Sweet taste in mouth is characterized by the constant sensation similar to what you would experience after consuming a sugary drink or eating candy. People who have experienced the condition often describe it as being potent and fruity. The constant sensation is not linked to food consumption as it is always present.
Many people begin to worry immediately they notice a sweet taste in their mouth. The presence of an unexplained taste in your mouth could be an indication that there is an underlying condition that is yet to be identified. The same thing also applies for situations where you find yourself experiencing a metallic, bitter, or highly unpleasant taste in your mouth.
Experiencing this taste all the time can be very unsettling. Although it is far from being a serious problem, it could interfere with how you enjoy drinks and food. You should also keep in mind that the sweetness could be a symptom of a serious medical illness.
Below, we will look at sweet taste in mouth, symptoms, ketosis, diabetes, thyroid, its causes, pregnancy, at night, morning, after eating, sweet taste in the mouth and not diabetes.
Sweet taste in mouth NHS
According to NHS, diabetes type 1 symptoms can develop at a very quick rate—within a period of a few days or even weeks—in children. Sweet taste in mouth is one of the symptoms associated with this type of diabetes. It, however, takes much longer for the symptoms to develop in older adults.
The signs will normally disappear when the condition is controlled which should occur immediately you start taking insulin. Additional symptoms associated with the condition include:
- Slow healing of grazes and cuts
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Blurred vision occasioned by a change in your eye lenses
- Frequent urge to urinate at night
- Regular bouts of yeast infection
- Feeling tired all the time
- Loss of muscle bulk and weight loss
You may also experience deep breathing and vomiting at a much later stage. You should seek immediate medical care when this happens as it is deemed to be a very dangerous indication.
Sweet taste in mouth symptoms
Some of the signs that accompany this condition include:
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Hunger
- Feeling irritable and shaky
- Tingling lips
- General feeling of weakness
Sweet taste in mouth thyroid
You may have heard someone close to you say that they have underactive thyroid or that they are experiencing underactive thyroid symptoms. Many people assume that this is in reference to a person’s ability to shed off the extra weight. But this is not always the case.
Underactive thyroid symptoms are not only annoying, but they can also pose serious problems if they are not addressed using the correct treatment protocols. Underactivity thyroid symptoms come about when your thyroid gland is incapable of producing the correct amount of hormones needed by your body. It is recommended that all thyroid symptoms be taken very seriously.
Hypothyroidism is a serious condition that may impact the length and quality of your life. Apart from sweet taste in mouth, you should also be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- Slow heartbeat
- Feeling too cold when it is warm
- General body weakness
- Inability to lose extra weight
- Unexplained weight gain
- Sleeping too much
- Sore muscles
- Slow movements
Many of these symptoms will develop slowly over time. They start off being mild which explains why many people do not notice them until they start to worsen. They could have adverse effects on your hormonal system, brain, and liver functionality if they are not treated in time.
Sweet taste in mouth causes
Below here are the causes of sweet taste in mouth. They include:
1. After vomiting
Your nose plays a vital part in tasting as compared to your tongue or any other parts of your digestive system. You are likely to experience the nauseous feeling when vomiting. This means that your nose will not get any sensations, and your tongue will not be able to respond to taste.
You will, therefore, experience a sweet taste in your mouth even when you consume something that is sugarless like water. Secondly, the digested particles will remain in your mouth even after you are done vomiting. They will thus come into contact with your saliva leading to the production of ether gases.
The partially digested carbohydrates tend to be sweet as well. Anything you take after vomiting will be easily dissolved leading to the tip of your tongue experiencing a sweet sensation.
2. GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) is often characterized by the presence of an imbalance in your stomach. It explains why people who frequently suffer from GERD tend to experience a persistent and strange taste in the mouth. GERD sufferers have also been known to experience a constant feeling of bloating and fullness, frequent vomiting, acid reflux, and the inability to eat certain kinds of foods.
3. Infections
Various infections may contribute to the emergence of this unexplainable taste in your mouth. The infections can be bacterial or viral in nature. Certain viruses are capable in affecting nerves connected to your taste receptors.
Your sinuses tend to be more prone to bacterial infections. For instance, a person whose sinuses have been blocked will likely notice a change in their tasting experiences.
4. Neurological problems
Damage to your nerves is not always attributed to viral infections. There exist various neurological conditions that may contribute to a consistent sweet taste in your mouth. Epilepsy is one such condition.
5. Sweet taste mouth diabetes
A glucose spike is likely to occur when the body is unable to produce the required amounts of insulin. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Related Diseases refers to this condition as diabetes. The institution goes on further to explain that unexplained sweet taste in mouth is one of the primary symptoms of diabetes.
The composition of your saliva is changed by the condition leading to changes in tastes of food items. Accompanying symptoms may include:
- Increased urination
- Constant thirst
- Increase in your appetite
- Neurological issues
Diabetes can be life threatening and hence the need to ensure that it is treated as soon as possible. People with an enhanced risk of developing diabetes are advised to start treatment immediately. Do not wait for the diabetes symptoms to become severe to seek medical help.
