Adapted from "Waking Up With Dry Mouth: What to Know" from WebMD here

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Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a condition where an individual experiences a sticky sensation in the mouth due to a lack of saliva or spit. This can cause discomfort and make it difficult to swallow. Your saliva is important for helping keep your mouth and teeth healthy, helping clean your mouth, keep it moist, chew, break down, and digest food.

Symptoms of Dry Mouth

Symptoms include a sticky sensation in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, bad breath, a sore throat, and a change in sense of taste. Severe symptoms can include tooth decay and joint pain.

What causes dry mouth

Dry mouth can be caused by several factors:

• Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that affects breathing during sleep, makes it harder to get restful sleep and sometimes causing snoring or breathing through the mouth, which can lead to dry mouth. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, where throat muscles relax during sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy can help, but it can also cause dry mouth, especially if the user breathes through their mouth or sleeps with their mouth open. Overweight individuals with moderate to severe sleep apnea are more likely to wake up with dry mouth while using CPAP therapy. If dry mouth persists, alternative treatment options may be available.
• Aging, research shows that about 1 in 5 older adults wake up with dry mouth.
• Medication side effects, may be listed as a side effect for several medications, including ones available over the counter.
• Nerve damage or surgery in your head or neck area can sometimes cause nerve damage which may affect how well you’re able to make saliva.
• Certain health problems can also cause dry mouth, such as diabetes, stroke, yeast infection, Alzheimer's disease, autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome or HIV/AIDS, snoring, and mouth breathing.
• Certain lifestyle habits such as smoking or chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol may increase dry mouth symptoms, and using recreational drugs like marijuana may cause dry mouth temporarily until the effect of the drug wears off.
• Dehydration is another factor that can cause dry mouth, and it happens when you don’t drink enough water, sweat too much, or get sick.

Easing Dry Mouth symptoms

To ease dry mouth symptoms, you can:

• Check with your doctor to see if any of your medications might be causing the symptoms.
• Take your medicines in the morning instead of taking them before bed.
• Sip water before you take medications.
• Avoid over-the-counter pain and allergy medications if possible.
• Brush your teeth twice every day and use mouthwash.
• Suck on ice cubes or popsicles to increase saliva in your mouth.
• Try sugarless gums or candies that contain xylitol.
• Drink lots of water or sip some throughout the day.
• Use a humidifier if you breathe with your mouth open at night.
• Avoid spicy or salty foods and sugary drinks.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol.
• Cut down on smoking.

When to see a doctor

• If at-home fixes do not ease dry mouth symptoms, it is best to talk to a doctor.
• If there are risk factors for HIV, it is recommended to get tested as soon as possible.
• If there are severe symptoms such as tooth decay or cavities, see a dentist.

Depending on the cause, the doctor will come up with a treatment plan that works best for the individual. The doctor may prescribe one of the FDA-approved medications to boost saliva flow or treat the dryness, such as Cevimeline or Pilocarpine.