Although feeling thirsty when you wake up may seem like a small irritation, your mouth may be alerting you to a larger issue.
Although xerostomia, or nighttime dry mouth, may seem like a little annoyance, the Cleveland Clinic states that if left untreated, it can have major repercussions, making “you more vulnerable to tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental issues.”
Dry mouth: what is it?
When your salivary glands don’t create enough saliva to keep your mouth wet, you get dry mouth. Your mouth needs saliva, or spit, to stay lubricated, clean, and free of dangerous microorganisms.
Surprisingly, the illness is frequently overlooked until it begins to interfere with your sleep or day-to-day activities. It is particularly prevalent at night.
Here’s what could be causing your mouth to feel like a desert every morning.
Digestion
It’s more important than most people realize what you eat in the hours before bed. Meals that are high in fat, spice, or salt make the digestive system work harder and frequently drain water from other areas of the body in order to process the food. Your mouth becomes dry as your body diverts fluids to aid with digesting.
Drugs
Medication is one of the most frequent reasons of night dry mouth.
Dry mouth is listed as a side effect of hundreds of prescription medications and over-the-counter medications, according to the Mayo Clinic. These include blood pressure meds, decongestants, painkillers, antihistamines, antidepressants, and anxiety medications.
Dehydration
Not drinking enough water is a common cause of dry mouth at night. Your body uses and loses moisture as you sleep because of respiratory and metabolic processes. Your mouth can suffer if you’re even a little dehydrated before bed.
Instead of drinking water right before bed, which can disrupt your sleep for toilet breaks, develop a consistent routine of being hydrated throughout the day.
Growing older
Everything changes as you age, including your mouth. In addition to being older, many persons over 60 have some degree of dry mouth due to drug use, slower metabolic processes, and other medical issues.
For older persons, regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups are essential since decreased saliva can raise the risk of tooth decay and mouth infections.
Health issues
An underlying medical condition may be the cause of persistent dry mouth. The Mayo Clinic states that diseases like diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, and Sjogren’s syndrome can all lower salivary flow.
Dry mouth can occasionally be a precursor to an autoimmune disease. A medical assessment is necessary if the problem persists in spite of proper dental hygiene and drinking.
High metabolism and hyperthyroidism
Everything in your body, including water loss, is accelerated by an overactive thyroid gland.According to Verywell Health, hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety, increased metabolism, and even frequent urination, which can leave your mouth and body feeling dry.
Thyroid symptoms like dry lips and increased thirst are frequently disregarded. Thyroid monitoring can be required if these symptoms continue to coexist with anxiety, weight loss, or heat sensitivity.
Breathing through the mouth
According to the Sleep Foundation, mouth breathing significantly “reduces saliva production, leading to dehydration, discomfort, and irritation in the throat.”
This prevalent problem, which is frequently associated with nasal congestion or sleep difficulties, could be a significant contributing factor to prolonged dry mouth at night.
Keeping airways open and minimizing dryness from nocturnal mouth breathing can be achieved by using a humidifier, managing allergies, or treating sleep apnea.
Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco
Your mouth can get extremely dry if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs.
Alcohol works as a diuretic, dehydrating the entire body, while smoking or chewing tobacco decreases saliva flow.
Methamphetamine is one particularly well-known drug that frequently results in significant tooth destruction and extremely dry mouth, a symptom known as “meth mouth.”
Cottonmouth, a word used by users to describe dry mouth, has also been connected to marijuana usage. These behaviors may be the main cause of your dryness when you wake up.
Although having a dry mouth when you wake up can seem like a minor inconvenience, it could indicate that your body is dehydrated, overworked, or experiencing a more serious issue. Pay attention to what your mouth is telling you if the dryness persists!
To help us hear from others, please share this experience and tell us how you deal with dry mouth at night.
