Dry mouth at night during pregnancy: causes and what helps

Waking up with a dry mouth is common in pregnancy, especially in the later months. The most frequent night-time cause is a blocked nose that makes you breathe through your mouth, along with not drinking enough or losing fluids through sickness. Less often it's a sign of high blood sugar, so mention it to your midwife if you're also very thirsty or peeing more.

Is dry mouth normal in pregnancy?

Dry mouth is a common complaint in pregnancy. In a 2023 study of 557 pregnant women, researchers asked about a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms. In late pregnancy, dry mouth was among the symptoms that scored highest, alongside weight gain, difficulty sleeping, sweating and lack of energy.

Common doesn't mean you have to put up with it. The US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) explains that saliva helps protect your teeth and gums, and that a mouth that stays dry raises the risk of tooth decay and mouth infections. So it's worth finding the cause and easing it.

Why do I wake up with a dry mouth when pregnant?

The NHS lists the main causes of a dry mouth as dehydration, medicines, breathing through your mouth at night, anxiety, some cancer treatments and oral thrush. In pregnancy, a few of these become more likely.

A blocked nose from pregnancy rhinitis

Cleveland Clinic describes pregnancy rhinitis as a stuffy or blocked nose that isn't caused by a cold or allergy. It usually appears in the third trimester, and the congestion is usually worse at night. Higher hormone levels can widen the blood vessels in your nose and increase mucus. When your nose is blocked, you breathe through your mouth, and the NHS says mouth breathing at night is one of the main causes of a dry mouth. Our guide to signs you mouth breathe at night can help you tell.

Not drinking enough, or losing fluids

Dehydration from not drinking enough, sweating a lot or being ill is the first cause the NHS lists. Sickness and vomiting are common in early pregnancy. The NHS says a severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, can mean you don't get enough fluids, and suggests drinking plenty of fluids, sipped little and often, if you.re feeling sick.

Medicines

Hundreds of medicines can reduce saliva, according to NIDCR. The NHS suggests checking the leaflet of anything you take to see if dry mouth is a side effect, but don't stop a prescribed medicine without advice. Decongestants, which some people use for a blocked nose, can cause a dry mouth too, the NHS says.

Can dry mouth be a sign of gestational diabetes?

Dry mouth can sometimes be a sign of gestational diabetes. The NHS says gestational diabetes usually causes no symptoms and is mostly picked up through screening. When blood sugar gets too high, though, it can cause increased thirst, needing to pee more often than usual, a dry mouth, tiredness, blurred eyesight and genital itching or thrush.

The NHS adds that some of these symptoms are common in pregnancy anyway and aren't necessarily a sign of gestational diabetes. If you have several of them, or you're worried, speak to your midwife or doctor.

What helps dry mouth at night during pregnancy?

Simple steps are the place to start with dry mouth at night in pregnancy. The NHS suggests these steps for a dry mouth.

• Take regular sips of cold water during the day and keep some water by your bed at night.
• Suck on ice cubes, or sip cold unsweetened drinks.
• Chew sugar-free gum or suck sugar-free sweets.
• Use lip balm if your lips are dry.
• Brush your teeth twice a day and use an alcohol-free mouthwash, because a dry mouth makes tooth decay more likely.
• Cut back on caffeine, fizzy drinks and acidic, spicy, salty or sugary foods.

The NHS separately advises having no more than 200mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy, so cutting back helps on both counts. NIDCR also suggests running a humidifier at night, and notes that some sugar-free gums and sweets contain xylitol, which may help prevent cavities. There are more ideas in dry mouth at night remedies.

A pharmacist can suggest gels, sprays, tablets or lozenges to keep your mouth moist, the NHS says. The NHS pregnancy guidance is to check with your pharmacist, midwife or GP before taking any medicine you've bought, so tell them you're pregnant.

How can I breathe through my nose more easily at night?

If a blocked nose is behind your dry mouth, easing it is the most direct fix. Cleveland Clinic suggests saline rinses with a neti pot or rinse bottle, drinking plenty of water, exercise your provider is happy with and sleeping slightly upright. How to use a saline rinse walks through the steps.

Medicines need more care. Cleveland Clinic says corticosteroid nasal sprays and saline sprays can relieve pregnancy rhinitis, but decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion if used for more than a few days, and you should ask your provider before taking oral decongestants. The NHS is more cautious: it says it's not clear whether any decongestant is safe in pregnancy and to use them only if a healthcare professional tells you to. Ask your midwife or doctor which option suits you. See decongestant spray rebound for why short use matters.

Sleeping propped up may help with heartburn as well. The NHS says propping your head and shoulders up in bed can help stop stomach acid coming up, and suggests not eating within 3 hours of going to bed.

If you're wondering about mouth tape to keep your mouth closed, read is mouth taping safe during pregnancy? first. It explains why that's a conversation to have with your midwife or doctor, and why tape should never be used with a blocked nose.

Is snoring part of the picture?

A blocked nose and mouth breathing often come with snoring. A 2005 study that followed 155 women found symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing increased during pregnancy, and the authors said more than 10% may be at risk of developing sleep apnea. In a 2012 study of 1,719 women in their third trimester, 34% reported snoring and 25% said it started in pregnancy. Snoring that began in pregnancy was linked to higher odds of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia.

The NHS says to see a GP if you feel sleepy during the day, your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, or you make gasping or choking noises, which can be signs of sleep apnea. In pregnancy, raise any new snoring with your midwife. Snoring during pregnancy covers how to bring it up, and sleep apnea warning signs lists what to look for.

When should you call your midwife or doctor?

The NHS says to see a GP about a dry mouth if it makes talking or eating difficult, it's still dry after a few weeks of home or pharmacy treatments, your mouth is painful, red, swollen or bleeding, you have sore white patches, or you have other symptoms like needing to pee a lot. In pregnancy, your midwife is a good first call for any of these.

Call your midwife, GP or 111 if you're vomiting and have very dark urine or haven't peed in more than 8 hours, can't keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, or feel very weak, dizzy or faint when standing up, the NHS says.

Does it go away after the baby is born?

Dry mouth in pregnancy often goes away after the baby is born. Cleveland Clinic says pregnancy rhinitis usually clears within a few days to two weeks of giving birth, and the NHS says gestational diabetes usually disappears after birth. If your mouth is still dry after that, see your GP or dentist.

Read next

• Why do I wake up with a dry mouth?
• Nasal strips during pregnancy
• Why is my nose stuffy at night?

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.