Dry mouth (xerostomia) is a sensation you feel in your mouth when you don’t have enough spit or saliva. It affects around 22% of people and can make it hard to swallow or speak.
Other dry mouth symptoms include thick and stringy spit, bad breath, a hoarse or sore throat, a change in your sense of taste and a dry tongue. It’s more common in older adults and can be caused by sleeping with your mouth open, certain medications or signal an underlying health condition.
Reasons You May Wake Up with a Dry Mouth
Dry mouth can be caused by different factors. It can affect a person temporarily or for long periods. Here are some common causes and how to treat each:
Mouth Breathing
Bad sleep habits can cause a dry mouth. Sleeping with your mouth open may lead to a dry mouth in the morning. Snoring and sleep apnea can also lead to mouth breathing, with one study of 1,000 adults showing that 16.4% who snored and 31.4% who had sleep apnea, had a dry mouth after waking up.
How to Stop Mouth Breathing at Night?
To prevent mouth breathing at night, try changing the way you sleep. If you sleep on your back, elevate your head and upper back. Another fix is to avoid eating close to bedtime, which can cause stomach juices to flood into the nose and sinuses, causing congestion. Finally, start practicing breathing through your nose during the day, to build a habit of nose breathing.
Medications
Dry mouth is a common side effect of multiple different medications. If you are managing a chronic health condition, or have recently started taking medications, you may start to experience a dry mouth.
How to Relieve Dry Mouth from Medications?
If you’re experiencing dry mouth from medications, talk to your doctor first. They might be able to prescribe a different medication or advise you to shift the time you take the medication.
Aging
According to research, 30% of adults over 65 and 40% of adults 80 years old and over, suffer from a dry mouth. This could be a result of certain medications or from a health condition itself such as diabetes, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
How to Prevent Dry Mouth from Aging?
Talk with your doctor to pinpoint the exact cause of your dry mouth. A simple change in medication or the time it’s taken may help. Alternately, a lifestyle change may be needed.
How to Prevent Dry Mouth While Sleeping?
If you wake up with a really dry mouth, it’s important to take steps to get moisture back. There are several simple solutions to try out such as:
- Stay hydrated during the day
- Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake
- Avoid spicy, salty foods before bed
- Use a dry mouth moisturizing spray
- Use a humidifier in the bedroom
- Practice good oral hygiene
- Learn how to stop mouth breathing at night
Not every person who suffers from dry mouth needs to see a doctor. Sometimes simple home remedies such as practicing better sleep hygiene, drinking more water during the day and using a bedroom humidifier can be the answer.
