Dry Mouth at Night

Dry mouth occurs when there is a little amount of saliva. Saliva is the clear liquid consisting of water, mucus, and enzymes that is produced by the salivary glands. The absence of saliva leads up to irritating and uncomfortable symptoms like bad breath, sore throat, gum infections, tooth decay and difficulty in swallowing.

It is very common to experience oral dryness when a person is sleeping. Primarily because our brain knows that we are not eating, the salivary glands tend to slow down and for older people, the salivary glands may even shut down completely. Secondly, mouth breathers or snorers breathe through their mouths while sleeping, constantly drying off the oral tissue and tongue’s surface, interrupting the healthy protection given by the saliva. Thirdly, an individuals’ lifestyle may also have an effect on the production of saliva. Alcohol drinkers and chain smokers are more susceptible to oral dehydration. All of these plus some other factors, like side effects of medication and medical treatments, contributes to drying of the mouth at night which in turn disrupts sleeping patterns.

To prevent disruption of your good night sleep, you should find a way to increase the production of saliva in the evening. The most effective and cheapest way to reduce mouth dryness is to drink sufficient water during the day to preserve moisture and prevent dry oral dehydration at night. For snorers, weight reduction would be very beneficial only it will take quite some time. For the meantime and while reducing weight is on progress, you may try sleeping on your side and practice breathing in your nose. Lifestyle change is also necessary if you want to get away from oral dryness. Stop or at least reduce alcohol intake and quit smoking. Stay away from sweet food and drinks that contain artificial sugars. Furthermore, you can try using products that enhances production of saliva like sugar free chewing gum and alcohol free oral rinse.

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