While it can feel uncomfortable when it happens, most of us drool once in a while, especially during sleep. At night, your swallowing reflexes are relaxed just like the rest of the muscles in your face. This means that your saliva can accumulate and some can escape through the sides of your mouth. The medical terms for drooling too much are sialorrhea and hypersalivation. Though drooling while you sleep is fairly common, sometimes drool is a symptom of a neurological condition, sleep disorder, or other health condition.
You might drool more after a health event like a stroke, or as a result of cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis MS. To find out more about why you drool and ways to stop doing it, keep reading. The most common cause of drooling while you sleep is so straightforward, you might never have thought of it — and it has to do with gravity. The position that you sleep in often leads to drool pooling inside your mouth. People who sleep on their side, or on their stomach , are more likely to drool when they sleep.
Especially if you tend to breathe through your mouth, or if you have narrow sinus passages, the accumulated drool can begin to slip out from your lips when they open to breathe.
If you have regularly inflamed or blocked sinus passages, or narrower sinuses than other people, you might find yourself drooling all the time. Gastrointestinal reflex disorder GERD is a digestive condition in which the contents of your stomach flow back into your esophagus, damaging the lining of your esophagus. GERD can cause dysphagia difficulty swallowing or make you feel like you have a lump in your throat.
This feeling leads to excessive drooling for some people. Here are some tips for improving your sleep if you have GERD. Some medications can make you more prone to drooling. Some antibiotics can also result in sialorrhea. Dysphagia is the term for any condition that creates a difficulty in swallowing.
Hypersalivation, or excessive drooling, is a medical condition called sialorrhea. Poor oral and facial muscle control is a common reason. This could be the result of one of the following causes. While side and stomach sleeping may be the two most popular sleeping positions, they are also the most likely cause of drooling when you sleep. If you have a habit of mouth breathing while sleeping or if you have narrow nasal passages, the chances of drool escaping as your lips part to breathe increases.
There are three different types of sleep apnea :. The irregular breathing caused by all three types of sleep apnea tends to encourage excessive saliva production and mouth breathing, which can, in turn, lead to drooling easily escaping from your open mouth. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, feeling sleepy during the day, and having a sore throat or dry mouth in the morning. Heartburn and acid reflux are two of the more common symptoms of gastrointestinal reflux disorder GERD.
Your body also increases its saliva production to try to flush out the irritation in your esophagus, therefore increasing the chances of drooling when you sleep. Allergic reactions, sinus infections, and sinus problems caused by mold, pollen, or the common cold often result in nasal congestion, which in turn creates breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in saliva production to flush any toxins out.
All of these health problems will often result in a loss of control of facial or oral muscles, which can create problems in swallowing. Some drugs can actually induce drooling , which according to Dr.
Is Drooling During Sleep Normal? Your Sleeping Position Your sleep position can affect how much drool you find on your pillow in the morning. Infections and Allergies If you are experiencing a cold, strep throat, or seasonal allergies, these conditions can inflame your sinuses and block your airways, causing you to breathe through your mouth and drool more than usual.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Heartburn may be the most well-known symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD , but drooling and dysphagia , or difficulty swallowing, are also common symptoms. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Obstructive sleep apnea OSA is a sleep-related breathing disorder that causes temporary pauses in breathing while you sleep. Additional symptoms of OSA include: Snoring , gasping, or choking while asleep Waking up during the night Morning headaches Difficulty focusing during the day Daytime sleepiness If you notice any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.
Bruxism Drooling commonly accompanies sleep bruxism , or teeth grinding during sleep. Underlying Medical Conditions Your nervous system stimulates your salivary glands, which may explain why impaired swallowing and excessive drooling are common with neurodegenerative disorders. Sign up below for your free gift.
Your privacy is important to us. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Nilong Vyas Pediatrician MD. Thie, N. The significance of saliva during sleep and the relevance of oromotor movements. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 6 3 , — Bavikatte, G.
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Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, 6 5 , — Lee, S. How does open-mouth breathing influence upper airway anatomy? Laryngoscope, 6 , — Guo, H. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.
Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. It may seem a little embarrassing: You wake up and your pillow is drenched in slobber.
After you wipe the spit at the corners of your mouth, you might wonder, Why do we drool in our sleep? This article explains some of the most common causes of drooling in sleep and what you can do about it.
The body normally makes more than a liter of saliva per day. It is produced by salivary glands and is usually swallowed and re-absorbed into the bloodstream. Drooling occurs when the saliva collects within the mouth and, rather than being swallowed, it drips or runs out past the lips. Why might this occur more at night? The muscles of the body relax during sleep, especially during REM sleep. It's possible that your mouth is falling open as you sleep. Some suggest that sleep position may matter.
Sleeping on your side may make it more likely that you will leak saliva. If you're congested because of a cold or allergies, you may begin to breathe through your mouth. If this occurs in sleep, saliva may drool onto the pillow.
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