If you can’t seem to notice the taste or flavour of your vape juice despite trying every vaping trick in the books, then chances are that you’ve developed Vaper’s tongue. Vaper’s tongue is one thing that every vaper will experience occasionally, whether you’re a newbie or a pro.
Although this condition isn’t permanent, it is never a pleasant experience either. It’s vital to understand what causes Vaper’s Tongue and what you can do to remedy this condition.
What Is Vaper’s Tongue?
Vaper’s Tongue is a condition whereby a vaper suddenly loses the ability to taste the vape juice. It is a very common experience among vapers and is sometimes referred to as Vaping fatigue.
A person experiencing this phenomenon will feel as though there is a thick coating on their tongue blocking their ability to taste. Although Vaper’s tongue in no way affects vapour production or nicotine absorption, it can lead to a very frustrating and unpleasant vaping experience.
Why Can’t You Taste The Flavour In Your Vape?
You can’t taste the flavour in your vape because for some reason your taste buds have become unresponsive to the flavour of your vape juice.
The situation can arise if your taste receptors are too familiar with a particular vape juice flavour, or if certain circumstances have rendered them ineffective at the moment. Smell disorders or olfactory fatigue can also be a reason for Vaper’s fatigue.
How Long Does Vaper’s Tongue Last?
Vaper’s tongue can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. The highest reported duration from vapers who’ve experienced this condition is 2 weeks. The most common duration, however, is 2 to 3 days. Your vape tongue would recover faster if try applying known remedies to cure it.
Can Vaper’s Tongue Be Permanent?
There’s no such thing as a permanent Vaper’s tongue. If for some reason you get no flavour from your vape juice despite trying different samples, then it’s advisable to consult your doctor. There may be an underlying illness you need to treat.
What Are The Causes Of Vaper’s Tongue?
Vaper’s tongue arises when certain things ruin your sense of taste or compromise your taste buds. Here are the most common causes:
- Vaping One Particular Flavour For Too long: It’s not a crime to have your favourite flavours, but then when your taste buds get too used to this flavour you won’t get any relish when vaping. Also, when you fail to exhaust a particular bottle of vape juice, the flavour will begin to fade. If you vape such e-juice on fatigued taste buds you’ll lose all sense of taste altogether.
- Poor Oral Hygiene: If you’re one of those folks who seldom do a thorough mouthwash, then this may be the reason why your taste buds have gone numb. If your taste receptors are masked by food debris and bacteria, nothing will taste as it should. A thorough mouth wash will remove all food residues that would’ve masked your taste buds.
- Smoking cigarettes: One of the consequences of vaping and smoking simultaneously, is that it can cause Vaper’s Tongue. The tobacco present in cigarettes has a way of affecting your sense of taste and smell, so if you vape afterwards, you won’t be able to notice the flavour of your e-liquid. Vaper’s tongue caused by smoking will completely wear off after about a month of abstaining from smoking.
- Dehydration: If you’re dehydrated, you’re better off drinking water than vaping e-liquid. Vaping in this case will only make you more thirsty, and worse still the dryness of your mouth and shortage of saliva will make your taste buds very unresponsive. The PG and VG in vape liquids can also lead to a dry mouth, because they bond with the water molecules in your saliva, drawing out moisture in the process. One good tactic vapers use is to drink water between vapes; this helps keep the taste buds alive.
- Smell disorders: Whether it’s a running nose, or a blocked nose, if there’s some issue with your nasal cavity or olfactory nerves, your vape flavour won’t hit just right. The olfactory sense and taste buds always work together to give an accurate sense of taste.
- Illness and medications: Know that sour taste you get in your mouth when you’re sick? It can ruin your sense of taste. If you vape in this condition, you’ll get a wrong taste or no taste at all. There are medications too can lead to loss of taste. These drugs can cause a metallic, bitter, or sour taste in your mouth as a side effect. No vape juice will taste good in this scenario.
How To Get Rid Of Vaper’s Tongue? 7 Ways To Cure Vaper’s Tongue
Although Vaper’s tongue usually goes away on its own, there are certain things you can do on your part to get rid of it. Here’s how to cure Vaper’s tongue at home:
1. Change The Flavour
This is a simple solution for taste buds that have gotten too used to a particular vape flavour. Your olfactory nerves have grown tired of the same vape aroma, and it’s high time you switch to a new flavour. Preferably, use a menthol-flavoured e-liquid. Menthol activates thermoreceptors, so they are the best at resetting your taste buds.
2. Drink More Water
You must stay hydrated between vapes, else you will develop a dry mouth and then Vaper’s tongue. After each vape session, drink enough water. Another trick is to vape ordinary water. This helps give you a break from the nicotine, PG, and VG that may cause dehydration without necessarily giving you a break from vaping.
3. Do A Palate Cleanse
You can use a palate cleanser to eradicate food residues from your tongue and revive your taste buds. A cheap way to do this is by sucking on a fresh lemon: Inhaling fresh coffee beans also works wonders.
4. Do A Thorough Mouthwash
Restore your coated taste buds and eliminate bacteria by doing a thorough mouthwash. Use a tongue cleaner for better results. Asides from saving you from Vaper’s Tongue, this also stops you from having bad teeth.
5. Quit Smoking
Vaping is meant to be a better alternative to smoking. Vapers who still smoke are the ones that suffer Vaper’s Tongue for extended periods (2 weeks). The best you can do for your health and your taste buds is to quit smoking for good. Once you do this, you’ll be able to get more flavour out of vape juice each time you vape.
6. Take A Break
Being a chain vaper has several downsides: One of them is that your flavour receptors get overworked. If you want to keep on enjoying vape juice flavours, you should vape less frequently. Taking long breaks between vapes gives your taste buds time to rest, and also helps you hydrate.
7. Treat Your Illness
If your sour mouth or bad taste buds are caused by an illness or medications, brushing or palate-cleansing may never solve the problem. You should focus on getting back your health. Once you do, your taste receptors will be restored too, and you can get accurate e-liquid flavours anytime you vape.
Final Words
Vaper’s Tongue can be a rare occurrence for you if you take simple preventive measures like maintaining good oral health, drinking much water, vaping less, and avoiding substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine. If your Vaper’s Tongue condition is mild, using steeped vape juice can help improve the vaping experience.