Why tongue scraping should be part of your morning routine

Why tongue scraping should be part of your morning routineWhy tongue scraping should be part of your morning routineBy now, you probably have your morning routine down pat. It probably looks something like this wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, moisturize, put on clothes but a crucial step is missing, and it only takes 30 seconds. That step is tongue scraping.If you havent heard of it, the activity is exactly what it sounds like scraping your tongue. For what purpose? Tongue scraping is said tohelp with halitosis, in particular. And no one wants bad breath, right?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreResearchers from the United States National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Healthcomparedoverall oral health, as well as halitosis symptoms in tooth brushing with a soft bristle brush versus tongue scraping. They split a group of healthy participants between the ag es of 20 and 50 into two separate groups for a two-week period. One group spent the first week only tongue scraping and the second week only brushing teeth. The second group did the reverse retouine.The result? Both methods reduced the percentage of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), which are the cause of halitosis and the build-up of plaque on the tongue. But tongue scraping performed better by reducing VSCs by 75 percent versus a 45 percent reduction by tooth brushing.Effective removal of VSCs isintegralto oral health and even overall health. Having too much plaque on your tongue can also result inpoor digestionand evencardiovascular disease.Yikes.Do what you have to do to keep your breath fresh and your body healthy. If that means spending an extra 30 seconds a day scraping your tongue, wed say its worth it.This article originally appeared on Swirled.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people