In one way or the other, almost everyone across the world at one time has fallen victim of anxiety and stress. There is a clear link between the dry mouth, anxiety, and stress. Dry mouth can easily result from anxiety and stress which may affect the normal body operation differently. Other than dry mouth, there are other indications such as sharp tooth pain that causes stress and anxiety. Before we get the relationship and how the three can relate, let’s consider the separate definition of both anxiety and stress.
What is anxiety?
This is the state of the body where it experiences unknown fear and sensations that are unpleasant. Even though you can feel the effects of being anxious, you can’t easily measure it. In most cases, those who suffer from anxiety can easily tell the origin. Anxiety can be marked by the following symptoms when it’s experienced in the body:
- Uncertainty
- Helplessness
- Arousal physiologically
What is stress?
Stress is more of a physiological fight that majorly affects the brain. It can be composed of a series of events and leads to brain reaction.
What is dry mouth?
The condition can also be referred to as xerostomia. It happens when the mucus membrane found within the mouth experiences abnormal dryness. It can be as a result of saliva composition or reduced flow of saliva.
How anxiety and stress cause dry mouth
The mouth is kept moisture by the saliva which may originate from minor and major salivary gland. Apart from keeping off the dry mouth effect, saliva has many other roles in the oral cavity. The importance of saliva include:
- Cavity cleanser
- Facilitate swallowing
- Chewing food
- Mouth neutralizer
When the body experiences anxiety and stress, it naturally tries to respond to get back to normal condition. The magnitude of anxiety and stress will affect the secretion of saliva which may reduce below the expected amount. Getting the right treatment for anxiety and stress can be difficult and they may affect the salivary gland.
