Dry mouth only at night possibly due to diabetes?

[Bobby1947]

I am a 76 year old male in generally very good health with mild Type 2 diabetes (fasting blood sugar around 135, A1C about 5.8, no medication used) and have recently (6mo) been experiencing very dry mouth when sleeping (upon waking).
I do not generally breathe through my mouth, though I do snore, but never experienced dry mouth before in my life.
I keep water available, but it only helps very briefly.
Upon waking and throughout the day I do not have any dry mouth, and have normal salivation as I always did.
I've had no changes in medication (I do suffer from mild hypertension and take lisinopril with HTCZ in the morning, but at the same dose I have for years before dry mouth).
I asked my PCP and he had not a clue, nor considered this significant, but I awake frequently during the night (true before dry mouth) and it's truly unpleasant to have the feeling my mouth is 'glued together' by a dry pallet.
No life or health changes I am aware of accompanying the onset of dry mouth.
Ae there any concerning aspects to this (a disease or condition), or should like my doctor suggested I just ignore it?

[GettingOlder]

Your PCP should have noticed your numbers at your last physical exam. I'd suggest
calling your doctor and asking about Metformin. It's a low cost medication that will
keep your A1C and Glucose numbers lower. Best wishes.

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello and welcome to the forum!  Thank you for the question but am sorry to hear you are dealing with this. I'm glad you are working with your doctor and encourage you to continue to do so.

Your fasting blood sugar concerns me a bit. That's well above normal. And your A1C is also above normal. Since you are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, it may be time to address this medicinally. Lifestyle control of Type 2 Diabetes is terrific but reaches a point where the numbers indicate that a more aggressive approach may be necessary. So, that is something to consider.

Dry mouth is a well documented symptom of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dry-mouth-and-diabetes  I'm kind of stumped why your doctor didn't mention this to you or suggest you begin to treat the diabetes with medication.

I'd schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss this further. This could be the key to what is happening and a sign to take a different approach for the diabetes.

Let me know what you think!

[Bobby1947]

My Fasting level hasn't changed significantly in a few years (It has been creeping up for years), but is now above the 130 he said was the upper pre-diabetic, and my AIC  of 5.8 he said was  pre-diabetic just above the 5.7 considered 'normal" so maybe I am now seriously diabetic and need to consult a specialist?

He seemed very unconcerned about the dry mouth and no, he did not connect the diabetes and the dry mouth. I am glad I asked here!

Is it typical for diabetic persons to have perfectly normal saliva amounts while awake, and only have dry mouth  when asleep? I have had glucose levels approaching 180 after eating during the day, but again no one seemed very concerned, or concerned at all to be honest. I know I have friends who regularly are double that, which is a VERY serious situation, indeed.

I am trying to learn enough to present intelligent questions to a specialist since my PCP apparently does not consider  the two connected, and I appreciate your reply and assessment!