Vaper's Tongue ‚– What you need to know
Vaper's tongue is a well-known problem that hits many vapers, especially those who are new to vaping and unaware of the issue. The problem causes vapers to often experience differences in tastes, what was once a favourite vape suddenly tastes horrible, a numb tongue or even a loss of sense of taste.
If this befalls you, not to worry, it's not serious nor permanent. Vaper's tongue (also known as vaper's fatigue) is a term that covers taste-related ailments. Often this happens from frequent use of a single, individual flavour. So, if you've been vaping the same flavour for a few weeks. you'll probably start to notice the difference in taste or lack thereof. Usually, it does pass on its own in a couple of weeks without aid.
Let's look at what can cause vaper's tongue and what you can do to avoid it.
The causes of vaper's tongue?
1. Vaping a flavour too long ‚– after using the same flavour for a long time the taste begins to change, or you lose your sense of taste altogether due to the fatigue of your taste buds.
2. Damaged taste buds ‚– one of the simplest causes, taste buds damaged from smoking, infections, alcohol, extremely sour foods, spicy foods and some medications can also lead to vaper's tongue.
3. Dehydration ‚– possibly a surprising one but being dehydrated is another possible cause.
4. Mouth dryness ‚– a lack of saliva can, unfortunately, lead to a loss of taste. Remaining hydrated can help combat this.
5. Blocked nose ‚– you wouldn't think it, but we understand flavours because of our sense of smell. With a blocked nose you'll notice the flavours are much more subdued if any at all, especially if it's a complex flavour.
6. Illnesses & Medicines ‚– illnesses like cold and flu are obviously linked to vaper's tongue as you can quite often lose your sense of taste from them. It's also wise to note that head injuries and vitamin deficiencies can also be a cause. If you notice repeat or long spates of loss of taste, it might be best to speak to your GP just to get everything checked. Similarly, a number of medicines can lead to a loss of taste, make sure to check your side effects as it could be this rather than your vape causing you to lose your sense of taste.
7. E-Liquid out-of-date ‚– E-Liquids do have a shelf life. Usually, you notice this by a change in colour or taste. If your vape is starting to taste funny, especially if you've not vaped it for a while, it could very well be this. Check your use-by date on the bottle and make sure you are storing your E-Liquids correctly.
How to avoid it
1. Change the flavour - the simplest solution; swap your vape juice every so often. By simply changing the flavour you vape and returning to it after a couple of weeks, can help fend off vaper's tongue and keep the taste fresh.
2. Use a stronger flavour ‚– rebalance your taste buds with strong flavours like menthol or mint. If your vape taste is starting to go, puff on these strong flavours for a while to help bring it back.
3. Drink water ‚– keep hydrated. It clears the palette as well and can help with dry mouth.
4. The smell of fresh coffee beans ‚– this is a technique used by professional wine tasters and is something many of our own vapers do. By inhaling the scent of fresh coffee beans, it can help reset your sense of taste (an odd one we know, but somehow it works).
5. Sucking on a lemon ‚– like coffee beans, this citrus blast is meant to help reset your taste buds. If sucking on a lemon isn't your forte, try a lemon dessert or even a lemon flavoured vape.
6. Mouth wash ‚– back to those strong flavours, mouth wash could be a great way to rid yourself of vaper's tongue. But be mindful as these can be quite strong flavours that could inadvertently cause vaper's tongue.
7. Using steeped E-Liquids ‚– using steeped E-Liquids that offer more refined flavours, means you're getting more taste in your vape. Steeped E-Liquids can offer a softer, more refined taste that could be less likely to trigger vaper's tongue, but you may lose some of the throat hit from steeped liquids. Steeped E-Liquid is vape juice that has been left to mix over time rather than simply shaking to mix your liquid, then vaping. There are various ways to steep your E-Liquid including these useful ways.
Have you ever experienced vaper's tongue? If so, how did you get rid of it? Let us know in the comments below…
