If you often wake up in your sleep and find that you have created an awkward pool of saliva on your pillow, you probably need to change your habits. Some people cannot get rid of this problem by simply sleeping on their backs and sleep apnea sufferers need targeted therapies. Read the tips in this guide and contact your doctor if the problem persists.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Part 1: Changing the Night Habits
Step 1. Sleep on your back
Individuals who fall asleep on the side are more likely to drool during sleep simply because the mouth opens due to gravity and saliva ends up wetting the pillow. Try falling asleep on your stomach, with the covers folded under the mattress, so you won't be able to roll over during the night.
Step 2. Support your head
If you can only sleep on the side, try to prop up your head to keep it in the most upright position to help you breathe and keep your mouth from opening.
Step 3. Breathe through your nose and not through your mouth
Sinus occlusion is the main reason people drool during sleep. As a result, they breathe through their mouths, eventually drooling.
- Try using a nose-clearing product, such as Vick's Vaporub or Tiger Balm, smearing it right under the nostrils.
- The scent of some essential oils, such as eucalyptus or rose, helps clear the nose and induces sleep. Smell them before bed.
- Take a hot, steamy shower before bed to clear your sinuses.
Step 4. Treat sinus infections and any allergies, otherwise you may suffer from postnasal drip and excessive salivation during sleep
Step 5. Find out if excessive salivation is one of the side effects of the medications you are taking
Some medications can cause increased salivation. Read the leaflet and ask your doctor for more information.
Method 2 of 2: Part 2: Diagnosing and Treating Night Apnea
Step 1. Find out if you have sleep apnea
If you have trouble sleeping, breathe heavily, snore loudly, or drool profusely, you may have sleep apnea which makes your breathing slow during sleep.
- Certain habits and certain conditions increase the risk of sleep apnea, such as smoking and high blood pressure. People at risk for heart failure and stroke can also suffer from sleep apnea.
- The doctor can make a diagnosis through instrumental tests and by evaluating your nocturnal habits.
Step 2. Find out if you have an airway obstruction
Drooling in your sleep is a symptom of a blocked airway. Contact an otolaryngologist to find out if you have such a problem.
Step 3. Get slim
Overweight people are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. Of the 12 million people suffering from sleep apnea in the United States, more than half are overweight. Change your eating habits and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy lifestyle and lose weight. It will benefit your health and your breathing as well.
Step 4. Treat sleep apnea conservatively
This pathology is treated in many different ways, obviously starting with weight loss. Sleep apnea sufferers should avoid alcohol, sleeping pills and should not deprive themselves of sleep. Normal or saline-based nasal sprays can be helpful in clearing the nose.
Step 5. In some cases it is necessary to undergo mechanical therapy
Typically, C-Pap (continuous positive airway pressure mechanical ventilation) is the first treatment that is recommended: the patient wears a mask that creates forced ventilation through the nose and mouth during sleep. The idea behind this therapy is that the right pressure across the airways prevents the tissues from collapsing during sleep.
Step 6. Use a nocturnal mandibular advancement device
It serves to prevent the tongue from collapsing in the throat and, in addition, promotes the advancement of the jaw to leave the airways more free.
Step 7. Resort to surgery
People who have a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, or a tongue that is too large may have surgery to fix the problem.
- There somnoplasty uses radio frequencies to force the soft palate to recede into the back of the throat and open the airways.
- There uvulopalatopharyngoplasty o UPPP / UP3 is used to remove the soft tissue in the back of the throat and open the airway.
- There nasal surgery uses several procedures to resolve obstructions or deformities, such as deviated septa.
- There tonsillectomy is able to remove large tonsils that obstruct the airways.
- There mandibular / maxillary advancement surgery it serves to move the jaw forward in order to free the throat. It is a complex procedure that is applied only in the most severe cases of sleep apnea.
Advice
- Do not try to fall asleep with your mouth open to "dry" all the saliva. This will only give you a bad sore throat, especially if the room is very cold.
- Get a good mattress and pillow that supports your neck and head well, so you'll be more likely to sleep on your back.
