How can I avoid waking up with a dry mouth?

[Vantage72]

Sometimes I wake up in the morning with my mouth extremely dry. It's not a pleasant feeling and it makes me wake up earlier than I really feel ready for it.

My nose is not very open, so I tend to breath a lot through my mouth.

Sometimes I wake up with a dry mouth but sometimes my mouth feels fine.

-I've tried drinking more water during the day but I don't believe it helps.
-I've tried eliminating spices from my food but haven't found real impact yet.
-My diet does not contain dairy.
-I've tried using a thing (don't know the word) to clean out my nose, it gives some more extra air through the nose, but it's not a solution to my problem.
-My diet contains of cooked and raw foods, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seds, occasional meat and fish.

My question is: Did anyone experience the same problem and how did you overcome it?

I guess the problem could be that something is causing my mouth to dry out more or something could be causing my nose to close more (which makes the breathing through my mouth stronger and thud dry out again).

Suggestions are welcome.

Additional to the mouth being dried out, I also have a 'bad taste'.

[The Large Dude Scam]

I have a smiliar problem when i have a cold and have to breath through my mouth. The solution really seems to be to breath through the nose.
I usually keep a glass of water beside the bed in case i wake up with a dry mouth. Bad taste in your mouth can probably be avoided by using a tongue scraper: Tongue cleaner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Tongue cleaning is meant to remove some of the millions of bacteria (up to 500 different types [3]), decaying food debris, fungi (such as Candida), and dead cells, from the surface of the rear of the tongue. "

The decaying food, fungi and dead cells in your mouth can probably produce what you describe as bad taste.

I would also recommend using dental floss. If you don't use it, there will be more bacterias in your mouth then in your rectum. Which might also produce a bad taste in your mouth. Dental floss - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[supertom]

is your bedroom window positioned where the sun rises ?? if so wake up before the sun rises....... i know that was a problem for me, also i had a drink when i woke up at night.

One more thing i notice that i had my mouth on my pillow, so i was basically sucking in pillow air and no air. Just try different things.

[ThoughtAddict]

I had the same problem until I moved into a new house... and then it became clear what the issue was...

Do you sleep in a room with air conditioning sucking the water out of the air?

Some things to try would be limiting the AC and humidifying the room. Put out a wide mouthed bowl of water near your bed. If all else fails, you could try a humidifier. Limiting exposure to the AC was the fix for me.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by The Large Dude Scam

The solution really seems to be to breath through the nose.

How do I do that? It does not seem as if I have a conscious choice during my sleep whether to breath through my nose or mouth.

Originally Posted by The Large Dude Scam

I usually keep a glass of water beside the bed in case i wake up with a dry mouth.

Me too. I need 2.

Originally Posted by The Large Dude Scam

Bad taste in your mouth can probably be avoided by using a tongue scraper:
Dental floss - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url]

Thanks for those recommendations. I do use both sometimes but I can do it a lot more. I will try it and see if it has any effect.

Originally Posted by ThoughtAddict

Do you sleep in a room with air conditioning sucking the water out of the air?

No aircon. My window is open and enough air moves through.

Originally Posted by ThoughtAddict

If all else fails, you could try a humidifier. Limiting exposure to the AC was the fix for me.

I even tried that. It did not help. thanks for your tips though.

Originally Posted by supertom

is your bedroom window positioned where the sun rises ?? if so wake up before the sun rises......

The sun does not shine in my room, but getting out of bed on the first time I wake up could be interesting. I'll try to see if it has effect.

___

It seems to be something internal. I'm suspecting it is my diet. But I don't know what. Any ideas of dietary influences that cause either blockage of the nose or drying out of the mouth?

[Vantage72]

Well i found one piece of the puzzle. Yesterday night I did not drink my normal herbal tea but drank water instead. This morning my mouth was a lot better.

Still looking for (dietary) tips.

[The Large Dude Scam]

You can also use a gag to force yourself to breath through the nose.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by The Large Dude Scam

You can also use a gag to force yourself to breath through the nose.

You mean like stuffing the mouth... hmm does not sound very comfortable.
I guess I'd rather wake up with a dry mouth.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Sometimes I wake up in the morning with my mouth extremely dry. It's not a pleasant feeling and it makes me wake up earlier than I really feel ready for it.

