Eli5; why does saliva taste bad in the morning?
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Your body slows down its production of saliva at night, and swallows it less frequently when sleeping. So it gives bacteria in your saliva more time to replicate while in your mouth. This is made worse when you don’t brush your teeth before bed, because you leave bacteria with a nice supply of food on and between your teeth, gums, cheeks, and tongue.
Bacteria produce things that taste bad.
You don’t drink water while you sleep, so the tendency of the body in general is that you dehydrate. Some is lost to sweat, some to kidney filtration into the bladder, and a good portion gets breathed out. As the mouth dries out, and bacteria continue to do their thing, morning saliva is a bit extra smelly. If you’ve ever smelled someone’s breath after they haven’t been drinking water, it is not pleasant.
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