Have you ever woken up during the night wanting to drink water, with a dry throat and a lot of itching in it? These symptoms suggest that you suffer from a dry throat when sleeping.
The throat is one of the parts of the body most sensitive to sudden changes in temperature, and exposure to extreme cold or heat usually affects it directly.
It is essential to correct this symptom to avoid the appearance of diseases that could harm the body. For this reason, in the following FastlyHealarticle, we explain the causes of the dry throat when sleeping and its treatment.
Table of Contents
Breathing with your mouth open when sleeping
Sleeping with your mouth open creates a dry throat when sleeping. Also, when you sleep on your back, breathing becomes difficult at night, forcing you to breathe through your mouth. However, this will ease for the day.
Dry throat when sleeping is also a symptom of sleep apnea. This is a condition characterized by the fact that the person who suffers from it stops breathing when they are asleep and snoring, drowning, or shortness of breath, which makes them feel tired during the day due to interrupted sleep.
Treatment
If this is your case, do not hesitate to go to the doctor, he will give you the guidance you need to sleep better and reverse dry throat when sleeping.
Use of heating and fans
Sleeping in a dry environment where heating and fans are used facilitates throat dryness, and it often occurs when sleeping due to temperature changes.
Treatment
In this case, the doctor will recommend that you ventilate the bedroom and humidify the environment.
Dehydration
The decrease or lack of water in the body due to lack of fluid intake or some disease-generating dehydration can make the saliva thick and sticky, which causes both the mouth and the throat not to hydrate and feel dry.
Treatment
To eliminate this symptomatology, you must go to the doctor, who, through a physical examination, will detect the degree of hydration you have, will also indicate restoring the water requirements with fluid and serum intake.
In the beginning, he will recommend you drink two liters of water a day; you must be careful if you suffer from any disease that affects the kidneys, thyroid, heart or if you take medications that generate fluid retention. In these cases, the specialist will adjust the dose of the drug and evaluate the symptoms that accompany this alteration.
Allergies
The so-called allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic conditions that cause a dry throat when sleeping and can extend during the day. Exposure to different allergens, such as dust, mold, and animal hair, can cause the same symptoms.
Among the symptoms that accompany this alteration due to allergies are:
- Dry.
- Itch.
- Throat pain.
- Nasal congestion.
It is important to note that smoke and other irritants can also affect.
Treatment
To relieve allergy symptoms, the doctor will prescribe antihistamines and nasal decongestants.
Common cold
Dry throat when sleeping or during the day is a common symptom of the common cold. Others of them are the following:
- Runny and stuffy nose.
- Sneezing
- Tearing
- To.
- Fever.
Treatment
In addition to drug treatment to improve symptoms, you should follow these recommendations:
- Take rest.
- Drink lots of water.
- Gargle with warm saltwater.
If the condition does not improve, consult your trusted doctor to evaluate the situation and indicate the treatment according to your symptoms.
Consumption of some medications
Some drugs, even so-called over-the-counter drugs, used in certain diseases can cause a dry throat as a side effect when sleeping. Those that usually cause it are those used to treat:
- Arterial hypertension.
- Heart failure.
- Depression.
- Anxiety.
In addition, antihistamines, nasal decongestants, analgesics, muscle relaxants, or diuretics can cause a dry throat after ingestion.
Treatment
If you suffer from any of these diseases or require the medications mentioned above, consult your doctor to be in charge of adjusting the dose or changing the prescription and avoid continuing to present dry throat when sleeping.
Age
Many older people suffer from a dry throat when they sleep. As one advance in age, the body loses the ability to process some medications that the person is ingesting. In addition, an inadequate diet or having health problems that have not yet been diagnosed can cause this symptomatology.
Treatment
In this case, after a medical evaluation, the specialist will determine if, apart from your age, you have a disease that has not been diagnosed.
Stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are two states that can trigger the appearance of a dry throat when sleeping. The decrease in salivary secretion is due to the constriction of the blood vessels that carry blood to the salivary glands, thus decreasing saliva production.
The production of saliva is also related to the intake of food, and due to this, during sleep, the secretion of saliva becomes thicker and more mucous, generating dryness in the throat.
Treatment
Controlling both conditions through relaxation techniques, breathing, yoga, or Pilates can prevent dryness from occurring.
Smoking and consuming alcohol
Consuming alcohol, smoking, or chewing tobacco are habits that do not provide any health benefits. They can also increase the symptoms of dry throat, especially if you do it before sleeping.
Treatment
To treat a dry throat caused by smoking or drinking alcohol, stop doing it and follow your doctor’s instructions if this symptom is accompanied by others that may affect your health.
Consumption of drugs
The ingestion of some drugs such as amphetamines can cause intense dryness in the throat that affects the oral cavity and teeth. Another drug that generates this is marijuana.
Treatment
If it is due to the consumption of amphetamines, you must go to your doctor to adjust the dose to reduce or eliminate the symptoms. In cases where it is due to the consumption of the marijuana mentioned above, the idea is that you start therapy to stop using it. If you decide to carry out this action, visit the best specialists.
Cancer treatment
The drugs used to perform chemotherapy affect the quality of saliva and its production. For this reason, dry mouth and throat can develop. Fortunately, this symptom is temporary. In some cases, it can last longer depending on the dose and the time of exposure to the treatment.
Treatment
To reverse the dryness in the throat due to chemotherapy, it will be necessary to wait to have completed the indicated cycle of chemo since this is one of the side effects of the treatment.
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 if you present any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Dry throat when sleeping: causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our Ear, Nose, and Throat category.
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.