in some cases as long as two weeks.
It is not uncommon for vaper’s to experience this and don’t worry, it is not on account of your device or e-juice. It really has to do with our bodies. Most vaper’s find that their tongue develops some type of layer on their tongue that affects your taste buds rendering you unable to enjoy the full flavor of your favorite e-juice. Dehydration tends to be the major culprit that can cause vaper’s tongue.
The taste buds in your mouth are numerous. In fact, the average person has as many as 10,000 taste buds, which are replaced about every two weeks. The sense of taste, known as the gustatory sense, necessitates saliva to function properly and keep you tasting all the great flavors you love. So without the proper amount of saliva, the ability to taste can become non-existent.
The e-juice that we vape happens to include a key ingredient called propylene glycol or PG. PG molecules are what you would call hygroscopic. A hygroscopic substance has the ability to absorb moisture from an environment such as your mouth due to the fact that it likes to bond with water molecules. As you vape, moisture is being drawn out of your saliva, which can cause your mouth to become very dry because not only is the moisture drawn out of your saliva, but it is also drawn out from all the surrounding tissues near your mouth.
In addition to sense of taste, your sense of smell plays a critical role in your enjoyment of flavors too. In fact, researchers claim that your sense of smell, known as the olfactory sense, is 80% responsible for the flavors that you can taste, which is the reason why you can’t really taste anything when you have a stuffed up nose. The olfactory sense does have the ability to lose its perception of distinctive aromas over time and will affect your ability to taste your e-juice too.
If you have recently quit smoking and have switched to vaping, this may also interfere with your ability to fully enjoy your vaping sessions. It is common for cigarette smokers to have their sense of taste and smell impaired due to years of smoking. But luckily by quitting, your body will heal and generally within a month or two of not smoking, you will regain the ability to enjoy great flavors again.
A Few Remedies For Vaper’s Tongue
1. Drink More Water
Always stay hydrated. Water is extremely important to our bodies health. It helps with proper circulation, hydration of our cells, and much more. When you’re dehydrated you will have dry mouth, you will feel fatigued and it can cause headaches or dizziness. When you’re vaping, we recommend that you increase your water consumption. Try to avoid replacing water with sugary or caffeinated drinks and even alcohol. Water is water, folks! Drink it!
2. Take Longer Breaks In Between Vaping
If you’re experiencing severe dry mouth, perhaps take longer breaks between vaping. You may consider increasing the nicotine content in your e-liquid to keep you more satisfied between vaping sessions, which will enable you to take longer breaks between vaping. This will definitely give your taste buds a rest.
3. Switch E-juice Flavors More Often
If you tend to vape the same flavor for long periods of time, eventually it will not seem as full flavored as it once was. Switching flavors from time to time will help in avoiding vaper’s tongue. Maybe take the opportunity to experiment with other flavors that you can have on hand to switch to throughout the day.
4. Try Menthol Flavors
You may not enjoy menthol flavors, but menthol have been known to reactivate thermoreceptors, olfactory and taste receptors. It can offer you the same satisfaction of nicotine transfer while giving you a break from your everyday all day vape. Plus, if you still want fruity or dessert like flavors, there are many to choose from that have added menthol to the flavor profile.
5. Clean Your Tongue
This may sound funny, but try it. Brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth. If it helps keep your e-liquid tasting like you know it should, then it is worth doing.
Enduring Symptoms
If you have vaper’s tongue, try a few of the suggestions above and if anything, give it some time. One last thing to consider if your vaper’s tongue persists is whether you are taking prescription drugs. This seems to be a hot topic that is being discussed more often throughout the vaping industry. A common side effect of a lot of prescription drugs is dry mouth. The combination of the prescription drugs and vaping could possibly be intensifying your vaper tongue symptoms. If you believe this may be occurring, it is recommended you seek medical attention if the symptoms persist.
