Many people develop dry mouth during sleep. It is usually secondary to another problem that causes people to breathe through their mouth during the night. It then becomes necessary to determine which reason a person is mouth breathing so they can find the solutions to the problem.

Snoring

Snoring is caused be a narrowing or the oral-pharynx from either a small airway, a large tongue or a long soft palate. This restriction causes mouth breathing so that a person can get a sufficient breath. The movement of the air and vibration of the mouth causes the mouth to dry out over the night.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is the restriction of the airway to the point that a person must wake to get a sufficient breath many times with a loud snore or gasp. This problem requires the patient to breathe through the mouth in order to get a sufficient breath. Many people who have sleep apnea complain that they have a dry mouth and snoring as their only symptoms.

Nasal Airway Congestion

Our airways are a moist place where air that we breathe in is humidified. If we are unable to breath through our nose due to nasal congestion and they start breathing though their mouth they can not humidify the air properly and this dries the mouth out. There is also the issue that during winter the air is drier which causes the airway to dehydrate. That causes swelling of the nasal passages causing the sleeping person to breathe through their mouth.

Medication Effects

There are many medications including anti-depressants, cold medications and anti-hypertensives that have the side effect of dry mouth. These medications can make you wake up feeling like your tongue is dried out, swollen and cracked.

Possible Solutions

If you know you breathe through your mouth make sure that your room is adequately humidified. This will help to decrease some of the dryness. You might also want to avoid sleeping on your back if you snore. Snoring and sleep apnea are worse when a person is lying on their back. Good oral hygiene helps with reducing the feeling of dryness even if you do need to breathe through your mouth. If the problem persists it would be best to discuss the problem with your doctor. Your doctor will know if you need to be evaluated for other problems such as sleep apnea or may need to change medications.

Source:

Dry Mouth as an Early Warnign Sign of Sleep Apnea

Dry Mouth