Dry Mouth

Having a dry mouth is a common symptom of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, possibly due to high blood sugar levels.

It’s also possible that certain medications that are used to treat diabetes can cause a dry mouth.

If you have a dry mouth it doesn’t mean you have diabetes - it can be caused by many things such as anxiety and sleeping with your mouth open.

Having a dry mouth is common during pregnancy because your body needs more water to help your baby develop.

The increase in your hormones may be the reason for your dry mouth, in addition to gestational diabetes which is a condition that you can develop during pregnancy that causes a dry mouth.

You can help to add moisture back into your dry mouth by drinking plenty of cold water, sucking on ice, chewing sugar-free gum and opting for alcohol-free mouthwash.

You may also like to try saliva replacement gels, pastilles and mouthwashes all formulated to help remove the dryness from your mouth.

A dry mouth is nothing to worry about and probably won’t be a sign of anything serious.

It can be caused by dehydration, like not drinking enough fluids, excessive sweating, or if you’re unwell and losing fluids, in the case of vomiting and diarrhoea.

Certain medicines can cause you to have a dry mouth - if your dry mouth has appeared after starting a new medication, read the information leaflet and speak to your doctor for advice.

There are other reasons, too, like breathing through your mouth, anxiety, cancer treatment and oral thrush.