My nose is not very open, so I tend to breath a lot through my mouth.

Sometimes I wake up with a dry mouth but sometimes my mouth feels fine.

My question is: Did anyone experience the same problem and how did you overcome it?

Suggestions are welcome.

I had a similar problem. I'm 39, I weight about 180 and I'm in shape, but I had a dry mouth because I was breathing through it instead of my nose. I went to the doctor and found out I had a deviated septum. It's a simple surgery. Then I decided to do a sleep study and found out I had apnea. I got surgery and I'm cured. It was only a 25 minute procedure. I recommend you get a sleep study to rule it out. Many people have it and never find out. You'd be amazed at how much more energy you have when you get good sleep.

Anyway, it sounds like you definitely have at least a deviated septum. Just get it fixed. It's so easy and it's worth it.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

I had a similar problem. I'm 39, I weight about 180 and I'm in shape, but I had a dry mouth because I was breathing through it instead of my nose. I went to the doctor and found out I had a deviated septum. It's a simple surgery. Then I decided to do a sleep study and found out I had apnea. I got surgery and I'm cured. It was only a 25 minute procedure. I recommend you get a sleep study to rule it out. Many people have it and never find out. You'd be amazed at how much more energy you have when you get good sleep.

Anyway, it sounds like you definitely have at least a deviated septum. Just get it fixed. It's so easy and it's worth it.

That's very interesting Danny. I've had nose surgery 4 years ago to give me more air through my nose. It did improve but now 4 years later it feels like is got a little bit less. (I'm not sure if my surgery was called deviated septum, english is not my native language)

How can I find out if I have apnea? I have been wondering about this as I often do not feel rested when waking up.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

That's very interesting Danny. I've had nose surgery 4 years ago to give me more air through my nose. It did improve but now 4 years later it feels like is got a little bit less. (I'm not sure if my surgery was called deviated septum, english is not my native language)

How can I find out if I have apnea? I have been wondering about this as I often do not feel rested when waking up.

You need to do a sleep study. They need to hook you up with wires and watch you sleep.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

You need to do a sleep study. They need to hook you up with wires and watch you sleep.

I did some more research and found this self-test:
Check for Sleep Apnea with an Epworth self test

I only score 3 points, I will only doze off when I am liying down in the afternoon. And I don't snore.

How did you score on this test before ?

Do you think I should still be checked up for apnea?

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

I did some more research and found this self-test:
Check for Sleep Apnea with an Epworth self test

I only score 3 points, I will only doze off when I am liying down in the afternoon. And I don't snore.

How did you score on this test before ?

Do you think I should still be checked up for apnea?

I never thought I had sleep apnea because I was tired, but I never dozed off. I exadurated how tired I was because I wanted to get the sleep study so I could rule apnea out, but when the test results came back, I found out I stopped breathing 21 times an hour. I couldn't believe it! I would just get the sleep study if I were you. That's the only way to really tell. It's a physical blockage and if you have it, it can cause high blood pressure, heart problems, and even death. A pro football player just died from it. It can be very dangerous. Hopefully, if you have it, it's only mild. It's easier to cure the more mild it is.

My brother just got tested and we think he might have it too. We'll know on Monday.

[Vantage72]

Thanks for the tips Danny. I saw my doctor and I'm being scheduled for a sleep investigation.

[Maxine27]

Hi Vangtage

Do you have the same problem during the day or is it only at night? If you suffer from it during the day too then it might be Xerostomia, or dry mouth condition. It is a mutifactorial condition but mainly comes about by using certain medications, diabetes, hormonal changes after menopause (In women) and head and neck radiothrapy.
Effective treatments include drinking more water, using artificial saliva and change in medication. I would also advise visiting your dentist as dry mouth increases the risk of tooth caries.
If you only get dry mouth at night, then it could be due to blocked nose and you should see your doctor for something to clear it.
I hope you find this helpful:-) and take care.

X M

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Maxine27

Hi Vangtage

Do you have the same problem during the day or is it only at night? If you suffer from it during the day too then it might be Xerostomia, or dry mouth condition.
X M

Thank you for your info and I only have this problem when waking up.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Thanks for the tips Danny. I saw my doctor and I'm being scheduled for a sleep investigation.

You'll be glad you did. Especially if you have it. Let me know if you do and I can help guide you through it a little.

