How to Avoid Getting Vaper’s Tongue When Vaping Cannabinoids

If you’re an avid vaper, then maybe you’ve experienced vaper’s tongue by now. While it’s more commonly associated with those who vape flavored e-liquids, vaper’s tongue can occur whenever you’re inhaling the vapor of something that has inherent flavor properties, including cannabinoid-based vape oils that get their taste naturally from terpenes.
Vaper’s tongue is annoying to say the least, but the good news is that there are ways to prevent it, as well as methods that vapers absolutely swear by.
What is Vaper’s Tongue?
Vaper’s tongue refers to a sudden loss of ability to taste what you’re vaping. It can occur without warning, and this would naturally catch a vaper off guard. While it’s naturally alarming to no longer be able to taste anything, it’s not because your palate is broken. Instead, it’s because your senses are fatigued.
If you’ve ever worn a strong perfume all day and lost the ability to smell it after a few hours, then you’ve experienced a similar phenomenon. Or, if you’ve spent an entire day cooking, and by the time you’re ready to eat, you can barely taste the food, then you’ve experienced exactly what we’re talking about. Vaper’s tongue occurs because the olfactory glands and taste buds get essentially exhausted trying to constantly perceive the sensory information you’re exposing them to, so they take a break, and you’re no longer able to taste what you’re vaping.
Is Vaper’s Tongue a Cause for Concern?
Good news, vaper’s tongue isn’t a real medical concern. There really is no need to rush to the doctor or think that your senses are damaged forever. The “condition” usually wears off in anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day, and then you’ll be back to normal.
Still, vaper’s tongue can be quite unpleasant, especially if you really like the flavor of what you’re vaping. So, let’s go over some ways to prevent it and “cure” it, should it happen to you.
What Makes Vaper’s Tongue More Likely?
The thing about vaper’s tongue is that it’s very flavor-dependent. In other words, the stronger the flavor of your vape oil, the more likely it is to happen. Cannabinoid-based vaping products almost never contain flavoring ingredients, but they almost do always contain terpenes, which are natural compounds in hemp that carry flavor molecules. Some terpene profiles can actually have quite a strong flavor profile, increasing your chance of getting vaper’s tongue.
So, what are the most common reasons why your taste buds and olfactory glands would get tired out from a cannabinoid vape?
Reason #1: Chain-Vaping
Ah, chain-vaping. While it can feel great to keep hitting your vape over and over again, the reality is that this is the quickest way to end up with vaper’s tongue. If you aren’t giving your senses a rest in between sensory stimuli exposure, then they’re going to get worn out fast.
Reason #2: Vaping Too Strong of a Flavor
If you’re vaping a particular hemp strain that’s extremely flavorful, then vaper’s tongue is going to be more likely to occur. The more flavor impact you’re experiencing, the harder your senses have to work to pick up all of that information, and the quicker they’ll tire out.
Reason #3: Not Switching Things Up
Vaper’s tongue can also occur because you’re just very used to a specific flavor. Again, this can be relatable if you wear the same fragrance every day – eventually, you just don’t even notice it anymore.
How to Prevent Vaper’s Tongue
Now, comes the main question, which is, what can you do to make sure that you don’t end up with vaper’s tongue? Well, these simple tips can fend off the problem altogether.
Prevention Tip #1: Take Breaks
If you can, try to take some breaks. This means taking a few hours away from your vape, and also taking a good 30-60 seconds between each puff when you are vaping. This gives your senses a chance to rest, which will prevent fatigue.
Prevention Tip #2: Change Up Your Terpene Profiles
Since vaping the same flavor repeatedly can lead to vaper’s tongue, consider switching between different terpene profiles/strains regularly, so that your palate always has a new flavor profile to adjust to. If you’re vaping a particularly strong terpene profile, flavor-wise, think about switching it out for a new one should you end up with vaper’s tongue.
How to Fix Vaper’s Tongue
If you follow all of the above tips and still end up with vaper’s tongue, that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. There are some practical solutions that have been shared by avid vape enthusiasts, which you can try should this issue occur.
Solution #1: Walk Away from Your Vape
Of course, the best thing to do is put your vape down and walk away. Your palate is fatigued, and the only way to restore its ability to taste flavor is to take a break, ideally for at least a couple of hours.
Solution #2: Smell Some Coffee
Yes, smelling some ground coffee can restore your palate. That’s because vaper’s tongue is largely olfactory fatigue, meaning that it’s your nose that is doing most of the work when you’re vaping. The strong, invigorating scent of coffee can essentially shock your olfactory glands back into working properly.
Solution # 3: Grab a Lemon
Another option that people swear by is licking or sucking on a fresh lemon. It follows the same principle as above, offering such a strong, sour flavor that your palate wakes itself back up.
Savor the Flavor of Your Favorite Cartridge without Any Interruption
Vaper’s tongue isn’t dangerous, but it is annoying, especially if you love the rich and bold taste of delicious terpenes in your vapes. The fortunate thing is that it’s somewhat easy to prevent, and just as easy to fix. That way, you can continue vaping your favorite strains here at ELYXR without disruption.