Overnight Dry Mouth

[John445]

Hello, I was diagnosed in July of 2022 and so far have slow progression. Recently I have had some nights falling asleep is difficult. My doc perscribed Ambian but looking at the side effects leary about using often. What I have discerned is that I wake up often during the night and have dry mouth. Typically I take some water and go back to sleep, but still sleep interupted and/or difficult to go back to sleep. I am not mouth breathing with or without oxygen (which I wear in my nose at night)

I am writing to ask if anyone has any suggestions for keeping the mouth lubricated during sleep time. It night be a stretch, but no harm asking.

Thanks, John

 

[Nikki J]

Are you well hydrated generally? Do you perhaps need a humidifier for your bedroom? ( be sure to keep it super clean if you get one)

 

[KimT]

John,
When you say you sleep with oxygen, do you mean BiPap? If you have ALS, in general, you wouldn't be given 02 alone.
There are mouthwashes and lozenges that are made for dry mouth. Amazon has a ton of them. My meds dry me out but I drink a ton of water. A side effect of dry mouth can be dental issues so make sure you're getting your teeth cleaned and checked.
You can try melatonin. I corrected my bad sleep pattern with 5mg at bedtime. It's not for everyone but it helped me.

 

[lgelb]

Ambien is a "chemical cosh" to knock you out and is not appropriate for most PALS because it depresses breathing at the time you need it most (in deep sleep) and changes sleep architecture that is already often problematic in ALS. So I agree that I wouldn't be jumping into that. We don't know if it's the dry mouth that's really what's waking you up. Could be a pillow or mattress issue, noise, light, etc. so I would check all those things and maybe video your sleep for clues.

Most PALS should not have supplemental O2 even with BiPAP. It just creates more CO2 to expel. What was the rationale for that?

The Biotene products can be helpful for dry mouth, but as others have said, it can be the product of an overly dry or dirty environment. If you are using BiPAP, I'd look at your filters and clean out the hose, replace your furnace filter, make sure your bedroom is vacuumed regularly, maybe get some fresh air in, etc. If you are not using BiPAP, I'd reconsider the O2 as well as your pulmonologist.

 

[John445]

Hi Kim: Thanks for you reply. My pulmonogist did a test with a device on my finger which measured my oxygyn levels over night. I do not remember the percentages but the number dipped enouugh to cause concern. So I have an oxygen machine for a gentle push through the nose. tried Ambien and felt drugged and was not a good sleep. A few days I tried Melatonin and found it works nicely to get me to sleep for three or four hours, then dry mouth wakes me up. I just ordered a dry mouth spray from Amazon and hopefully that will help. John

 

[lgelb]

Of course, you can also try to adjust the humidifier settings for your BiPAP, and consider trying a new mask.

 

[Tomswife]

PALS Tom used Biotene for dry mouth.