Mouth feels dry when you wake up, what is the cause?

Dry throat and mouth when you wake up may be something you usually feel. Although not a serious sign, this condition can make your mouth smell bad. What causes dry mouth when you wake up?

The cause of the mouth feeling dry when you wake up

In medical language, a dry mouth is called xerostomia. Usually this occurs due to reduced saliva production while you are asleep. One of the jobs of saliva is to moisturize the environment in the mouth.

In addition, during the night's sleep you automatically do not get any food or drink intake for a long time, causing dehydration. Coupled with the cold and dry night temperature, and night sweats. So of course these various things can cause your throat and mouth to feel dry when you wake up in the morning.

The habit of snoring will also tend to make it easier for the mouth, tongue, and throat to feel very dry when you wake up. Vibration in the airways due to blockage during sleep and the lack of saliva supply will make the throat completely free of any fluids. As a result, the mouth feels very dry.

People who have dry mouth in the morning experience other symptoms such as cracked lips, bad breath, and difficulty swallowing.

That is why it is important for you to immediately drink water after waking up. In addition to replenishing body fluids lost during the night, drinking water immediately after waking up also helps reduce bad odors from the mouth.

Another cause of dry mouth

Apart from the causes above, there are other things that might be the reasons why the mouth feels dry. Among others:

1. Side effects of certain drugs

Dry mouth is a common side effect of many prescription and non-prescription drugs, such as antidepressants, pain relievers, allergy medications, and decongestant cold medicines, and Parkinson's disease drugs. Dry mouth can also be a side effect of muscle relaxants and sedatives.

2. Side effects of certain diseases

Dry mouth can be a side effect of medical conditions, such as Sjögren's syndrome, HIV / AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, anemia, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, stroke and mumps.

Other conditions that cause dehydration, such as fever, excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, and burns can cause dry mouth.

3. Side effects of certain medical treatments

Damage to the salivary glands can reduce the amount of saliva that is produced. Damage can come from radiation therapy to the head and neck, and chemotherapy treatments. Likewise with the salivary gland removal procedure to overcome this damage.

Dry mouth can also be the result of nerve damage to the head and neck area from injury or surgery.

4. Lifestyle

Smoking can affect how much saliva you make and aggravate dry mouth. If every morning your mouth feels dry, you should immediately stop your smoking habit.