Do you have a dry mouth? That might mean you have blood sugar problems or even full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Why? Because having a dry mouth is one of the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
Fortunately, I'm here to help. In this article, I'll be giving you 5 tips on how to cure a dry mouth caused by diabetes.
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A remedy for a dry mouth from diabetes
There are quite a few symptoms associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes. These are very annoying and will not magically go away. This also applies to a dry mouth from type 2 diabetes.
A dry mouth caused by type 2 diabetes is one of the first symptoms of high blood sugar levels. It is, therefore, also one of the primary reasons people visit their doctor. Mostly because they notice it at night and they can't get to sleep.
It's also accompanied by excessive urination, fatigue, and dizziness. All signs that you have type 2 diabetes.
These symptoms will only go away when your blood sugar level is stable. There are several ways to stabilize and maintain your blood sugar level.
A dry mouth not only feels uncomfortable (especially at night) but can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath.
Purpose of this article
In this article, I'll explain briefly how a dry mouth can develop from type 2 diabetes. I'll also give you 5 tips on curing a dry mouth.
Causes of a dry mouth
With diabetes type 2, your body has a problem with sugar management. It becomes insulin resistant. This means the body needs more and more insulin to be able to transport sugar to the cells. When the body can no longer handle the situation, sugar remains in the bloodstream.
If there is too much sugar in the blood, fluids are extracted from the surrounding tissue. This is the body's natural reaction. Water extracted from the body is transported to the bloodstream where it lowers the concentration of sugar.
Although this minimizes tissue damage, it also has unfortunate consequences for the rest of the body, which become evident in the following symptoms:
A dry mouth is no fun. The tongue often feels dry too; the inside of the mouth is sticky, and it's harder to swallow.
Eating is also more difficult with a dry mouth (in particular with dry food). Having a dry mouth for a long time can cause other mouth problems, such as:
Tips for the treatment of a dry mouth from diabetes
With type 2 diabetes, it is not enough to treat the dry mouth alone because these symptoms are themselves the symptoms of high blood sugar and, ultimately, diabetes.
It is, therefore, vital to treat the (pre-)diabetes itself. When your sugar management is good, the symptoms disappear automatically. However, there are some tips to minimize a dry mouth from diabetes.
#1 Keep drinking water
Because of diabetes, you have increased levels of sugar in the blood. Fluids are extracted from surrounding body tissues to reduce the high sugar concentration. The excess glucose is then passed out of your body in the urine. This loss of water leads to dry skin, dry mucous membranes, and a dry tongue.
This lack of bodily fluids makes it more likely that harmful bacteria will grow in your mouth. Which can leave you with a lot of oral problems. To prevent your body from dehydrating, you must drink a lot.
And I'm not talking about drinking soft drinks.
They'll only make matters much worse by raising your blood sugar levels even more.
Keep it simple and drink lots of water or tea. There are no sugars or harmful sweeteners such as aspartame in these two drinks. Check here more sugar-free beverages.
In general, 'healthy' people drink far too little, which of course is not healthy. But when you are a type 2 diabetes patient, this is extra dangerous. So make sure you always have a bottle of water with you and sip it at regular intervals.
#2 Beware of salty products
In almost every Western cuisine, just two seasonings are used on virtually every dish:
Not very exciting as you can see.
Furthermore, salt is used as a food seasoning much more than pepper. Which is unfortunate because – unlike salt – pepper is healthy.
Now, I have to confess something to you: salt that you can see is often not a problem.
What do I mean by this?
Salt that is sprinkled over food and salt on nuts, for example.
It turns out that this contains only 10% of your total salt intake. So, where does that other 90% come from?
It's hidden in many products.
Think of:
In fact, all processed foods contain salt – lots of it. You'd probably never guess, but even ice-cream comes with a boatload of salt. The reason? Everything tastes better when you add salt. Especially fat.
But, as I explained about sugars above, a lot of fluids are extracted from the body to stabilize your blood sugar levels, and the same goes for salt.
This is precisely why you often get thirsty when eating a bag of potato chips.
Additional information
It is, therefore, wise to avoid salt-rich products. Your body is already struggling with the excess sugars.
You can therefore partly avoid a dry mouth from diabetes by avoided added salt. Cook with as few processed products as possible. Avoid fast food and ready-mixed packets/bags of seasoning.
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#3 Check your medication
Many people nowadays are on some form of medication. Which, to a certain extent, is a good thing because it has increased people's life expectancy. Nevertheless, most medication is simply designed to control the symptoms of your illness and will hardly ever cure it.
But some medications are essential for certain diseases.
That's why it is useful to know which medications might cause a dry mouth.
Otherwise, you will obviously have twice as many problems.
First, from the diabetes itself, and after that, from the medication.
Medications that can cause a dry mouth
For example, there are diuretic medicines. Some examples are:
Also, medicines with a so-called anticholinergic effect have the known side effect of causing a dry mouth.
These drugs work by blocking specific nerve pathways in the body, including the nerve path that stimulates the salivary glands to form saliva. Examples of these are:
There is a long list of pills that cause a dry mouth as a side effect. If you are diabetic and taking medication for another condition, it is useful to consult your doctor. Do not stop taking your other medication without first consulting your doctor!
#4 Stop using aggressive mouthwashes
When you have a dry mouth you can often fall victim to bad breath, bacterial infections, and sensitive teeth. To prevent this, many people use one simple yet unwise solution:
Mouthwash
People rarely go for the mild option. When you want a clean mouth and fresh breath as quickly as possible, the obvious choice is an aggressive mouthwash with a strong taste.
But is this really the right move?
The dry mouth itself is the real problem. It's caused by diabetes.
An aggressive alcohol-based mouthwash is likely to make it a lot worse.
These mouthwashes can dry your mouth out even more and make the symptoms even more intense.
Tip!
Fortunately, good mouthwashes are also available, but always use one in consultation with your dentist. Explain that you are diabetic and that you're suffering from a dry mouth.
#5 Avoid sugary drinks and foods
And just like that, we've reached the last tip – the most important one as well!
The very reason you've developed type 2 diabetes is that you've been consuming too many bad sugars. Think of:
No one develops type 2 diabetes just like that. You develop it by following the wrong diet for many years.
The excess sugars have destroyed your body's ability to regulate itself. Thus, the sugars remain in your bloodstream. Processed products, in particular, are full of substances that your body cannot use.
The sugars (fructose) in these products make you insensitive to insulin. You would, therefore, do yourself an enormous favor if you changed your diet completely.
The beginning of the end
Type 2 diabetes is a disease that can have major consequences. A dry mouth in diabetes is only the beginning. If you do nothing at all, complications will occur that will shorten your life span. But where, exactly, should you start?
It has recently been discovered that it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes. Everything you need to do this can be found in your local grocery store.
You can reverse type 2 with one powerful principle. It's something I call"The Diabetes-Free Secret." I've written a number of pages about this secret that will change your life forever. You will learn:
Enter your e-mail address below, and I will send you the E-book for free.
Greetings,
Ben Kuiper
PS Do you suffer from a dry mouth? What do you do about it? Leave a comment below
thank you
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