Dry Mouth at Night? 4 Reasons Why You Should Do Something About it

Don’t Ignore Having a Dry Mouth at Night

Waking up with a dry mouth at night or in the morning can be a major discomfort. Your mouth feels like a desert, your throat is sore, you can’t taste your breakfast, and you’re desperate for that first glass of water or orange juice. You feel groggy and gross. While this is annoying and uncomfortable when it happens on occasion, consistently waking up with a dry mouth at night can actually have detrimental effects on your short and long-term health. 

It’s important to understand what’s causing you to have a dry mouth at night, what issues are associated with it, and how you can prevent it. 

Why your Dentist Cares if you Wake Up with a Dry Mouth...and Why you Should too!

Think back to your most recent dentist appointment. Did your dentist ask you if you were waking up with a dry mouth at night? While this may seem like a curious thing to ask, the underlying reasoning behind asking it is that a dry mouth leads to deteriorating oral health. Some of the oral health consequences of a dry mouth include:

1. Higher chance of getting cavities

When your mouth dries out, there is a lack of saliva available. Saliva plays an important role in keeping the enamel of your teeth healthy and strong. When it dries out, your teeth become susceptible to bacteria and hidden food particles, increasing the chances of developing cavities.

2. Increased likelihood of gum disease 

As the saliva disappears, so does your mouth’s ability to fight bacteria. The result is that your gum tissues are less protected and are at risk of developing gum diseases such as gingivitis or periodontitis.

3. Waking up with bad breath

Even if the bacteria-thwarting saliva doesn’t disappear to the point where it results in cavities or gum disease, it is highly likely that this will lead to bad breath. “Morning breath” as it is commonly known is almost inevitable when you wake up with a dry mouth. Not only is this an unpleasant experience for both you and the people around you, but it often means there are underlying bacteria doing further damage to your oral health. 

4. Sore throat or respiratory infection

Once your main mouth cavity dries out, the dryness tends to extend further to the back of your mouth and even your throat. This leads to waking up with a sore, raspy throat, and can even lead to infection. 

With these four oral health issues in mind, the next step is to dive into what causes a dry mouth at night, so that we can then figure out how to prevent it - and its corresponding problems - from happening. 

What Causes a Dry Mouth at Night?

There are a variety of things that can lead to a dry mouth at night. These include:

• Not drinking enough water, leading to overall dehydration. When you are dehydrated, your body lacks the water capacity to keep all of its systems functioning optimally. In the case of the mouth, it lacks the water capacity to replace lost saliva stores. 
• Consuming diuretic substances. Diuretics are substances that lead to dehydration because they cause more frequent urination. Alcohol and caffeine are two very common diuretics that can cause you to wake up with a dry mouth if you don’t sufficiently replenish your body’s water stores before sleeping.
• Using medications that cause dehydration. If you have been prescribed medications such as antihistamines, hormone medications, or antihypertensives, a side effect of the medication may be dehydration, leading to dry mouth.

However, with all that said, the number one cause of dry mouth is mouth breathing while you sleep. Mouth breathing - aka breathing through your open mouth instead of your nose - rapidly increases the rate of saliva evaporation. Over the course of the night, this dries out your mouth significantly, removing the valuable saliva your mouth needs to effectively combat bacteria and maintain good oral health. This is just one of the many issues associated with mouth breathing at night. 

How to Prevent a Dry Mouth at Night

If the number one cause of dry mouth at night is mouth breathing while you sleep, then the solution to dry mouth is relatively simple. Close your mouth, and breathe through your nose. When you breathe with your mouth closed, you inhibit the evaporation of saliva from your mouth cavity. The result is that this increases your mouth’s ability to combat bacteria, leading to better oral health - stronger teeth, healthier gums, and no more morning breath! Plus, you won’t be waking up with that parched, groggy feeling any more.

Additionally, by stopping mouth breathing and facilitating nose breathing, you’ll actually be able to take advantage of the many benefits of nose breathing. These include increased relaxation, better sleep quality, and improved physical and cognitive performance. 

The Ultimate Solution to Stopping Dry Mouth in its Tracks

But I know what you’re thinking, “how do I control which way I breathe while I sleep?” Great question. Given that sleeping is a less-than-conscious state, we previously have not been able to control which method of breathing we use. That is, until now. 

SomniFix understands the complications of mouth breathing and the advantages of nose breathing, and wants you to enable you to get your best sleep ever. That’s why we developed SomniFix Strips to help you keep your mouth closed while you sleep. This inhibits mouth breathing and facilitates nose breathing instead. 

SomniFix Strips use a gentle, skin-safe adhesive that simply holds your lips together while you sleep. The result is that the saliva in your mouth stays in your mouth, eliminating dry mouth overnight! Never wake up with that parched feeling again. Instead, wake up feeling refreshed, restored, and ready to take on the day. 

Say Goodbye to Dry Mouth

And say hello to your best sleep ever. Join the 100,000+ people who have made SomniFix Strips a part of their nightly sleep.  

You don’t have to accept that you’re a mouth breather. You don’t have to experience discomfort every morning when your mouth feels like the Sahara. And you don’t have to put your oral health at risk by exposing yourself to chronic dry mouth. 

For less than 75 cents per night, you can put an end to dry mouth and start getting the best sleep of your life. Take the SomniFix 7-Night Challenge. Try SomnifiFix Strips today and if you don’t love your sleep after 7 nights of using them, we’ll fully refund your order.