Is It Normal to Drool While You Sleep?

People drool in their sleep due to factors like sleep position, infections, or sinus problems. While it’s often nothing to worry about, it can be a sign of a health issue that causes excess saliva or mouth breathing.

Jump to Key Takeaways.

Your Sleep Position Might Be the Problem

The muscles of the body relax during sleep, especially during REM sleep. It's possible that your mouth is falling open as you sleep. If you sleep on your side or your stomach, drool may be more likely to escape from the sides of your mouth as you sleep.

If you drool because of the position you sleep in, changing sleep positions and sleeping on your back may help resolve the problem.

Congestion or Infection Could Be to Blame

If you can’t breathe well through your nose—because of a cold, allergies, or sinus congestion—you may start breathing through your mouth while you sleep. This often leads to drooling.

Allergies and colds are common causes of congestion. Medications, humidifiers, or limiting allergens in your home can help keep your nose clear and reduce drooling.

Infections can also contribute. For example, pharyngitis—throat inflammation caused by a viral or bacterial infection—can make swallowing painful, leading to excess saliva and drooling during sleep.

A more serious cause is epiglottitis, an infection of the cartilage that covers your windpipe. It can cause drooling, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. This condition is a medical emergency. See a healthcare provider right away if you notice these symptoms.

You Could Have an Oral Health Problem

Issues in your mouth, such as cavities, gum disease, or mouth ulcers, can trigger excess saliva production. Your body may produce more saliva as a natural response to irritation or infection in the mouth.

Signs of a problem with your teeth, gums, or mouth that may lead to drooling during sleep include:

• Mouth pain
• Tooth pain when chewing
• Tooth sensitivity
• Swelling in your gums
• Bleeding gums
• Sores in your mouth
• Bad breath
• Dry mouth
• Loose teeth

If you notice any of these symptoms, it's a good idea to see a dentist.

Deep Sleep Can Make You Drool

During deep sleep, your muscles fully relax, including those in your face and mouth. This can cause your mouth to fall open and make it harder to automatically swallow saliva. Since your body still makes saliva to protect your mouth and throat, it can pool and leak out as you sleep.

Drooling in your sleep is usually harmless. But if it starts suddenly, happens often, or feels excessive, it might point to an underlying issue.

A Deviated Septum Can Cause Mouth Breathing

A deviated nasal septum can also cause drooling during sleep. The septum is a thin wall inside your nose that separates the two nostrils. If it is off-center or uneven, airflow on the narrower side may be partially blocked.

This blockage can lead you to breathe and snore through your mouth, drying it out. In response, your mouth may produce extra saliva, resulting in drooling.

Treating a deviated septum—either with medications or a surgical procedure called septoplasty—can help reduce uncomfortable symptoms like drooling while you sleep.

Nighttime Grinding Could Be the Culprit

Nocturnal bruxism (teeth grinding at night) can be associated with drooling.

Excessive salivation can also be a side effect of wearing a mandibular device (like a night guard) to manage nocturnal bruxism.

Drooling Is More Common in Pregnancy

Salivating more during pregnancy, also known as ptyalism gravidarum, is a common occurrence in early pregnancy and can lead to drooling while you sleep.

Other associated symptoms include:

• Swollen salivary glands
• Difficulty sleeping
• Social and emotional distress

Consider Other Medical Conditions

Sometimes, nighttime drooling is linked to an underlying medical condition that affects your ability to swallow or breathe through your nose.

These conditions can increase saliva production, a condition called sialorrhea, or reduce muscle control in the mouth and throat, making drooling more likely.

Medical conditions that can cause or contribute to drooling include:

• Sleep apnea: This condition causes breathing to stop and start during sleep. It often leads to mouth breathing and extra saliva, especially if you snore or choke in your sleep. It can also leave you tired during the day.
• GERD: GERD can irritate your throat and make swallowing difficult. The acid reflux can trigger excess saliva and a choking sensation, which may cause drooling while lying down.
• Stroke: A stroke can weaken muscles that control swallowing. This makes it harder to keep saliva in your mouth, especially during sleep.
• Parkinson’s disease: This progressive brain disorder can reduce swallowing reflexes. As a result, saliva can build up and spill out of the mouth.
• Cerebral palsy: This condition affects movement and muscle control. Many people with cerebral palsy struggle with swallowing and mouth closure, which leads to drooling.
• Huntington’s disease: Affects brain cells that control movement and coordination. It can impair swallowing and saliva control.
• ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis): ALS weakens the nerves and muscles used for speaking and swallowing. This makes it harder to manage saliva, even while awake.
• Bell’s palsy: This causes weakness or paralysis on one side of the face. That can make it hard to close the mouth fully and swallow properly.
• Brain injury: Damage to areas of the brain that control facial muscles can lead to drooling. Swallowing may become difficult or delayed.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency: In some cases, a severe deficiency can cause nerve issues. These may affect swallowing and saliva control.

If you suspect an underlying condition, speak with a healthcare provider. Treatment may include medications, therapy, or other medical interventions to help reduce drooling and manage symptoms.

Some Medications May Trigger Drooling

Drooling can be a side effect of certain medications, including:

• Sedatives
• Antipsychotic drugs
• Some antibiotics
• Certain medications used to treat Alzheimer's disease
• Some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

If you are taking a medication that causes drooling as a side effect, don't stop taking it, but reach out to your healthcare provider if you are concerned.

Drooling Often Increases With Age

Aging can weaken the muscles in the face and throat, making it harder to keep saliva inside the mouth during sleep. Swallowing reflexes may slow down, causing saliva to build up and leak out.

Older adults also often take medications or develop conditions like Parkinson’s or stroke that affect muscle control and saliva production, which can increase drooling.

How to Stop Drooling in Your Sleep

If drooling during sleep is bothering you, there are several ways to manage or reduce it:

• Change your sleeping position: Sleeping on your back or using a wedge pillow to elevate your head can help prevent saliva from pooling and leaking out.
• Treat underlying conditions: Managing issues like acid reflux, sleep apnea, or sinus infections can significantly reduce drooling.
• Review your medications: Some medicines can increase saliva or affect muscle control. Talk to your doctor to see if your medications might be contributing.
• Try speech therapy: A speech therapist can teach exercises to strengthen the muscles in your mouth and throat, helping you swallow better and control saliva.
• Consider Botox injections: Botox is a treatment that can reduce saliva production by temporarily relaxing the glands that make saliva, especially if drooling is caused by nerve problems.

In severe cases, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery to remove or modify the salivary glands to reduce drooling. This option is typically reserved for daytime drooling that doesn't respond to more conservative treatments.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Most drooling during sleep is harmless, but see a healthcare provider if you notice:

• Sudden or severe increase in drooling
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing
• Loud snoring, choking, or gasping sounds during sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness or tiredness
• Signs of infection, such as mouth pain or swelling
• Drooling linked to a new medication or health condition

Getting a professional evaluation can help identify underlying causes and ensure you get the right treatment.

Key Takeaways

• Drooling during sleep is common and often linked to sleep position, congestion, infections, or medical conditions.
• Managing underlying health issues and adjusting habits like sleeping position can help reduce nighttime drooling.
• Seek medical advice if drooling is sudden, severe, or accompanied by breathing or swallowing difficulties.