If you often wake up in the morning with a dry mouth, it might mean only one thing and that’s dehydration. In case this isn’t a result of a hangover, it might mean that you’re dealing with more serious medical causes and you should definitely listen to your body.

It isn’t natural that your body gets dehydrated while you sleep. In fact, the circadian rhythm, or the body's internal clock, is responsible for controlling the amount of water you lose while sleeping and keeping your body hydrated. However, when this process is disrupted, it might indicate that something bad is happening. Some of the most usual factors for such disruption are lifestyle factors, illnesses, hormones, and sleeping style. Nevertheless, it’s very important to fix this issue.

Dehydration besides dry mouth can make you confused throughout the day and impede your concentration. Hence, if you’ve been wondering what might be the reason for waking up with dry mouth, here are some of the potential reasons.

Night Sweats

If you sweat while sleeping, it might be a potential cause for waking up dehydrated. These night sweats usually indicate that the person has an underlying medical illness or condition. Hence, if you or someone close to you experience extreme perspiration, it’s crucial to see a doctor.

Losing Fluids Due to Sleep Apnea

The sleeping style can be the main reason why you’re waking up with your mouth dry. As a matter of fact, many people who experience sleep apnea and snore, are likely to wake up dehydrated. Breathing through the mouth while you sleep leads to losing fluids and influence your dehydration overnight. Hence, you should get tested for sleep apnea and try breathing through your nose.

Too Warm Bedroom

The dehydration can also occur due to sleeping in a dry or warm bedroom. So, sleeping in such a bedroom will require extra fluids which you’re likely to lose some during the night. If this is the case, make sure you sleep at a cooler temperature or try sleeping with a humidifier.

Lower Levels of Estrogen

Being dehydrated is more likely to happen during the menstrual cycle when estrogen dips. Estrogen is closely connected to retaining moisture in your body and there are cases when it drops, such as in regular menstrual cycle and in menopause, when women are prone to dehydration. Hence, if you experience dry mouth when you wake up and you’re having your menstrual cycle or are in menopause, make sure you increase the intake of fluids.

Doing Exercise Too Late

This might be another possible culprit. Doing exercise too late without proper hydration might lead to dehydration but also disrupt your internal clock and sleep cycle. So, instead of doing a late-night exercise, try postponing it earlier in the day.

Medication Side Effects

There are certain medications which might be making you dehydrated. Medications, such as anti-depressants, have a side effect to make a person dehydrated. If you suspect that the medications you’re taking have such a side effect, make sure you consult your physician.