[Vantage72]

Thanks for your support Danny.

I'm having my sleept test the 19th of august. Will update here with results.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Thanks for your support Danny.

I'm having my sleept test the 19th of august. Will update here with results.

My little brother's getting his results in the next couple of days.

[Vantage72]

Ok I got mine done. Turns out my breathing does not stop so no apnea. They did notice my sleep was quite disturbed. No full cycles.

I've noticed that I've been sleeping better when I don't eat meat.

I'm going to try to find out more. It seems I'm very sensitive to certain foods. I already cut out coffee, garlic and chili peppers. Now meat.

If anyone has some useful tips in this area please share.

[escapee]

Eat more FATs ? ( Sat fats, unsaturated ). Not eating enough fats will always lead to dry & itchy skin.

[Vantage72]

Thanks for the recommedation but I don't think that is the case. I eat quite a lot of fats on a daily basis.

[Angela]

Danger Man and I have noticed that we both wake up with dry mouth when we have eaten the sneaky processed spices that show up in packaged foods and are used by a lot of restaurants. It doesn't necessarily make the food taste spicy, so it takes some vigilance to detect it.

Also, do you drink alcohol? Does any of your bedding contain down? Do you have pets?

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Angela

Danger Man and I have noticed that we both wake up with dry mouth when we have eaten the sneaky processed spices that show up in packaged foods and are used by a lot of restaurants. It doesn't necessarily make the food taste spicy, so it takes some vigilance to detect it.

Very interesting. May well be true. did you have a thread about that?
Since I started doing a lot of innerwork (The Work of Byron Katie) I've been becoming a lot more sensitive to all kinds of things, including foods. If anyone knows more about this I'd like to read it.

Originally Posted by Angela

Also, do you drink alcohol? Does any of your bedding contain down? Do you have pets?

No alcohol and no pets. When I did drink alcohol it was even worse.

Originally Posted by escapee

Eat more FATs ? ( Sat fats, unsaturated ). Not eating enough fats will always lead to dry & itchy skin.

Something interesting happened last night. I took two Omega 3 pills before sleeping (2 grams of fat) and this morning my mouth was less dry.
I'll try eating some more fats tonight and see what happens.

[Tommyboy]

I hope this may help someone else as well. I have been suffering from dry mouth for over a year now, while I sleep at night. Yes, I have always been a mouth breather and I have been one since a kid. I have read other forums and started to force myself to breathe through my nose at night. But, my nose was continually stopping up on the side I lay on.

The other night as I woke up unable to swallow or breathe through my nose. I sat at my computer wondering what I did different, that allowed me to sleep the night before.

I realized that I drank Pepto Bismal before going to bed. After doing some research I realized that I am suffering from acid reflux while sleeping. Acid reflux is a cause of dry mouth. I wasn't sure if it was causing my sinus problems as well until I found this in a medical journal.

"While acid reflux probably does not reach all the way to the sinuses, it could induce inflammation of nasal lining, blocking the sinuses. There is, therefore, a possible causal relationship between GERD and chronic sinus issues."

I have been taking Nexium for the last few days, still drink some Pepto before going to bed, and I for the first time in a LONG time, slept through the night and woke up at 10:30 am drueling all over my pillow. WOW!!! I can't believe it. Stomach acid build up at night has been causing my Rhinitus issues with in my nose and dry mouth. I am now hopeful to get rid of this now.

[NDN Scholar]

I've been waking up with a dry mouth recently. It's because I slobber. I now keep a mug of water beside my bed when I go to sleep. I'm also trying my best to breathe through my nose whilst going to sleep...

[ginkgo]

Try cutting back on anto-water. Salt is anti-water and the more you consume then the more water you will need.

[averil]

I have the same issues especially when I had colds and especially during at night time whenever I’m sleeping. It’s hard for me to breath. I see to it that I have an adequate rest and maintain in a warm environment to improve my breathing. Aside from the medications I used to resolve my nasal congestion, I tried the Yuen method of Chinese energetics which I first learned in You tube. It’s a natural and safe approach that helps me alleviate my symptoms.

[Bizarre Jester]

I can relate to this. I keep a bottle of water next to my bed. It is most likely because of breathing through the mouth but bad air quality in the room could also be the culprit.