You know a dry mouth at night the moment you wake up. Your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth, your throat feels rough and all you want is to drink a full glass of water. Sometimes it even wakes you up in the middle of the night. Annoying, but usually easy to explain. Below you can read why you wake up with a dry mouth, what you can do about it yourself and when it is better to see your doctor.
Why your mouth dries out at night
During the day you make saliva all the time. You talk, eat and swallow, and that keeps everything moist. While you sleep, saliva production drops on its own. That is normal and the reason almost everyone has a slightly drier mouth in the morning. If you wake up with a bone-dry mouth every single morning, something else is often going on.
You breathe through your mouth
This is the most common cause. If you sleep with your mouth open, air flows over your tongue and palate for hours and the little saliva there is evaporates. You often don't notice it yourself, but your partner does: people who breathe through their mouth also snore more often. Mouth breathing usually happens because your nose isn't clear, for example because of a cold, hay fever or house dust mites, or simply out of habit.
Dry air in the bedroom
As soon as the heating goes on, the humidity indoors drops considerably. In a warm, dry bedroom your mouth dries out faster, especially if you also breathe through your mouth. That is why the problem often gets worse in autumn and winter.
What you drink and take in the evening
Alcohol and coffee late in the evening dry you out. The same goes for drinking too little during the day. Many medicines also list a dry mouth as a side effect, such as hay fever medication, some antidepressants, water tablets and blood pressure medicines. If it is in your package leaflet, you know where it comes from. Never stop on your own, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Other causes
As you get older you often make less saliva. If you are also very thirsty and need to pee more often, or your eyes are constantly dry too, have it checked. Diabetes and Sjögren's syndrome can show up this way.
What you can do yourself about a dry mouth at night
Make sure your nose is clear before you sleep
If you breathe easily through your nose, your mouth is more likely to stay closed at night too. Is your nose often blocked in the evening? Rinse it before bed with lukewarm water and rinse salt. A nasal rinse bottle with salt sachets makes this easy, because the ratio of salt to water is always right. If your nose mainly closes up at night, you can also try nasal strips. They gently lift the sides of your nose, so you breathe more easily through your nose.
Help your lips stay closed
If your nose is clear but your mouth falls open out of habit, mouth tape can help. It is a soft strip over your lips that reminds you to keep them gently closed. Start slowly and only if you can breathe well through your nose. In the article mouth tape for sleeping: safety and how to start you can read step by step how to go about it, and when it is better not to use it. Want to give it a try? Take a look at our mouth tape for the night, made to be gentle on your skin.
Keep your bedroom cool and not too dry
A bedroom of around 16 to 18 degrees Celsius feels comfortable for most people. Turn the heating down or off there, air the room briefly with the window open during the day and hang a small water container on the radiator if you like. A hygrometer costs a few euros and shows you right away whether the air is too dry. Between 40 and 60 percent feels good for most people.
Drink throughout the day
A litre of water right before bed doesn't help and mostly sends you to the toilet at night. Drink evenly throughout the day instead and put a glass of water next to your bed for a few sips when you wake up. Skip alcohol in the evening and don't have coffee after dinner.
Small things that also help
Sugar-free chewing gum or a lozenge during the day stimulates saliva production. Lip balm before bed prevents chapped, cracked lips. And brush your teeth well: with a dry mouth you have less protection against cavities, so a fluoride toothpaste and a fixed brushing routine before bed matter even more.
When should you see your doctor?
A dry mouth caused by dry air or mouth breathing is annoying, but not dangerous. Do see your doctor if the problem lasts for weeks despite these tips, if you are also very thirsty and need to pee often, if your eyes are constantly dry too, or if you have trouble swallowing or speaking. Do you snore loudly and wake up tired, or has your partner noticed that your breathing pauses while you sleep? Mention that too, as it can point to sleep apnoea.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dry mouth at night normal?
A little, yes. You make less saliva while you sleep, so almost everyone has a slightly drier mouth in the morning. If you wake up thirsty every night or your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth, mouth breathing, dry air or a medicine is often behind it.
Why do I wake up with a dry mouth?
Usually because you breathe through your mouth at night. That often happens when your nose isn't clear because of a cold or allergy. Dry air from the heating, alcohol in the evening and medicines with a dry mouth as a side effect can also play a part.
Does mouth tape help against a dry mouth?
Mouth tape helps you keep your lips gently closed at night, so you breathe through your nose instead of your mouth. It is only suitable if you can breathe well through your nose. If you have a blocked nose, sleep apnoea or another breathing condition, don't use it without talking to your doctor first.
What can I do at night if I wake up with a dry mouth?
Take a few sips from the glass of water next to your bed and breathe calmly through your nose a few times. If your nose won't cooperate, a nasal strip can help you breathe more easily through your nose again. If it keeps coming back every night, look for the cause with the tips above.
Put a glass of water next to your bed tonight, turn the bedroom heating down by one degree and check that your nose is clear before you lie down. There is a good chance you will wake up with a fresher mouth tomorrow.