Why do you drool when you sleep? Causes and triggers of drooling when you sleep

I remember that when I was in class, sometimes my deskmate would drool when he slept, and sometimes I would drool when I slept too. At that time, we all joked that maybe I was dreaming about roasted chicken, and everyone just laughed it off and didn’t take it seriously. But now, drooling when sleeping is abnormal. Sometimes I wake up to find a large area of ​​my pillow is wet. So what is this abnormal symptom? Do we have any method to regulate it in our daily life?

Why do I drool while sleeping?

Oral Disease

If you drool while sleeping, the drool has a salty smell, and your pillowcase is yellowish, it is most likely due to poor oral hygiene. If there are ulcers in the mouth, the painful stimulation will promote saliva secretion and induce drooling. At this time, medication can be used to promote ulcer healing, and the drooling will disappear automatically. If there are food residues or sugar accumulation between teeth and on tooth surfaces, it is easy for bacteria to multiply in the mouth, thereby stimulating saliva secretion and causing drooling while sleeping.

Wrong sleeping posture

Drooling while sleeping may be caused by improper sleeping posture, such as sleeping on the table or sleeping on your side. In this case, you only need to adjust your sleeping position appropriately to reduce the occurrence of drooling.

Neuroregulatory disorders

The regulation of saliva secretion is completely a neuroreflex. If the neuroregulation is impaired, the brain will send out wrong signals, causing increased saliva secretion and resulting in drooling during sleep.

Tooth deformity

The front teeth protrude forward significantly, and it is difficult for the lips to completely cover the front teeth when sleeping. The lips are often open and the teeth are exposed, which can easily cause drooling while sleeping.

Spleen and stomach disorders

Drooling in adults is a manifestation of spleen and stomach dysfunction, which is commonly seen in cases of weakened spleen and stomach motility, water retention, spleen and stomach damp heat, or food retention in the stomach and downward movement, and stomach heat steaming up, which is the so-called "restless sleeping if the stomach is not in harmony."

Facial neuritis or stroke

If you suddenly drool while sleeping after your face has been exposed to a cold, you have been blown by the wind or have a cold, you must be alert. You can smile at the mirror. If you find that the corners of your mouth are crooked, or your eyes cannot close tightly or you have a headache, these may be signs of facial neuritis or a stroke. It is recommended that you go to the hospital for relevant examinations immediately.

How to prevent drooling while sleeping

First, don’t have any mental burden. Go to a regular hospital for a check-up first and treat the primary disease causing drooling, such as neurosis, oral inflammation, etc.

Second, develop good eating habits. Do not go to bed immediately after a meal. Do not eat too much at dinner or eat too much greasy, sticky, or other indigestible food.

Third, develop good hygiene habits such as rinsing your mouth after meals and brushing your teeth before going to bed to reduce the occurrence of oral inflammation.

Fourth, you should correct your sleeping posture. Secondly, it is best not to eat before going to bed, and you should brush your teeth or rinse your mouth.

Fifth, do not do strenuous exercise or overuse your brain before going to bed. If you often drool while sleeping, it is best to pay more attention to your body and make timely adjustments.

Sixth, if there is a problem with the spleen and stomach function, you can try eating some Chinese medicine or food that has the function of strengthening the spleen, such as lotus seeds, corn, red dates, yam, honey, etc. In addition, if you suspect that drooling while sleeping is caused by a disease, you should go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible.

In addition, you can take more Chinese herbal medicines that strengthen the spleen and kidneys, such as lotus seeds, water chestnuts and yam. If you do not have dry mouth or bitter taste, you can add Codonopsis pilosula. Spleen deficiency usually does not appear alone, it may be accompanied by cold, heat, or qi stagnation, so there is usually no fixed prescription. To regulate spleen deficiency, you need to ask a Chinese medicine doctor to diagnose it for you clearly before the medication will be effective. Otherwise, although the spleen deficiency has improved, other symptoms will arise, which will not be worth the loss.