One of the most unpleasant situations to find yourself in is waking up with a dry mouth. If you find yourself struggling with a dry mouth while sleeping, you know how uncomfortable it can be. It can lead to feeling strange upon waking up and even feeling a little off while you go about your day. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent dry mouth while sleeping, some of which are very achievable, no matter what your bedtime routine may entail.
In this article, we'll explore some tips to help you prevent dry mouth while sleeping so that you feel more rested and ready to take on the day. No matter what conditions or challenges you may face, these tips will help you understand why dry mouth happens and how to prevent it, even in the smallest of ways. Here’s three tips that can help you ensure your mouth is never dry when morning arrives, and you rise to greet the day.
1. Get a Humidifier
Many people may benefit already from the first tip to prevent dry mouth: getting and using a humidifier. For those who struggle with dry mouth, this can be a significant game changer in ensuring you get enough humidity and avoid waking up with that dreaded sticky feeling in your mouth. Humidifiers are beneficial for all sorts of condition, whether you live in a dry climate or simply need it for your health.
Humidifiers are an optimal solution to ensure you get enough moisture and avoid feeling dried out overnight. They can also help you with many other issues that may be related to your dry mouth problem. For those who struggle with issues like dry nasal passages, dry eyes, or simply feeling like they have a lot of dry skin issues, humidifiers can be a great solution that helps ensure that you never feel gross when you wake up in the morning.
If you wake up with a dry mouth, try getting a humidifier, especially if you live in a drier place than other climates. This can be an easy solution that only requires a slight adjustment to your bedtime environment. Some are only $20 or less, making it the perfect purchase to ensure you feel rested and avoid dryness.
2. Avoid Mouth Breathing
If you struggle with dry mouth, one of the most common reasons you might struggle with this is because you sleep with your mouth open. This could be due to being sick or simply mouth breathing, but regardless, if you find yourself mouth breathing, you need to find a way to limit this to prevent dry mouth. Mouth breathing will inevitably, more often than not, lead to you struggling with dry mouth upon waking up after hours of rest.
Nasal breathing is touted as one of the best prevention methods for dry mouth and the healthiest way to sleep (Source: Cambridge University Press). This is because it ultimately allows you to breathe in through your nose so that the air gets directly to your lungs, and it also keeps your mouth shut to protect it from any potential drying out overnight. It's important to note that this may cause you to snore, but at least you'll wake up without the sensation of a dry mouth.
You can also try using a nasal strip like Breathe Right Nasal Strips to open up your nasal pathways if you struggle with getting enough airflow through nasal breathing. This is one of the best ways to ensure that you also alleviate snoring as well, which can be another disruption to sleep. If you can avoid mouth breathing while you sleep, you can alleviate the issues you face with dry mouth and ultimately feel better when you wake up.
3. Try a Saliva Secretion Inducer
If you've tried the humidifier and nasal breathing, but nothing seems to work even when you're feeling healthy and not sick, then there are other options you can choose. With the guidance of a doctor, you could try a saliva secretion inducer, which can help you if you struggle with dry mouth while sleeping. Saliva secretion inducers can be a great way to ensure that you avoid dry mouth and that your saliva production is expected.
Sometimes, it's as easy as finding a substance like TheraGum, which contains xylitol and can help alleviate dry mouth because of how xylitol interacts with your body (Source: JCDA). This can work even during the day, so if you struggle with dry mouth even after you wake up, this could be a great way to continue stimulating the secretion of saliva within your mouth. You can also chew this gum before bed if you time it right throughout your daily routine.
Before going to sleep, the best way to benefit from this is to chew it a couple of hours before bed and then go to sleep, and you'll notice a difference in the saliva secretion and even the lack of dry mouth you experience. It's always best to ask your doctor or physician if this would be a suitable method for you to follow. Still, ultimately, the studies show that using these substances can help you ensure you have enough saliva secretion and that you overcome the horrible feeling of having a dry mouth upon waking.
You Can Overcome Dry Mouth
Having a dry mouth can be such a drag, but with these tips, you can hopefully find ways to mitigate the challenges of waking up and feeling that unpleasant sensation. Whether you get a humidifier, chew some gum, or even avoid mouth breathing and encourage nasal breathing despite the snoring, these tips can help you find a solution that works for you. For best guidance, always check with your doctor to see if they have any solutions that can help you, too.
Check out Pillow to read more about sleep health, sleep hygiene, and related topics. With Pillow, you can also monitor your sleep and ensure that no matter what circumstances you face and what your schedule requires, you always get adequate sleep, so you feel your best every day.
