It is normal for everyone to drool. But when you drool excessively then it can become a point of concern. Follow this article to know about the reason behind excessive drooling during sleep and how to stop drooling in your sleep.
Drooling when you are sleeping is normal but when you start drooling excessively then, you must share your thoughts with a healthcare professional. Usually excessive drooling takes place when your mouth is producing too much saliva or when you are suffering from an infection. The glands that are responsible for the production of saliva are parotid gland, submandibular gland, and sublingual gland. These glands make sure that the saliva inside the mouth is in the right amount, not too much or too little.
But when we have an infection or when we are dehydrated then, these glands will start producing abnormal amounts of saliva causing you to drool excessively. When you start to drool excessively in your sleep then it means your air passage is being blocked and you are not breathing properly. Your mouth will start producing more saliva causing you to drool in your sleep.
Read this article and know more about the reason behind excessive drooling during sleep and how to stop drooling in your sleep.
Table of Contents
What is the reason behind excessive drooling during sleep?
Drooling excessively in your sleep can be caused by internal and external factors. But mostly internal factors are involved when a person starts to drool excessively. Following are some of the reasons behind excessive drooling during sleep.
- The impact of sleeping position
- Nasal congestion
- Gastrointestinal Reflux Disorder – GERD
- Medication side effects
- Dysphagia
- Sleep apnea
- Infection
- Neurological disorder
- Inflammation of the epiglottis
- Bell’s palsy
- Guillain – Barre syndrome
These are some of the reasons behind excessive drooling. These issues are not age restricted, they can happen to anyone who is suffering from sinuses problems or any other medical condition.
The impact of sleeping position:
Your sleeping position has a lot to do with your drooling. Your drool will escape from your mouth more when you are sleeping on your side or on your stomach. This happens because of the gravity and the position you are sleeping in. your drool will become excessive and you will wake up to a wet pillow because of drooling. To avoid that, you should try sleeping on your back. This way your drool will not come out of your mouth.
Nasal congestion:
Nasal congestion takes place when a person is suffering from the flu. Your nose passageways are congested and you are not fit to breathe through your nose, you use your mouth to breathe and this will produce excessive drool. When you breathe through your mouth, you will drool excessively in your sleep. Your breathing will not be normal because of the congested nasal passageways, when a person resorts to mouth breathing, it is natural for them to start drooling excessively.
Gastrointestinal Reflux Disorder – GERD:
Gastrointestinal Reflux Disorder, commonly known as GERD, refers to the condition where stomach acid causes heartburn, irritation in the mouth and esophagus, and difficulty in swallowing. Gastrointestinal reflux disorder takes place when the acid in your stomach starts causing you heartburn and it causes irritation in your mouth and esophagus. You will feel a lump in your throat and it will cause difficulty when you are trying to eat something. To fight this, your mouth will produce more saliva, a way to flush down the lump in your throat. All of this can cause you to drool excessively when you are sleeping.
Medication side effects:
In the case of an allergic reaction to a medication, the body’s nervous system may trigger an increased saliva production. This will take place to restrict the muscles in your mouth from swallowing down the liquid. When this takes place, you will start drooling excessively in your sleep, it will be because of the medication side effects.
Dysphagia:
When a person is battling a disease in which they are not fit to eat or swallow anything properly then their mouths will produce more saliva than it normally does. When this takes place, healthcare professionals use the term dysphagia. This will cause you to drool more when you are sleeping because of the abnormal activity in your mouth. Most people who are battling with Parkinson’s disease get dysphagia.
Sleep apnea:
Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person will not be fit to breathe properly when they are sleeping. They will frequently wake up in the middle of the night because of shortness of breath. This can lead to symptoms such as excessive drooling, a sore throat, and dryness in the mouth upon waking. Sleep apnea will cause you to drool in your sleep and you will wake up in between your sleep more than once.
Infection:
If you ever experience infection or allergies in your sinuses then, your mouth will start producing more saliva than it normally does because of your blocked nasal passageways. You will only use your mouth to breath and also your mouth will produce more saliva to fight the infection and to flush down the lump. When this takes place, you will start to drool excessively in your sleep.
Neurological disorder:
When a person is suffering from a neurological disorder then, the functioning of their muscles will become impaired. Their jaw muscles will not be fit to work like they used to, this will make it tough for them to talk or eat properly. They will have difficulty closing their mouth, leading to increased saliva. They will start drooling excessively and they will not be fit to move their jaw in any way to reduce the drooling.
Inflammation of the epiglottis:
Epiglottis takes place when there is an infection in your throat and it starts swelling. The patient is not fit to eat, swallow, and close their mouth properly. The patient will need to get their tongue out when they are talking, this will make room for air in their mouth. When this takes place, your mouth will start producing more saliva than it normally does, as a way of fighting the infection and this will cause you to drool excessively.
Bell’s palsy:
Bell’s palsy is a disorder in which a person loses their ability to control their jaw and their muscles will become weak. Bell’s palsy will make the patient’s mouth stay open and the jaw muscles will become paralyzed. When this takes place, the patient will excessively produce saliva causing them to excrete drool abnormally.
Guillain – Barre syndrome:
Guillain – Barre syndrome is an autoimmune syndrome. When this takes place, a person will become paralyzed because the disorder will directly affect the muscles and nerves, making your immune system weak. The weak muscles will not let you eat or swallow anything properly. The patient will not have any control over their mouth, making the production of saliva in their mouth excessive.
How to stop drooling in your sleep?
Although drooling in your sleep is usual, it can become strenuous for a person when their mouth is producing excessive drool in their sleep. Following are some of the ways through which you can stop drooling in your sleep.
