Dry Mouth and Depression: Why Pursuing Treatment for Both Can Improve Your Quality of Life
December is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month, a time dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness of this condition that affects 5% of the US population (roughly 16.75 million people). Depression is a serious mood disorder that has psychological and physical effects.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at depression and its relationship to dry mouth, beginning first with the question, are dry mouth and depression actually related? We’ll then explore the various treatment options for both and explain why both are important for a high quality of life.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subset of depression related to changes in season — usually, the onset of fall triggers these feelings, which continue into the winter. With the coming of spring, these feelings typically go away. (Although the opposite is also possible, when depression sets in around spring, continues into the summer, and resolves itself with the coming of fall).
SAD is sometimes confused with “winter blues,” but that term devalues the condition. SAD is more than feeling down — it’s a serious disorder that affects millions of people for months at a time, every year.
SAD symptoms often start mild and get more intense as the “dark” season progresses.
Symptoms include:
- Feeling sad, hopeless, guilty, or lost
- Anxious, irritable
- Very tired, low-energy
- Losing interest in previously-enjoyed activities
- Trouble sleeping, including sleeping too much or too little
- Change in eating patterns: Craving unhealthy food and gaining weight OR loss of appetite and losing weight
- Difficulty concentrating
- Suicidal thoughts
What Causes SAD?
Most experts attribute SAD to a lack of sunlight that begins in the fall, which may stop the hypothalamus from working properly. This can disrupt several normal body functions, such as:
- The production of melatonin, a hormone that readies the body for sleep. Too much melatonin can cause frequent sleepiness.
- The production of serotonin, a hormone linked with depression that affects mood, appetite, and sleep. Too little serotonin can lead to depression.
- The body’s internal clock, disrupted by lack of sunshine, can cause feelings of sadness.
SAD Treatments
There is no reason to wait for SAD to resolve itself with the coming of the next season and suffer silently for months at a time, every year. There are several treatments for SAD, including:
- Exposure to sunlight and light therapy: As the lack of sunlight can cause the hypothalamus to stop working properly, doctors recommend patients get as much sunshine as possible. When this is not possible, light therapy via a special kind of lightbox can produce similar results as sunshine.
- Therapy: Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective and long-lasting treatments for SAD.
- Antidepressants: There is no shame in taking antidepressants when feeling depressed, just as there is no shame in taking insulin for diabetes or any other medication for a medical condition. As with all medication, it’s important to be under the regular care of a psychiatrist when taking antidepressants.
Dry Mouth Therapy Options
Dry mouth is a condition when the salivary glands do not produce sufficient saliva. Malfunctioning salivary glands are often the result of medication (as we’ll discuss below), radiation treatment or chemotherapy for cancer in the head and neck regions, injury, or autoimmune diseases like Sjrogen’s syndrome.
For those who don’t suffer from it, dry mouth may sound fairly harmless, but it can, in fact, severely impact the quality of life of those who have it.
Dry mouth can cause:
- Bad breath
- Hoarseness
- Burning, dry, cracked lips and tongue
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, and talking
- Rampant dental caries
- Oral infections
As the symptoms of dry mouth affect daily functions like eating and talking, and can have serious oral health implications, finding effective dry mouth treatment is highly recommended.
Medication-induced dry mouth is often treated by finding different medications or changing dosages so that the impact will be as little as possible. If changing medication is impossible, medical professionals may suggest additional medication that causes the salivary glands to produce more saliva.
Other dry mouth treatments include saliva substitutes, which treat the symptoms but not the cause. Saliva substitutes take the form of oral gels, sprays, lozenges, mouthwash, and gum, and the artificial saliva they produce provides temporary relief from uncomfortable dry mouth symptoms.
Oral electrostimulation, as provided by the SaliPen, is another dry mouth treatment, and its benefits are that it is non-invasive and has no side effects (unlike prescription medication). The SaliPen is FDA-approved and delivers small, painless, electrical impulses to the oral cavity, and is effective in stimulating the salivary glands to produce more saliva.
Lifestyle changes — such as reducing caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and sugar intake — can and should be implemented in conjunction with other dry mouth treatments.
The Relationship Between Dry Mouth and Depression
Now that we understand SAD and dry mouth, it’s time to discuss their relationship — are depression and dry mouth linked? And if so, what can be done about it?
There are several ways that depression and dry mouth are related — typically, depression can impact or affect oral health, which includes dry mouth.
The main impacts of depression on oral health are:
- Change in behavior: Depression can cause a change in behavior, which can include neglecting oral health practices, such as brushing, flossing, and dental checkups. Poor oral hygiene doesn’t necessarily cause dry mouth (it’s usually the other way around), but it can exacerbate dry mouth symptoms for those who are prone to them.
- Medication: Medication for depression can cause dry mouth.
- Salivary flow: Research shows that depression can have a direct impact on unstimulated salivary flow rate and lead to xerostomia (dry mouth).
- Anxiety: Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand, and anxiety also impacts salivary flow rate. It may also cause mouth breathing, which exacerbates the symptoms of dry mouth.
Dry Mouth Treatment During Depression
Dry mouth treatment and depression treatment don’t conflict with one another — both are possible and should be pursued. While it’s true that antidepressants can cause dry mouth, there are sufficient dry mouth therapy options to enable those suffering from SAD to get relief from both depressive and dry mouth symptoms.
As with any medical condition, all treatment should be taken under the guidance of a medical professional. If dealing with several medical professionals, they each must be aware of what the other is recommending.
Wishing everyone a happy winter and a happy New Year — may 2025 bring peace of mind and health to all who need it.
FAQS
What is SAD?
SAD is seasonal affective disorder, a subset of depression that most often kicks in at the onset of fall and continues into the winter months.
Should I wait for SAD to pass?
No, SAD is a serious condition and there is no reason to suffer in silence, waiting for depressive feelings to pass. There are several possible treatments for SAD, and you should discuss your options with a medical professional.
Do all people with depression have dry mouth?
No, not everyone with depression has dry mouth, although they may have higher risk factors. Dry mouth is a known side effect of antidepressants, so anyone taking them should be on the lookout for dry mouth symptoms. People who aren’t taking antidepressants but experience SAD might lose their motivation to practice good oral hygiene, which can exacerbate dry mouth symptoms.
What are effective dry mouth treatments?
Oral electrostimulation, medications, saliva substitutes, and lifestyle changes are all viable dry mouth therapy options, and sometimes, two or more should be implemented at the same time. All treatments should be done under the supervision of a medical professional.
Where can I purchase the SaliPen for oral electrostimulation?
