Better your health by combating dry mouth
Friday, January 18th, 2013
Having a good night’s sleep is pertinent for a healthy mind and body, but there are some issues that keep us up at night. Do you ever have to get up in the middle of the night to get some water? Suffering from dry mouth can cause pain and discomfort throughout the night and during the day, and it can also be a sign of other illnesses.
During sleep, the body is able to restore itself, but if you are waking up in the middle of the night to drink water, this restoration is being interrupted and can cause you to be groggy throughout the day. This can hinder work, weight loss, and increase stress and the probability of sickness. All because of your dry mouth symptoms!
What are the symptoms?
Although “dry mouth” is pretty straightforward, there are other symptoms that you may have as well. You may also have trouble swallowing, chewing and speaking without taking a sip of water. Other people may have cracked and sore skin inside the mouth, and you may have a sandpaper-like tongue.
What is causing it?
There are many reasons why you may be having dry mouth, some that are easily preventable and others are a larger issue that should be taken seriously. If you feel like you’re suffering from post nasal drip, this could be directly related to dry mouth. With this illnesses, the mucus becomes thick, which can sometimes make it challenging to breathe through the mouth.
“The sensation of post-nasal drip is not usually caused by an increased amount of mucus coming from your nose or sinuses,” Dr. Robert Dolan told EverydayHealth. “It is more likely to be caused by the mucus becoming too thick or by irritation of your throat. In my experience, the three most common causes are allergy, gastric reflux, and medications that cause dryness.”
Preventing post nasal drip entirely depends on where it is coming from. Oral medications and natural nasal sprays can combat this issue if it doesn’t stem from a larger illness.
What to change?
Are you a smoker? Do you eat unhealthy foods? Do you commonly drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages? These are all causes of dry mouth! Without having to change much of your lifestyle to combat bad breath, you can try to cut back on the amount of unhealthy things you intake. If you’re a smoker or an avid coffee drinker, make sure that you drink a glass of water afterwards to moisturize the mouth. Drinking a substantial amount of water each day will help eliminate dry mouth. Increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet can help dramatically as well. Because these items have a large amount of water in them, and vitamins and minerals, they keep the mouth healthy.
What does dry mouth lead to?
Dry mouth can lead to various other oral health issues such as tooth decay, bad breath, a lack of taste and mouth sores. Since the bacteria in our mouths have no chance to get flushed down by saliva – which is what normally happens – it just stays in our mouths and causes these issues. Mouth sores are more common because when there is no protective layer of moisture, there is a much higher risk of cuts and infections.
