It’s not hard to imagine how hard it can be to be lost or lost in the desert when you feel like your mouth is so dry that you can barely speak or swallow normally.
Let me tell you; this is a fairly common symptom. People who have diabetes, women who reach menopause, or those who suffer from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s can account for this.
In this FastlyHealarticle, we present the appropriate treatment for each of the causes of the dry and rough tongue so that you can feel better in a lasting way.
Table of Contents
Dry mouth or xerostomia
Dry mouth, known in the medical world as xerostomia, is a common symptom of many different causes. Some of them are acute; that is, they occur in a moment, they can be sudden, and can usually resolve in a short time.
Other times, it is a consequence of rather chronic diseases that may take a little longer to return to normal, but you should know that the solution can be found with the correct treatments and the origin of the problem.
Acute causes of dry and rough tongue
Among the acute causes that can make you feel the dry, pasty, or with little spit mouth are:
Dehydration
When your body lacks hydration, it is characteristic that one of the first symptoms is a dry mouth or tongue. You may have been in a dry and hot place; maybe you did more exercise than you usually do, or you have eaten foods that promote this dryness.
What to do?
The truth is that sometimes just water is not enough to relieve the sensation. It may be necessary that the foods you eat are unctuous, have their juice, and even hydrate your body on the outside with healthy oils such as sesame or coconut.
Anxiety
Stress, recurrent thoughts, and anxiety can generate a dry tongue and body. It is a natural reaction of the body to unexpected events, but when this is repeated repeatedly, controlling your mind is vital so that it does not become chronic.
What to do?
Try to identify if this is happening to you and if your mind is going against you. You can choose one of the following options:
- Seek to calm your mind and focus on your breathing and your life at each moment.
- Meditation: there are many ways to do it. The essential thing is to try to get your mind off repetitive thoughts that only stress you out and get you nowhere.
- Seek professional help.
- Practice exercise: about 20 or 30 minutes a day of movement are necessary to relax and seek calm.
Infections
If you have a salivary gland infection, your saliva production has likely decreased. This is why you may feel dry mouth or roughness on your tongue.
In addition, you may notice pain in the mouth, under it, or in the area in front of the ears, notice inflammation in these areas, feel a bad taste in the mouth or even have a fever and general discomfort.
Sometimes, these infections occur due to stones in the salivary glands, often due to poor body hydration.
What to do?
In that case, it is essential to go to a medical consultation since an infection of this type can become complicated and spread. An antibiotic, anti-inflammatories, and local interventions may be required depending on how advanced the disease is.
Drug adverse reaction
Some drugs can secondarily cause dry mouth and tongue. Those commonly associated with this problem are:
- Diuretics
- Antihistamines.
- Analgesics.
- Antidepressants
- Amphetamines.
- Broncodilatadores.
What to do?
Suppose you think this is happening to you. In that case, you must discuss it with the medical professional who has indicated the medication, as it may be necessary to make some changes, but try not to suspend the medicine on your own because it cannot permanently be suspended. one moment to another.
Hormonal changes
When there is a decrease in estrogen, you may experience more thirst. This is common during menopause, breastfeeding, and even the days close to menstruation.
But not all women do. If your body is balanced and your mind is calm, you will likely experience the changes harmoniously without many uncomfortable symptoms.
What to do?
You may feel better if you accompany these changes with a good diet, rest, and well-being. This is important, especially in menopause, since the body is more prone to dehydration after 50 or 60 years.
Chronic causes of dry and rough tongue
They are less common but no less annoying. When dry mouth is so severe that it makes your tongue feel permanently rough and dry, it can be a complex problem to cope with.
In these cases, you should not only focus on increasing saliva, using artificial saliva, and even taking medication to cover symptoms. If you really want your body to be better and thus feel good, you must think about what you are doing for your health. It is a personal and vital job that requires self-responsibility; you have to be willing or willing to make changes.
Let’s see what chronic diseases are that can cause dry mouth.
Diabetes
The large imbalances in diabetes make the person drink more fluids than usual, urinate more, and feel hungrier. The mouth may be dry and rough and the tongue white, which speaks of a lack of juices and a significant accumulation of toxins in the body.
What to do?
Typical diabetes treatment aims to keep blood sugar levels close to normal but is not looking to get the body to function the way it should again. And this is not impossible, but it does cost a lot.
Improving your eating, sleeping, and exercise habits is key to success, but rest assured that you will feel much better if you do.
Consumption of toxic substances
Regularly consuming alcohol, smoking, and different substances that generate addiction causes physical dryness. Among these products, we can also mention coffee.
These substances collaborate with the general dehydration of the body, so you will not only notice a dry mouth but so will your skin, your digestion will be rare and different disorders related to these habits will appear one after another.
What to do?
It is worth telling you that you should abandon these substances. It is not easy at all, but your decision is vital so that you can achieve it.
When dry mouth is so severe that it makes your tongue feel permanently rough and dry, it can be a complex problem to cope with.
Autoimmune diseases
These are pathologies in which your defense system reacts against you. It is something extremely unnatural. It is not scientifically known why so much inflammation appears, and glands that produce saliva and tears stop working. Still, if we delve deeper into habits, we will likely find many things to improve.
What to do?
So far, there is not much solution from scientific medicine, other than using artificial saliva or some complicated interventions and without effective long-term results. It is essential to see your body as a whole and not just as separate small structures that do not work as you want.
Rhinosinus problems
If you do not breathe well through your nose, it is logical that your mouth is drier due to the constant passage of air. It can happen due to allergy, chronic rhinosinusitis, or nasal septum deviation, among other causes.
What to do?
Returning the nose to its function is vital so that you stop feeling dry and rough. To achieve this, it is essential to detect why the airflow is interrupted.
If it is an allergy, antihistamines may be indicated. However, it is vital to reduce the consumption of inflammatory foods such as excess milk and meat, refined flour, and processed products.
If there is a septal deviation, surgery may be necessary, and in rhinosinusitis, the cause should also be evaluated. Sometimes, only antibiotics and dietary changes are required, and in other cases, surgery may also be necessary.
Alzheimer’s
This degenerative and progressive disease is closely related to imbalances that cause dryness in the body.
What to do?
Dry mouth is just one of the symptoms, and hydration with water is usually not enough.
A more significant contribution of unctuous substances is necessary. Healthy fats like ghee, avocado, coconut, and olive oil are essential. A natural and healthy diet is critical to this process.
Radiotherapy
Radiation treatment to reduce the size of tumors damages not only that tissue to be removed but also those issues in the area. When radiation therapy is applied to the head or neck area, it is widespread for the salivary glands to suffer.
What to do?
As in the previous case, it is necessary to add unctuous foods to your diet and a regular supply of water.
Your digestion must be well since, in this way, it is more likely that your body can gradually return to balance and overcome the aggression caused by radiation.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Dry and rough tongue: causes and treatment , we recommend that you enter our category of Teeth and mouth.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.