- Change your sleeping position
- Keep your head up
- Stay hydrated
- Mouthguard
- Consult a healthcare professional
- Medication
- CPAP
- Lose weight
- Treat your sinuses
- Natural remedies
Change your sleeping position:
Sleeping in a position that encourages saliva flow, such as on your side or stomach, can lead to excessive drooling during sleep. To minimize this, try sleeping on your back to reduce saliva production. The two ways that are responsible for drooling in sleep are, when a person sleeps on their side and when a person sleeps on their stomach. To avoid that, you should sleep on your back. This will reduce the excretion of saliva from your mouth.
Keep your head up:
To stop yourself from drooling, you can try to keep your head high when you are sleeping. Find a correct pillow for yourself, not too high or too low. Make sure that your spine is aligned with your torso and your neck is slightly higher than your spine. This will distribute the weight of your body equally and you will not drool excessively in your sleep.
Stay hydrated:
One of the main reasons why your mouth produces more saliva than normal is when you are dehydrated. This is your mouth’s way of keeping your throat wet but when you are dehydrated for some time and you do not do anything about it then, your mouth will start drooling excessively. To avoid that, you must keep yourself hydrated and this will reduce the abnormal production of saliva.
Mouthguard:
Although mouthguards are used by people who have the habit of grinding their teeth, it may cause a person to drool initially. But as the time goes by and a person starts becoming habitual of using it then, it will aid you by reducing the excretion of saliva from your mouth. Your mouthguard can be made on custom order from a dental hospital.
Consult a healthcare professional:
When you have a throat or sinuses infection then, it is paramount for you to consult a healthcare professional before things get out of hand. A doctor will prescribe you the right medications, keeping in mind your allergies. This way you will be fit again to get a good night’s sleep without drooling excessively or waking up in the middle of the night because of shortness of breath.
Medication:
When you have a flu then, it is natural that your sinuses will be clogged and you will have trouble breathing. This will make you breath through your mouth causing you to drool abnormally. To avoid this, you can use an inhaler or any other flu medication, your passageways will be cleared and you will be fit to have a good night’s sleep.
CPAP:
A person who is battling with sleep apnea will use a CPAP machine for their treatment. This machine will create an airway pressure which will aid you in breathing properly. A person who is suffering from sleep apnea will drool abnormally because of the blocked airway passages. Using a CPAP will make sure they get a good night’s sleep.
Lose weight:
According to a survey research, people who are overweight suffer from sleep apnea more than other people. Healthcare professionals advise that if you are overweight and you are dealing with sleep apnea then, you should try losing weight. Losing weight will aid you in your sleep apnea and you will not drool abnormally when you are sleeping.
Treat your sinuses:
Clogged sinuses will make it strenuous for you to breathe through your nose. The passageways will be blocked so you have to breathe through your mouth, this will cause you to excrete more drool. To avoid this, you must get your sinuses checked and use the necessary medications. The most usual treatment is draining of sinuses, this will clear your passageways and you will be fit to breathe properly.
Natural remedies:
It is paramount to have the normal amount of saliva in your mouth, not too much or too little. When you have too little saliva then, your mouth will start producing abnormal amounts of saliva making you drool excessively. If you do not wish to take any medications then, you can use home remedies like drinking water, biting a lemon wedge, or eating more citrus fruits.
What are some food items that reduce the production of abnormal amounts of saliva?
If you are tired of drooling excessively in your sleep and you do not wish to use any sort of medications then, following are some food items that can reduce the production of abnormal amounts of saliva in your mouth.
- Water
- Chewing gum
- Grape juice
- Ginger tea
- Exercise
Water:
We all understand that saliva production can become abnormal when a person is dehydrated. Dehydration is one of the most usual causes of drooling excessively. To avoid this, you must keep yourself hydrated and it will control the production of saliva in your mouth.
Chewing gum:
Chewing gum or a piece of any candy will keep your mouth busy. This will control the production of saliva in your mouth and it will not make you excrete drool. Which is why, you should keep a gum with yourself always, this way you will be able to control your saliva whenever you feel like the amount of saliva in your mouth is getting abnormal.
Grape juice:
Grape juice has tannic acid in them, which can make their mouth feel dry after you drink a glass full of grape juice. It will aid you by controlling the production of saliva in your mouth. You can drink grape juice before going to bed, this way your mouth will be dry and the production of saliva will be in control. You will not drool excessively and this will help you get a good night’s sleep.
Ginger tea:
According to healthcare professionals, people who are battling with diseases like Parkinson’s disease and ALS, should try drinking ginger or sage tea. It will make sure that the production of saliva in your mouth is under control and it will also aid you in losing weight, which will be essential helpful if you are battling with sleep apnea.
Exercise:
A person who is not fit to control the muscles of their jaw or have trouble while eating and swallowing food, should try exercises that will improve their ability to swallow food and saliva. The most usual and beneficial exercise is sucking through straw. It will put pressure on the muscles located inside your mouth and it will aid you by making your muscles strong enough for swallowing the saliva.
Conclusion:
We all understand that drooling is usual but when a person starts to drool an unreasonable amount of saliva then, they must get themselves checked. Drooling is usual as long as external factors are involved like bad sleeping position. But when your mouth starts producing abnormal amounts of saliva then, internal factors can also be involved like allergies, infections, or sinuses. An infection in your throat or sinuses will block the passageways of your nasal which will only let you breathe through your mouth.
When a person is only breathing through their mouth then, the production of saliva will be abnormal and they will start to drool excessively. When something like this takes place, you must immediately consult a healthcare professional. They will give you the proper medication and treatment for the muscles in your mouth. The medications and treatment will aid you by controlling the production of saliva in your mouth and by making your muscles strong.