Sweet taste in mouth not diabetes
Experiencing constant sweetness in your mouth may be an indication that you have a degenerative disorder of your nervous system. Common disorders under this group include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. The reason for this is because the electrical disturbances in your brain that are caused by the disorders mentioned above will impede normal nerve functioning.
Certain viruses could also attack your taste nerve leading to the constant sweet taste in the mouth. The sweetness will be perceived in your oral cavity. Pseudomonas infection is one such viral infection.
The condition is known to affect your sinusitis and can be fatal if not treated early. It affects the sinuses in such a way that your taste buds are not able to function as they should. It will also cause swimmer’s ear as well as itchiness.
Sweet taste in mouth ketosis
Diabetics and people on a low carb diet may every once in a while notice the presence of a very funny taste in their mouths. This is likely to occur when their blood sugar levels become low. The resulting bad breath is not because of poor oral hygiene practices—it is because the body is unable to burn carbohydrates to produce the energy required by your body, and is, therefore, burning fat to achieve the same purpose.
Ketones are produced when your body starts to burn fat to generate energy. The ketosis process produces acetone as a byproduct of the ketones. The acetone will then be expelled from your body through the breathing process where it will be exhaled.
This explains why you may find yourself having a funny, sweet taste in the mouth. There are chances that your breath may also have a funny smell during this process. Different descriptions are available for this taste with some saying it is sweet or fruity, and others saying it is metallic.
Sweet taste mouth after exercise
Exercising releases endorphins that are supposed to uplift your emotions for being able to complete the said task. But many athletes tend to encounter an odd taste in their mouths after completing their workouts. The odd taste can be caused by many factors and is advisable to consult a medic if the taste is accompanied by additional symptoms.
It can be caused by:
- Blood-gas barrier process
- Taste process interference
- Pulmonary edema
Sweet taste in mouth during pregnancy
Many women expecting a child will often report a troubling taste in their mouths that tends to be very persistent, according to the National Health Service. One of the early pregnancy signs is having a metallic taste in your mouth. The changes in taste are common when you are expectant.
Acid reflux and other gastrointestinal issues are to blame for the change in taste when pregnant. Digestive problems encountered when expecting are what causes the sweet taste in mouth. Although this symptom is considered to be an isolated case that should disappear with time, there is a need to consult a medic in order to rule out diabetes.
Many pregnant women are likely to experience sweet taste in the mouth, with as many as seven percent noting it in the early weeks of their pregnancy, according to Mayo Clinic. Risk factors that may lead to its development are:
- Previous pregnancy that caused gestational diabetes
- Existing family history of diabetes type2
- Previous pregnancy where the child weighed more than ten pounds
- Being obese or overweight
- If you are twenty-five years old or above when becoming expectant
Sweet taste in mouth at night
You can be able to identify the presence of any sour taste in your mouth as being caused by acid reflux when it has been accompanied by indigestion, nausea, and heartburn. But, individuals who suffer from silent acid reflux cases will only be able to notice the sour taste symptoms the next morning after they have woken up. There are instances when this taste could be described as being bitter as opposed to sour.
1. Poor oral practices
The key to proper oral hygiene is to brush your teeth at least two times each day ensuring that you floss and rinse the mouth using a quality mouth wash. Your mouth will normally be teeming with bacteria feeding off the food particles on your tongue and between the teeth during the night hours. Poor hygiene practices may lead to the emergence of various dental problems that can cause a change in taste.
2. Mouth & dental problems
You could be having different mouth and dental problems that may have led to the emergence of the strange taste in your mouth. Diseases affecting your taste buds will include oral candidiasis, tooth decay, and gingivitis. At times the taste is caused by the secretions coming from the areas that are diseased.
Sweet taste in mouth after eating
A sweet taste in the mouth after eating could be because of a bacterial infection. The infections normally interfere with your brains response to different tastes. For instance, you may find that you are experiencing a sweet taste in your mouth after eating when you have a sinus infection, flu, or cold.
An infection in your airways has the potential to affect your taste receptors, according to the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The consequence of this infection will be that your taste receptors will be affected and this will lead to raised glucose levels in your nasal secretions.
Sweet taste in mouth in the morning
Sweetness in your mouth early in the morning can be caused by poorly controlled glucose levels in a person suffering from diabetes. The excess glucose will be deposited between your teeth and gums and will result in a sweet taste the following day. It is the reason why diabetics are advised to practice proper dental hygiene.
The sweet taste should go away after you have brushed your teeth. It can also be reduced by drinking water as the water will lower the glucose concentration in your gums. A visit to your medic may be necessary to determine whether you are actually diabetic.
Article Resources:
http://www.doctorslounge.com/neurology/forums/backup/topic-3082.html
http://scarysymptoms.com/2012/01/sweet-taste-in-mouth-causes-and/
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/category/health/
http://www.badmouths.org/sweet-taste-in-mouth/
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Introduction-to-diabetes/Signs_and_symptoms/