I drool in my sleep. What can I do and should I be worried?
Dr Ellie replies: Drooling during sleep can be a sign of breathing difficulties in the night.
The symptom, while often embarrassing, is fairly common. It’s usually triggered by facial muscles relaxing.
It can be caused by certain medicines: sedatives such as diazepam and opioid painkillers. Antipsychotics, such as clozapine and risperidone, can also cause drooling.
Rarely, drooling can also be an early sign of a number of neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and dementia. But the leading cause of drooling is mouth-breathing. Ordinarily, people breathe through their nose during sleep, but when the nose becomes blocked they breathe through their mouth instead, which can trigger drooling.
Drooling during sleep can be a sign of breathing difficulties in the night, writes DR ELLIE CANNON
This might occur due to a condition called chronic sinusitis, where the sinuses and nasal passages become inflamed and swollen. Allergies, such as to dust or pollen, are a common cause of sinusitis. This can be treated by taking a daily antihistamine tablet.
Another option would be using a salt water spray or steam inhalation to unblock the nose – but decongestant drugs can make the problem worse. Many patients find that sleeping with a humidifier, that emits water vapour, can help with nasal congestion. And simply sleeping with an extra pillow can also make a big difference. This is because tilting the head forwards can hold the mouth closed, forcing the body to breathe through the nose and drool less.
I have terribly itchy ankles and calves. I’m 86 and it gets worse at night. What could be the cause?
Dr Ellie replies: Itching is a common side effect of several common medications: the cholesterol tablets statins, and drugs for an enlarged prostate, such as tamsulosin, and for high blood pressure, like lisinopril.
Other medicines include opioids, antibiotics, antifungals and nerve pain drug amitriptyline.
However, there are also medical conditions that can trigger leg itching, such as problems with the veins. With age, the veins in the lower legs become less effective at pumping blood, meaning it can sit in these veins for extended periods, and fluid can leak out into surrounding tissue. This can lead to itchy, dry and swollen skin.
This issue can also get worse at night. Patients with these issues often – but not always – have brown patches on their legs.
The best way to treat this is to tackle the underlying vein problem. It’s an issue that should be always be examined and diagnosed by a GP, as it’s linked to life-threatening heart problems.
There are also medicines that might be able to help with blood flow. However, two effective ways of improving blood flow in the legs are regular exercise and compression socks.
The itching could also be due to a skin problem such as eczema. Any patient with itchy legs should try regularly moisturising the skin with medical-grade moisturisers called emollients, which are available from most high street pharmacies.
My husband, 88, has a continual build up of ear wax that completely blocks his ear. He has them syringed every six weeks. What can he do to banish the problem for good?
Unfortunately, there are no permanent solutions to ear wax build-ups. But there are potential steps to mitigate the issue.
Ear wax is crucial to protect the inside of the ears from infection, but excessive levels of it can impact their hearing.
This tends to get worse later in life, as ear wax becomes drier and harder.
GP surgeries once offered ear wax-clearing procedures, however there is no NHS budget for this care any more.
Instead, patients will have to go to a private clinic – or a high street optician. The procedure typically involves using a small vacuum or water blast to flush out wax from the ear.
While effective, this usually costs around £60 – and often has to be repeated every few weeks.
A better option is stop the wax from building up in the first place, by regularly applying softening ear drops, usually made from olive oil or sodium bicarbonate.
These will loosen the wax, and should be used two to three times per week.
Don’t ignore these warning signs during menopause
Mel Schilling, who died from bowel cancer, initially put off seeing a doctor because she believed the symptoms were due to mid-life hormonal changes
I was devastated to read of the death of Mel Schilling at 54 from bowel cancer.
The relationship guru, of Married At First Sight fame, was diagnosed less than three years ago, but initially put off seeing a doctor because she believed the symptoms – including abdominal pain, constipation and fatigue – were due to mid-life hormonal changes.
However, anyone who has blood in their stool, persistent changes in bowel habits (such as constipation or diarrhoea), unexplained weight loss or ongoing abdominal pain, should see their GP.
Are you a woman who developed bowel cancer but, at first, mistook the symptoms for the menopause?
Please write in and let me know.
- If you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon, write to DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk
