This Is Why You Drool So Much in Your Sleep

Drooling might be a common way to illustrate that someone is far away in dreamland, but if you consistently dribble when you slumber, it could actually point to a health issue.

It seems innocent enough, and you probably forget about it once you wipe down your pillow, but if it comes with other symptoms, you could be dealing with an infection, allergic reaction or even a digestive condition.

Here are seven reasons you're drooling when you sleep, and what you can do about it:

Think about the last time you had a cold or the flu with a stuffy nose: It was probably challenging to breathe through your nostrils, so inhaling and exhaling through your mouth was easier.

When your nose is plugged or blocked, your mouth can stay open while you sleep, which literally makes you drool, says Shawn Nasseri, MD, an ear, nose and throat surgeon.

Mucus might be the culprit, but things like nasal swelling or any sort of blockage — like a deviated septum, nasal polyp or enlarged adenoids — can cause mouth-breathing or make it worse, Dr. Nasseri says.

Whether you're sensitive to tree pollen or dust mites, allergies are no joke for those who battle them. If your allergies are acting up, Dr. Nasseri says it's common to have excessive saliva and nasal congestion throughout the day, and particularly at night. You might also have a dry cough, shortness of breath or itchy, watery eyes, per the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI).

"When we are going to sleep, nasal congestion tends to feel worse due to an increase in blood flow to our nose and head," he says. And when you try to fall asleep with a clogged nose, you tend to breathe from the mouth, making it easy for drool to escape.

When you have a sinus infection or strep throat, your nervous system causes swelling of your throat, making it harder to swallow your saliva. As a result, Dr. Nasseri says, people breathe through their mouths, creating more saliva and, ultimately, drool.

Other symptoms of a sinus infection, per the ACAAI, are:

• Headache or facial pain (sometimes: teeth pain)
• Green nasal discharge
• Post-nasal drip
• Fever
• Coughing
• Fatigue
• Bad breath

Other symptoms of strep throat, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include:

• Sore throat and pain when you swallow
• Fever
• Red, swollen tonsils
• Swollen neck

Other viral throat infections — such as mononucleosis, per the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — can also lead to similar symptoms as strep, including a sore throat and fever.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes acid reflux because the esophagus doesn't work correctly and allows stomach acid to creep backward. Sometimes this acid can reach your throat, and your body reacts to the irritation by producing an abundance of saliva, Dr. Nasseri says.

Some people with GERD have heartburn, but that's not always the case. Other symptoms of the condition, according to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, include:

• Pain or difficulty when swallowing, or the feeling that food is stuck in your throat
• Burping
• Bad breath
• Chronic sore throat or throat irritation
• Gum inflammation
• Tooth enamel erosion
• A hoarse voice in the morning

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where you stop breathing several times — possibly even hundreds of times — each night, according to the Mayo Clinic. You probably don't wake up, but your brain registers the stop-and-start.

"Apnea can block your airways while you sleep, causing your brain to forget to send signals to your throat and mouth muscles to breathe," Dr. Nasseri says. "If these signals are blocked, it can cause excessive saliva production, which results in drooling."

Beyond that, signs of sleep apnea include:

• Loud snoring
• Waking up with a dry mouth
• Morning headaches
• Having trouble staying asleep
• Feeling very sleepy during the day
• Irritability

Certain medications like antipsychotics can increase saliva production and make it difficult to swallow, resulting in drooling, Dr. Nasseri says.

Drooling can be a normal part of the aging process, says Andrew Ordon, MD, an otolaryngologist and plastic surgeon. Sometimes poor competency of the lips and mouth muscles and possibly loss of volume of the lips and around the mouth from age or dentures causes drooling.

"Facial tone is not the same as we get older, and loss of facial tone makes it more difficult to control the secretions," Dr. Ordon says.