A mattress can start to smell due to a buildup of sweat, body oils, and allergens. Mold growing in your mattress can also be the culprit. Additionally, smells can come from pet dander or spilled food or drinks.
A bedroom can smell in the morning as a result of body odour, dust, moisture in the room, dirty bedding and a messy room. Poor air circulation at night makes unpleasant odours linger until morning. These smells can be avoided by regularly cleaning the bedroom and making sure to air it out every day.
Body odor at night rarely tops the list of serious health woes, but it can be embarrassing and disconcerting. Sour body odor when sleeping usually isn't a cause for concern, but the sweating could be a sign of benign hyperhidrosis or a more serious ailment.
It's often described as musty and earthy, and may even smell like rotting vegetables or plants. You might notice a musty smell, but not be able to see any mold growing. In this case, you should look for areas that might be exposed to water.
Musty and Dusty
A musty or dusty smell is often a sign of mold or mildew, especially in humid or moisture-prone environments like the basement, laundry room, kitchen, or bathroom. Mold and mildew can create severe respiratory problems and can exacerbate allergies and asthma in sensitive individuals.
Stagnant air — Stagnant air traps airborne particles like dust, mold spores, and even tobacco smoke from your clothes. This is especially true on hot humid days. If you don't have proper ventilation in your room, the air holds on to these pollutants.
Common culprits to watch out for include mold and mildew, dust, dirty laundry, stains and spills, pet accidents and leftover food.
Specifically, saliva production decreases while you're sleeping, leaving you with dry mouth at night. Since saliva usually flushes out odor-causing particles, you're left with bacterial buildup that makes its presence known with its distinctive aroma.
Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medications and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia can also result from COVID-19 infection.
As we sleep, our bodies naturally shed skin cells, secrete natural oils and may lightly sweat – although some people may sweat more than normal. [5] If you're sweating a lot at night, it could also mean bacteria is building up overnight, leaving an unpleasant smell to wake up to in the morning.
If your home has a stale, musty scent, there could be a handful of explanations, including a plumbing leak, high humidity, poor airflow, dirty HVAC equipment, or soiled carpet.
We adapt to smells very quickly. Within the space of just a few breaths, we can lose our ability to detect new odors. It's called olfactory adaptation, and it's the same reason you can't smell your own breath, your body odor, or even your perfume after a few minutes.
If your mattress has a persistent bad smell after washing and deodorizing it, there's a chance that mold and mildew are growing inside. There is no way to get mold or mildew out of the inside of a mattress, so it's best to buy a new one.
Blocked Drains
Any type of blockages, whether they are partial or full, can prevent waste water from properly leaving your home. Over time, this stagnant water sitting in the pipes can build up bacteria and produce pungent odors throughout the night.
If it is outdoors, or if the windows are open, then the smell is stronger near the source. Moving your nose from place to place is a way to determine the gradient of concentration of smelly molecules. Follow the direction of the gradient to locate the source.
Apparently there is something called “Occupant Odor.” These odors come from the detergents you use, cooking smells, cleaning supplies, and room fresheners. These scents then occupy spaces like curtains, carpets, cushions and pillows. Combined together, the meshing of these scents creates your distinct home smell.
All homes have a smell. But some homes… smell better (or, let's be honest, worse) than others. And if you're worried your home might not fall in the better category, don't worry.
It happens when smell receptor cells in your nose don't detect odors or transmit them to your brain. Causes include bacterial or viral infections, head trauma, neurological conditions and COVID-19. Parosmia is usually temporary, but in some cases, it's permanent.
Mold will smell musty and stale. But if the mold has been growing in your home for a long time, the smell will be stronger like how sweaty socks or rotten meat smell.