WHAT EXACTLY IS VAPE TONGUE?
Have you ever been vaping your favorite liquid and after a while, you realize you cannot taste anything? This is most likely NOT a permanent thing and is only the result of a phenomenon known in the vaping world as vape tongue.
Vape tongue is a condition that develops when your taste buds become fatigued or overworked. This results in an inability to be able to experience taste. Vape tongue, or vape fatigue as it’s sometimes referred, is rarely permanent. (If you have issues that are long lasting, it is likely another root cause, other than vaping.) And typically isn’t something you need to worry about. Generally vape tongue occurs when the taste buds are subject to the same flavor over and over. This causes the taste buds to become fatigued and work less hard, resulting in a lack of taste. Once they are given a break, your taste should return to normal.
WHAT ARE TASTE BUDS AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
To understand what causes vape tongue and how to remedy it, first you need to understand how taste buds work. Your tongue is covered with up to 10,000 taste buds, The more taste buds you have (which varies person to person) the more broad your palate is. Your taste buds are on a constant cycle of growing, dying away and regrowing. This cycle typically takes anywhere from 9-14 days. Your taste buds are programmed to taste sweet, salty, bitter, sour and savory. These flavors combined are what allow you to taste the wide array of flavors available in life.
Even though there are literally thousands of taste buds on your tongue, it’s not the only player on the stage. The nose and your sense of smell play a large roll in your ability to taste as well. Combining the taste with what you smell, your nose communicates the flavor and scent to your brain for recognition. If your sense of smell is hindered, your taste is also affected. This is why someone with a stuffy nose from a cold or allergies may complain of things tasting blandly.
CAUSES OF VAPE TONGUE AND HOW TO COMBAT IT
The following is a list of several of the most common causes of vape tongue. Knowing is half the battle.
- Vaping the same flavor liquid for an extended period of time is one of the leading causes of vape tongue. Simply switching flavors may be enough to reverse the taste numbness.
- Damage to your taste buds via other means. Such as from smoking, extremely sour or spicy foods, infections or some medications to name a few. As you read above, it can take up to two weeks for taste buds to regenerate.
- Dehydration can be another cause of vape tongue. Other symptoms of dehydration are sore or dry mouth, tiredness, headaches and/or darker urine. Having any of these symptoms along with lack of taste, it’s an indication that dehydration is probably the culprit.
- Having a dry mouth is also one of the causes of vape tongue. Lack of saliva in the mouth can lead to loss of taste. This can happen with age and in that case isn’t reversible. Generally though, remedying the dry mouth will fix the problem.
- Having a stuffy or plugged up nose from a cold or allergies can hinder your sense of taste.
- Some illnesses and medications can also be the problem. Injuries to your head or face, inflamed and swollen gums, vitamin deficiencies and Alzheimer’s for instance. These medical conditions can all affect your sense of taste. As well as medical conditions, some medications can affect your sense of taste and smell as well.
- Old e-liquid can also be the issue. As something ages, it degrades.
HOW DO I REVERSE VAPE TONGUE?
The following are several remedies I’ve compiled to help you if you’re in this predicament.
- Change your flavor. This may sound TOO simple, but it simply could just take switching flavors to restore your sense of taste. If possible, switch to a bolder flavor. You should be able to return to your original flavor in a few weeks and it’ll be just as yummy as before.
- Drink a glass or two of water. This will help cleanse the palate. As well as, rehydrate you.
- Sniff coffee beans or suck on a lemon, these are a good way to cleanse your palate. In addition to, wine tasters use these as a way to cleanse their palate between tastings.
- Trying mouth wash is another good way to combat vape tongue. This is because menthol and wintergreen are a good palate cleanser. Be aware that mint that is too strong can have the opposite effect.
- Allow time for your taste buds to regenerate. Remember that it takes approximately two weeks for your taste buds to regenerate so it may not be a quick fix.
IN CONCLUSION
Vape tongue is an annoying but very rarely permanent issue that can be remedied using several easy methods. A large part of vaping is the enjoyment you get from a big tasty cloud of vapor. And if you are unable to experience that yummy flavor, you are definitely missing out.
