Finding your pillow wet when you wake up can sometimes hide a more serious health problem. An ENT doctor reveals when it should start to worry you.
Waking up with a “drool” stain on the pillow happens to everyone. Even if it’s a little annoying, drooling at night is a mostly common and harmless phenomenon. The body produces between 0.5 and 1.5 liters of lymphatic fluid each day and this production continues at night. If you sleep on your side or stomach, gravity simply does its job: the jaw relaxes, the mouth opens and excess saliva flows out naturally. In the vast majority of cases, this nocturnal “drooling” is only the mechanical consequence of a sleeping position and active salivary production.
Drooling at night can even be a good sign. Experts point out that nighttime drooling is often a sign that you have achieved deep, restorative sleep. During this phase, your facial muscles and swallowing reflexes are completely relaxed. Drooling then means that the body has relaxed enough to “disconnect” its usual control functions, allowing you to fully recover from your daily fatigue.
However, excessive salivation (you wake up every morning with a soaked pillow) or accompanied by other symptoms (heartburn, sour taste when you wake up, coughing at night) may hide a more serious health problem, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). “Many patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease find that they cough more at night because they produce more salivaexplains Dr. Landon Duyka, ENT professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. They sometimes wake up in the morning with their throat clogged with mucus. It is a protective mechanism: the body tries to compensate by modifying the pH of the esophagus in order to neutralize and eliminate the acid. If you recognize this, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.
Beyond reflux, other more severe medical causes may explain why you are “wetting” your pillow. Heavy salivation can be a warning sign for sleep apnea, where breathing stops during the night, forcing the sleeper to breathe through their mouth. It can also be linked to chronic sinus infections, untreated allergies that obstruct the nasal passages, or even be the first sign of neurological disorders affecting the ability to swallow, lists the ENT doctor on CNN Health.
To drool less at night, experts first recommend sleeping on your back, a position that promotes the natural swallowing of saliva. Making sure your nose is clear before going to bed prevents you from breathing through your mouth and reduces drooling. mouth breathing. Avoid heavy, spicy or very acidic foods that stimulate saliva production. Be aware of certain active ingredients in medications that affect saliva production. If in doubt, talk to your doctor.
