Why is my mouth so dry, even if I drink water?

If your mouth feels dry, even after drinking water, you may be suffering from the medical condition known as xerostomia (a.k.a. dry mouth and dry tongue). Dry mouth is characterized by symptoms such as a dry, sticky feeling in your mouth, a burning sensation in your mouth, difficulty chewing and swallowing, discomfort when speaking, dry lips and throat, and mouth sores that last for weeks or months. If you experience dry mouth symptoms, talk to your dentist or general practitioner for further details.

Why does my mouth get so dry at night?

You may notice that your mouth seems dry when you wake up. This could happen for a couple of different reasons. First, our bodies produce less saliva while we sleep, so if you already suffer from dry mouth, you can likely expect the condition to worsen at night. Second, you may be breathing through your mouth during sleep. Obviously, the air you breathe in will make your mouth feel dry. If you regularly wake up with dry mouth, try running a humidifier at night, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and avoiding acidic and sugary foods before bed.

Why do I have dry mouth during pregnancy?

Pregnancy can cause dry mouth due to dehydration. When you’re pregnant, your body needs more water than usual to help your baby develop, so even if you’re drinking water, you may be slightly dehydrated. Additionally, changing hormones can affect your throat, nasal passages, and sleep — all of which can cause you to breathe through your mouth more, leading to dry mouth. To combat dry mouth during pregnancy, up your water intake and drink it at room temperature. If the problem doesn’t go away, see your OBGYN for their recommendations.

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Dry Mouth (Xerostomia): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

06-19-2025

Does your mouth feel dry and sticky when you wake up in the morning? Do you feel the constant urge to drink lots of water, so your mouth doesn’t dry out? Do you find it hard to swallow, chew food, or even speak clearly? You may be suffering from dry mouth.

If you suspect that you have dry mouth, don’t ignore the symptoms. Left untreated, dry mouth leads to a higher risk of developing tooth decay and other serious dental problems.

In this article, we discuss causes and symptoms of dry mouth, as well as treatments and at-home remedies you can try to keep it under control.

Key Takeaways

Dry mouth, or xerostomia, happens when your body doesn’t produce enough saliva—leaving your mouth dry and uncomfortable—and your teeth and gums more vulnerable to oral health problems.
Dry mouth can be caused by stress, anxiety, medications, aging, snoring, mouth breathing, certain health conditions, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or nerve damage.
Symptoms of dry mouth include a prolonged dry, sticky feeling in your mouth along with difficulty chewing and swallowing, discomfort when speaking, dry lips and throat, and mouth sores that don’t go away.
To temporarily relieve dry mouth symptoms, use a special oral rinse, chew sugarless gum, suck on ice cubes, avoid smoking and chewing tobacco, and limit alcohol. Talk to your doctor about treating the underlying condition.

What Is Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth is a common condition that occurs when your mouth doesn’t produce enough saliva. Medically, it’s known as xerostomia—a term used to describe the dry, uncomfortable feeling that happens when saliva production slows down. Without enough saliva, your teeth and gums are more vulnerable to oral health problems.

Here are just a few things that saliva does to help your mouth stay healthy:

Lubricates and keeps your mouth moist
Neutralizes acids produced by bacteria in your mouth that can cause tooth decay
Strengthens and repairs (remineralization of enamel) tooth enamel
Promotes wound healing in your mouth
Helps you chew, swallow, and speak
Protects against harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi in your mouth
Assists with food breakdown

Dry Mouth Causes

Stress and Anxiety

When you experience stress or anxiety, your body produces hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, that help your body prepare for its “fight-or-flight” response.

The hormones can temporarily reduce non-essential functions, like saliva production, resulting in dry mouth symptoms.

Over-the-Counter Medications

Medications are a major cause of dry mouth. In fact, medications cause approximately 90% of all cases of dry mouth, according to the Academy of General Dentistry.

If you suddenly experience symptoms of dry mouth, it may be because you’ve started taking medication, such as an antidepressant, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, or anti-hypertensive.

If your dry mouth is persistent and severe, talk to your doctor.

Aging

As you age, your body tends to naturally decrease saliva production, making older adults more susceptible to dry mouth.

Snoring and Mouth Breathing

Snoring while you sleep at night or mouth breathing during the day can cause symptoms that feel like dry mouth as well.

However, if the symptoms go away an hour or so once you wake up or after you start breathing through your nose, it’s unlikely to be xerostomia. Instead, you may be experiencing symptoms because your mouth has been open for a long time.

Certain Health Conditions

Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer in any part of the body can also cause chronic dry mouth.

Some older people suffer from Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease characterized by extremely dry eyes and a dry mouth.

Sjogren’s occurs in older adults and is more common in women than in men. The exact cause remains unclear, but if you or someone you know develops Sjogren’s, paying attention to dry mouth is extremely important.

Even someone with a long-life history of good dental hygiene can develop tooth decay simply because of the extreme lack of saliva that accompanies this condition.

