Mar
Kick the Crave
Whatcha Gonna Do When Vaper’s Tongue Happens to You?
If you’re like most vapers, you spend a good amount of money each month on MHJ e-liquids that taste absolutely delicious. You might even devote hours each week to researching the latest flavors that have hit the market. And, you likely enjoy nothing more than that first hit of a brand-new juice that’s layered with mouth-watering tastes.
So, what happens when you suddenly lose the ability to taste your e-juice? While this may sound like a scene out of a vaper’s worst nightmare, it is actually a phenomenon called “vaper’s tongue” that’s not nearly as uncommon as you might think. While vaper’s tongue is quite a devastating thing among flavor-chasers, the good news is that it can be fairly easy to remedy and even easier to prevent altogether.
What on Earth is Vaper’s Tongue?
To put it simply, vaper’s tongue refers to the sudden, seemingly unprovoked inability to taste your e-liquid. You know that you’re vaping because you feel the vapor going into your lungs and you see it leaving your mouth, but you don’t experience any flavor whatsoever. It’s important to note that when this happens, you’re still absorbing the same amount of nicotine as you would if you had not developed vaper’s tongue. It really only applies to your ability to taste.
While you might be scratching your head, the truth is that almost every vaper will experience this phenomenon at least once during their vaping career.
What Causes Vaper’s Tongue?
Flavor Fatigue
Have you ever been to a loud music concert? If so, you may have noticed that after an hour or so of constantly loud music, you lose your ability to detect the nuances of what’s playing. Perhaps you can’t distinguish the individual instruments or the particular chords that are being played.
Or, maybe you’ve spent an entire day cooking a delicious meal, only to find that once it’s being served, you can’t even taste what you’re eating. That delicious brisket might as well be cardboard as it slides across your mouth and down your throat.
Our senses put a lot of energy into detecting what they’re perceiving. If they don’t get a chance to rest, or if the sensory experience is too intense, they’ll get fatigued. When we have vaper’s tongue, our senses are virtually too tired to bother to figure out what’s going on.
We have thousands of taste buds. These taste buds detect a small number of flavor categories whenever we taste something. However, our flavor experience is about 70 percent aroma. In other words, a lot of what we think we’re tasting we’re actually smelling.
Dry Mouth
Another reason why vaper’s tongue can occur is because we have dry mouth. In order for our taste buds to work properly, our saliva needs to be flowing. Vaping, especially when done in excess, can temporarily dehydrate the tongue, causing our saliva to disappear. This creates a dry environment in which the taste buds simply can’t do their job.
What Can I Do to Prevent Vaper’s Tongue?
Choose Your Flavors Wisely
It’s widely believed that the more complex the flavor, the more likely it is that you’ll be cursed with vaper’s tongue. That’s because if there are many different flavor notes in an e-liquid, your senses will exert more energy in order to identify each one.
Say Goodbye to Chain-Vaping
Chain-vaping is conducive to vaper’s tongue because it forces the senses to be constantly exposed to the same flavor over and over again without any break. This will eventually tire out the nose and the taste buds, essentially making them give up.
Stay Hydrated
In order to avoid vaper’s tongue caused by dry mouth, make sure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day. Besides being a crucial part of maintaining good health, staying hydrated keeps your taste buds in good shape, providing them with what they need in order to produce an adequate amount of saliva. This saliva is a crucial component to your ability to experience a flavor.
Quality Matters
Never purchase low-quality e-liquids in an effort to save money. Low-quality ingredients tend to be extremely harsh and synthetic, making them more likely to wear down your senses’ abilities to function properly.
Consider Other Lifestyle Factors
Ask yourself if any of your daily habits are contributing to a dehydrated tongue. For example, certain medications can cause chronic dry mouth. Similarly, if you consume a lot of sugar throughout the day, your taste buds might be overwhelmed.
How Can I Fix Vaper’s Tongue?
Take a Break
The most important thing to do when vaper’s tongue hits is to take a break from your e-liquid, or, even better, vaping altogether. Sounds hard but doing this will give your senses a chance to rest and recover. While it might be unrealistic for some to give up vaping for a week, we do suggest at least cutting back for a little while.
Or, you can simply consider switching to a very mild, one-dimensional flavor for a bit. This will reduce the chances of your senses getting overwhelmed. We recommend going with a basic fruit like mango or opting for a pure menthol.
Smell Some Coffee
Some vapers have used this method when it comes to fixing their case of vaper’s tongue. There’s something about the incredibly bold aroma of coffee grounds that seems to recalibrate the senses.
Citrus is Your Friend
Others are convinced that licking a lemon or a lime resets their taste buds and their nose. The bright, tart taste of these fruits seems to shock the senses so much that they regain their ability to detect the nuances of other flavors.
Brush Your Teeth
Another tried-and-true trick is to simply brush your teeth as soon as vaper’s tongue hits. We are not sure exactly why this one works, but many vapers have rid themselves of vaper’s tongue with this simple technique.
Put an End to Sensory Overload
While vaper’s tongue can be quite a pain, it doesn’t have to ruin your vaping life. These tips and tricks will keep your senses in excellent shape so that you can enjoy your delicious vape juices without interruption.
