Many of us wake up in the morning with a dry mouth and a feeling of dehydration. This natural dryness of the oral cavity is linked to a decrease in saliva production during the night and to breathing, which often occurs through the mouth. ” Older people are more affected because their salivary glands don’t function as well, as are those with Sjögren’s syndrome ,” explains Dr. Christophe Lequart, a dental surgeon and spokesperson for the UFSBD (French Union for Oral Health). This autoimmune disease is characterized by a dysfunction of certain glands, particularly the lacrimal and salivary glands, and contributes to dry mouth and also dry eyes. ” Some people who suffer from it no longer produce any saliva at all. It’s very debilitating, and they have to use artificial saliva in the form of sprays to moisten their mouths and be able to speak and chew normally ,” Dr. Lequart specifies. Another cause of dry mouth is glossodynia . Also called burning mouth syndrome or fire tongue syndrome, it manifests after menopause as painful burning sensations at the tip and sides of the tongue. ” It has no identified cause and is entirely somatic, which isn’t always easy to explain to our patients who are truly suffering ,” notes Dr. Lequart. Other causes of dry mouth include medications (certain antihistamines, decongestants, analgesics, diuretics, antihypertensives, and antidepressants), diabetes, Hodgkin’s and Parkinson’s diseases, HIV/AIDS, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Smoking also exacerbates this sensation.