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use

The chemicals in tobacco and alcohol can temporarily dry out your mouth and lead to symptoms of xerostomia. Some psychoactive drugs, such as methamphetamines and marijuana, can hinder your body’s natural production of saliva and cause symptoms of dry mouth.

This “dry mouth” may not be the medical condition, but prolonged use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs can lead to the same results — tooth decay, gum disease, mouth sores, thrush, etc.

Either way, talk to your doctor about what you’re experiencing.

Nerve Damage

Some types of injuries to the head or neck can damage the specific nerves that stimulate the salivary glands to produce saliva.

With dry mouth causes in mind, let’s take a closer look at the symptoms you may experience.

Dry Mouth Symptoms

The symptoms of dry mouth can mimic other temporary issues, but if your symptoms persist after you resolve other problems, you may have xerostomia.

Be on the lookout for the following symptoms:

Dry, sticky feeling in your mouth
Burning sensation in your mouth
Difficulty chewing and swallowing
Discomfort when speaking
Dry lips and throat
Mouth sores that last for weeks or months

If you think you have xerostomia, read on for remedies you can try at home as well as professional treatment options.

Dry Mouth Treatments

At-Home Remedies

Thankfully, you can try a number of home remedies to temporarily alleviate the symptoms of dry mouth, including:

Using an oral rinse for dry mouth
Avoiding sugary drinks
Drinking water throughout the day
Avoiding hot and cold drinks
Chewing sugarless gum
Sucking on ice cubes
Avoiding smoking and chewing tobacco
Limiting alcohol
Using a cool-mist humidifier
Taking medications at night

While these remedies can help with your dry mouth symptoms, none of them address the underlying medical issue. If you’ve tried any or all of these remedies, but your dry mouth symptoms keep coming back, talk to your dentist or medical doctor right away.

Professional Treatments

Professional treatments for xerostomia include:

Prescription-strength dry mouth lozenges
Saliva production stimulators
Surgical salivary gland repair

Talk to your dentist or general practitioner to see if the treatments are right for you.

Get a Healthier Smile with Oral-B

Avoid tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental issues by maintaining a good oral hygiene routine that includes brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash.

The right toothbrush — like one from the Oral-B iO Series — can make a huge difference.

The iO Series combines micro-vibrating bristles with our dentist-inspired round brush head for a professional clean feeling at home. With a smart pressure sensor, custom modes, and guided brushing, Oral-B electric toothbrushes remove 100% more plaque than manual toothbrushes.

FAQs

Why is my mouth so dry, even if I drink water?
If your mouth feels dry, even after drinking water, you may be suffering from the medical condition known as xerostomia (a.k.a. dry mouth and dry tongue).

Dry mouth is characterized by symptoms such as a dry, sticky feeling in your mouth, a burning sensation in your mouth, difficulty chewing and swallowing, discomfort when speaking, dry lips and throat, and mouth sores that last for weeks or months.

If you experience dry mouth symptoms, talk to your dentist or general practitioner for further details.
Why does my mouth get so dry at night?
You may notice that your mouth seems dry when you wake up. This could happen for a couple of different reasons.

First, our bodies produce less saliva while we sleep, so if you already suffer from dry mouth, you can likely expect the condition to worsen at night. Second, you may be breathing through your mouth during sleep. Obviously, the air you breathe in will make your mouth feel dry.

If you regularly wake up with dry mouth, try running a humidifier at night, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and avoiding acidic and sugary foods before bed.
Why do I have dry mouth during pregnancy?
Pregnancy can cause dry mouth due to dehydration. When you’re pregnant, your body needs more water than usual to help your baby develop, so even if you’re drinking water, you may be slightly dehydrated.

Additionally, changing hormones can affect your throat, nasal passages, and sleep — all of which can cause you to breathe through your mouth more, leading to dry mouth.

To combat dry mouth during pregnancy, up your water intake and drink it at room temperature. If the problem doesn’t go away, see your OBGYN for their recommendations.

References

About the Author

Dr. Monika Negi is a qualified Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologist with over five years of clinical and academic experience and over two years in P&G Research and Development. A Commonwealth Scholar, she holds a Master of Science in Global Health & Management from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and a Master of Dental Surgery and Bachelor of Dental Surgery from H.P. University, India. At Procter & Gamble, Monika plays a pivotal role in the Global Oral Care R&D within the Global Professional & Scientific Relations team. Leveraging her clinical expertise and academic rigor, she drives the scientific advancement of Global Oral Care products, ensuring they are clinically validated, and aligned with industry-leading standards. Monika is also responsible for all technical and scientific training for the Global Professional and Scientific Relations team. Her contributions have enhanced product credibility and fortified P&G’s commitment to evidence-based innovation. Monika has been partnering with the team at Oral-B by fact-checking and reviewing our blogs on dental health. You can find a list of the blogs Monika has approved below:

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