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What Causes Excessive Salivation?
Hi,
My name is Jon and I believe I suffer from some of the following:
- Excess saliva buildup requiring me to swallow or spit it every 30 seconds
- Sufferer from hyperawareness resulting in parasympathetic stimulation of my nervous system causing the excess saliva build up
- As a kid would wake up with my pillow covered in drool every morning
Here is my story. I was on a trip to Europe in June of 2014 where out of nowhere my saliva started building up so much that I needed to swallow it every 30 seconds. The issue would go away when I was distracted (and has been in the past) but it has been really, really bothering my life for the past 2 years. When I have to swallow the saliva I do not enjoy it in the slightest, it is very annoying and painful for me. That is why when I am in the shower I spit it out and I like to turn to eating food as I am swallowing food which is much more enjoyable than saliva. I’ve visited a psychotherapist for this but they said they had never seen anyone with my issue before, despite being a cognitive behaviour therapy centre. I have had anxiety from this – but the anxiety has only been from thinking that this saliva will keep on building up in my mouth and I’ll be stuck having to swallow it for the rest of my life. I did a lot of research and saw that one of the salivary glands is capable of producing 5 times the normal amount of saliva or something like that which I think is causing this. It is important to note that the excess of saliva buildup is not always there, it usually goes away when I am really distracted, but when I am doing nothing I find that’s when it really builds up and I can’t stop the excess saliva build up – could that have something to do with the parasympathetic nervous system, which I have heard is responsible for stimulation when the body is at rest. Last week I visited my physio doctor for something in my arm and they also told me I was very hyper aware – was wondering if this had something to do with it. Regardless, I also found something showing that people with excess saliva have one of their glands (the sublingual I think) removed and that can help a lot. Any help you could provide with this would be of great assistance.
Thank you,
Jon
My name is Jon and I believe I suffer from some of the following:
- Excess saliva buildup requiring me to swallow or spit it every 30 seconds
- Sufferer from hyperawareness resulting in parasympathetic stimulation of my nervous system causing the excess saliva build up
- As a kid would wake up with my pillow covered in drool every morning
Here is my story. I was on a trip to Europe in June of 2014 where out of nowhere my saliva started building up so much that I needed to swallow it every 30 seconds. The issue would go away when I was distracted (and has been in the past) but it has been really, really bothering my life for the past 2 years. When I have to swallow the saliva I do not enjoy it in the slightest, it is very annoying and painful for me. That is why when I am in the shower I spit it out and I like to turn to eating food as I am swallowing food which is much more enjoyable than saliva. I’ve visited a psychotherapist for this but they said they had never seen anyone with my issue before, despite being a cognitive behaviour therapy centre. I have had anxiety from this – but the anxiety has only been from thinking that this saliva will keep on building up in my mouth and I’ll be stuck having to swallow it for the rest of my life. I did a lot of research and saw that one of the salivary glands is capable of producing 5 times the normal amount of saliva or something like that which I think is causing this. It is important to note that the excess of saliva buildup is not always there, it usually goes away when I am really distracted, but when I am doing nothing I find that’s when it really builds up and I can’t stop the excess saliva build up – could that have something to do with the parasympathetic nervous system, which I have heard is responsible for stimulation when the body is at rest. Last week I visited my physio doctor for something in my arm and they also told me I was very hyper aware – was wondering if this had something to do with it. Regardless, I also found something showing that people with excess saliva have one of their glands (the sublingual I think) removed and that can help a lot. Any help you could provide with this would be of great assistance.
Thank you,
Jon
Thu, 11 Aug 2016
Hi..
Welcome to JCM
As per your complain excessive saliva production or hypersalivation can be felt in 2 cases: 1. Due to increased production. 2.Due to reduced swallowing. Saliva overproduction can occur due to a number of common causes like oral and throat infections, oral ulcers, acid reflux,excess starch consumption, side effect of medication like clonazepam,pilocarpine, ketamine etc,toxin exposure, serotonin syndrome etc.. Decreased swallowing can occur due to throat pain caused by infection,tonsillitis,nerve damage etc.. You should consult an Oral Physician and get evaluated and a thorough checkup will help in confirming the cause and treatment of the cause will solve the problem.. As of now you can frequently use mouthwash and brushing teeth as it has a drying effect in mouth..
Welcome to JCM
As per your complain excessive saliva production or hypersalivation can be felt in 2 cases: 1. Due to increased production. 2.Due to reduced swallowing. Saliva overproduction can occur due to a number of common causes like oral and throat infections, oral ulcers, acid reflux,excess starch consumption, side effect of medication like clonazepam,pilocarpine, ketamine etc,toxin exposure, serotonin syndrome etc.. Decreased swallowing can occur due to throat pain caused by infection,tonsillitis,nerve damage etc.. You should consult an Oral Physician and get evaluated and a thorough checkup will help in confirming the cause and treatment of the cause will solve the problem.. As of now you can frequently use mouthwash and brushing teeth as it has a drying effect in mouth..
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