How to Stop Drooling in My Sleep

Marie Seska
3 min readSep 11, 2017

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No one wants to admit they drool in their sleep, after all how embarrassing to wake up on a wet pillow! There are many reasons you might find yourself drooling at night, some more serious than others. Keep reading to learn more about stopping night time drooling and find out what might be making you drool in your sleep!

How to stop drooling at night:

  • Change your sleeping position
  • Watch out for allergies and sinus infections
  • Keep your nose clear
  • Try a different pillow

Why do people drool in their sleep

The most common reason reason people drool in their sleep is relaxed facial muscles allowing saliva to drain out of your mouth. Waking up to a little bit of drool is no big deal and a little drool is normal! Your saliva producing glands are not as active at night and the saliva they do produce drains down your throat when sleeping on your side or back. However if you are a stomach sleeper don’t be surprised to wake up to some swallowed drool!

What does it mean when you drool in your sleep

When you wake up with drool on your pillow you might be wonder what it means. Most of the time drooling at night is not a sign of a medical condition but if you notice blood, lumps or other discoloration you should schedule an appointment with your doctor.

If you do start to notice drool in your sleep keep an eye out for a possible sinus infection or other problems with allergies. Infections, colds and other respiratory illnesses can make it hard to swallow and cause excess drool to leak out your mouth at night or just while taking a nap.

What makes you drool in your sleep

You might be drooling in your sleep for a few reasons. The most common reasons for drool on your pillow case are:

  • Sleeping on your stomach
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Acid reflux and heartburn
  • Respiratory infections

Make sure to keep an eye out for these problem!

Excessive drooling in adults while sleeping

Drooling is more common in babies due to their lack of motor control but adults that are heavy sleepers still might drool at night. While excessive drooling is a symptom of many other medical disorder usually a little wet spot on your pillow in the morning is nothing to worry about. If wet spots are becoming a problem for you try some easy fixes like changing your sleeping position or eating a different diet.

Does drooling while sleeping causes pimples?

If you have acne breakouts on your lower lip and chin and also drool at night the two might be related. Your drool could be falling off your face then drying on your pillow where you rest your face all night. This dirt and bacteria in your spit then proceeds to irritate and cause pimples and acne on your chin.

To prevent pimples from forming if you drool at night try the following tips to keep your skin clear.

How to prevent acne when drooling at night:

  • Sleep with a clean pillow case
  • Clean your lips and chin before bed
  • Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with mouthwash
  • Try a different sleeping position

Drooling while sleeping with CPAP

CPAP masks are never comfortable and getting used to one can take a few weeks. While you are adjusting to your new mask you may experience a number of side effects like drooling at night. After a few weeks you should get used to the airflow and the amount of drooling should decrease. If you continue to have problems with excessive drooling while wearing a CPAP mask you can try a mask with a liner to absorb excess moisture. Other effective options include breathing out of your nose or trying a different chin strap.

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