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Ever wake up in the morning with your throat and mouth feeling incredibly dry? It is an extremely common problem that thousands of people suffer from, so you’re not alone. However, if it’s becoming a regular occurrence, it might be time to look into the potential causes. From your evening habits to mouth breathing and even other medical issues, there are many common causes of that uncomfortable mouth feeling. By understanding the potential cause you might be able to figure out what’s causing yours and prevent it in the future.
Nasal Congestion
A blocked, irritated nose makes it tricky to breathe, so instead you end up compensating by breathing through your mouth the rest of the night. Mouth breathing causes dry mouth more than almost any other cause whilst also leading to a disruptive and less fulfilling sleep.
For most people, the reason their nose gets congested is down to allergic rhinitis – where the nasal passage becomes inflamed because of an allergic reaction. For some relief, you can seek allergic rhinitis treatment to help ease the congestion and let you breathe through your nose more freely and avoid mouth breathing. You should then find your mouth is a lot less dry in the mornings and be able to get much better sleep.
Snoring & Sleep Apnoea
Snoring and mouth breathing are very much linked together. Snoring means you’ve got your mouth open and you’re often breathing through it, so it’s understandable why you’d then wake up with a dry mouth. It won’t only keep others around you awake, but you will almost certainly not get a good sleep yourself, either from discomfort or even the noise.
You might suffer from snoring alone, but it could also be a sign of a larger issue. It’s commonly a symptom of sleep apnoea, alongside your breathing repeatedly stopping and starting as you sleep. If you notice that you’re snoring alongside waking up with a dry mouth, headaches and brain fog, it would be worth speaking to a medical professional to see if you’re indeed suffering from sleep apnoea.
Dehydration
Just simply not drinking enough throughout the day can impact how your throat feels overnight and when you wake up. Whilst you sleep, you do naturally lose water – especially if it’s particularly hot or you have been exercising in the day. That can lead to you having a dry throat when you first wake up and make you feel desperate for that first sip of water in the morning.
That feeling can be worse if you’ve been drinking alcohol and/or caffeine the day before, as they’re both diuretics – meaning they will make you more dehydrated. So, if you do drink either in the evening, without drinking any water, you can expect to wake up with a drier-than-usual mouth.
There are plenty of reasons why you might wake up with a dry mouth, with many being simple to solve. Making a few simple changes to your habits, like drinking enough water, could make a noticeable difference. However, if some of the simpler fixes aren’t managing the issue, then it might be a sign there’s a larger problem, like allergies or sleep apnoea, at play, and you would be wise to seek out some medical help.
