How Do You Keep Your Mouth From Drying Out?

[[old] bsemaiktehr]

I have a big 2k test tomorrow - and I'm hoping to beat my previous 2k best by about 12 seconds (I have done some serious training in the past 2 months and I think I can score a 6:45 b/c I didn't push myself very hard last time.)<br /><br />One of the biggest problems I have when rowing 2k's now is with my mouth drying out. After the first half of the race, I am starting to get reallllly wiped out, and it makes matters worse when my mouth is so dry that I can't swallow. My tongue just about sticks to the roof of my mouth - which has caused my to dry-heave during a 2k before - NOT COOL.<br /><br />I try to stay hydrated during the day of a 2k test - and I sip water right before the race, but I still dry out. Any remedies?

[[old] starboardrigged1seat]

If you don't have to weigh in, try having an extra pinch of salt with dinner tonight, and maybe some pretzels before you go to sleep. Try to drink an extra two to three liters of water tonight, and remember to stay hydrated tomorrow -- the best way to prevent dehydration is to start hydrating 24 hours before your event. Good luck!

[[old] FrankJ]

I also have problem with dry mouth though usually only in 5K or above but especially this time of the year with heated dry indoor air. I do 2 things to that help. If it is warm enough I open windows and turn off heat in the room. Since I live in Maine that is not always possible. The other thing I do is pop a hard candy such as Creme Savers in my mouth. Tuck it into my cheek and just let it slowly dissolve. Seems to be all I need to keep from drying out and one Creme Saver can last me for a 10K.<br /><br />Frank

[[old] bsemaiktehr]

<!--QuoteBegin-FrankJ+Feb 6 2005, 08:25 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FrankJ @ Feb 6 2005, 08:25 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The other thing I do is pop a hard candy such as Creme Savers in my mouth. Tuck it into my cheek and just let it slowly dissolve. Seems to be all I need to keep from drying out and one Creme Saver can last me for a 10K.<br /><br />Frank <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Popping a hard candy in your mouth....that sounds interesting. I might try that some time.<br />

[[old] hwt]

<!--QuoteBegin-FrankJ+Feb 6 2005, 08:25 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FrankJ @ Feb 6 2005, 08:25 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The other thing I do is pop a hard candy such as Creme Savers in my mouth. Tuck it into my cheek and just let it slowly dissolve.Frank <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Having a hard candy in your mouth during a 2k test piece sounds like a serious choking hazard to me. <br /><br />Just make sure you hydrate well the day before.

[[old] NavigationHazard]

Humidifying the room ahead of time will help. One cheap, fairly effective method for dealing with winter dryness is to aim a fan in your general direction and have it blow over a bowl of cool-to-cold water. You get a kind of cool-moisture effect that helps fight off cottonmouth. There also are herbal sprays that may assist. For example, I sometimes preemptively use one containing elderberry extract and echinacea. Though it's intended to soothe existing sore throats, it seems to help stop them from happening....<br /><br />

[[old] michael]

Xylitol, a non-cariogenic nutritive sweetener, I've discovered works wonders. This natural sugar alcohol, so natural in fact that the human body produces it small amounts, stimulates saliva production and decreases the level of bacteria which ferment ordinary sugars, which in turn promotes oral acids. This inevitably leads to a dry mouth state. Xylitol has a remarkably cooling and lingering effect in the mouth. <br /><br />One day the companies that make counterproductive sucrose/glucose sweetened drinks like "Powerade" and "Gatorade" will catch on and use xylitol or a combination of xylitol and erythritol (another nutritive, natural polyol) if only for its anti-catabolic properties. There's a good primer on xylitol here:<br /><br /><a href='http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/xylitol.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/xylitol.htm</a><br /><br />Above all else, do not suck on hard candy--this would seem to stimulate saliva production at first but your oral bacteria will only promote a drier mouth later with the subsequent acid production.

[[old] FrankJ]

Michael,<br /><br />I've managed to use Creme Savers during a marathon which takes me a little under 3 hours without running into dry mouth caused by bacteria. It shouldn't be even a hint of a problem in a 2K.<br /><br />Frank

[[old] bsemaiktehr]

Well, I had my test today. My mouth dried out completely after about 500 meters... It was pretty miserable. However, I still managed to pull a 6:48, beating my previous PB (from december) by a neat 9 seconds.<br /><br />I didn't want to try any eccentric solutions at the test, because you can't do a redo or anything at our team's erg tests.<br /><br />

[[old] michael]

Frank,<br /><br />OK, in your case, no problem with the hard candy. But there are variances in dry mouth states among different people. For some, like me, xylitol can be highly beneficial where candy fails.

[[old] nkoffler]

Not to sound overly simplistic but is there a possibility that your breath method is causing the problem. I would guess (and it's a guess) that inhaling entirely through ones mouth would cause dry mouth and exhaling is not an issue. Of course, when one is panting away at a 2K, breathing is breathing!!<br /><br />Good luck,<br /><br />Neil

[[old] FrankJ]

<!--QuoteBegin-michael+Feb 8 2005, 01:59 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(michael @ Feb 8 2005, 01:59 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Frank,<br /><br />OK, in your case, no problem with the hard candy.  But there are variances in dry mouth states among different people.  For some, like me, xylitol can be highly beneficial where candy fails. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Michael,<br /><br />I ordered myself some xylitol mints on the Internet and you are absolutely right. They work great. I did a marathon today and the air was definitely dry but I did not suffer from dry mouth at all. The only down side is that I can't seem to find them locally and they are a little small more like an aspirin than a candy. They are really effective though so the size doesn't matter that much. I tried xylitol gum but the first time I took a drink with it in my mouth I swallowed it.<br /><br />Thanks for the tip,<br />Frank

[[old] allapologies916]

All I do is take a sip of water right before the 2k... swig it around in my mouth for a minute, then spit it out, then take another small sip of water... I havent found any ways to prevent it completely, but what I do helps me a little. Personally though, I think the dry mouth is just part of the "worst [5-10] minutes and [.1-59.9] seconds of your life" 2k experience.

[[old] ancho]

when competing on very dry and hot days, we used to chew 1/8 of a lemon shortly before the regatta.

[[old] Ducatista]

I always chew gum during a workout. I keep a big stockpile in a drawer next to the erg. Every once in a while I forget the gum, and when I realize my mistake in the middle of a session I have to decide whether to tough it out or screw my time by stopping for the gum. I usually sacrifice the time for the gum. I <i>hate</i> the dry mouth. Pain is one thing, but a really dry mouth just seems wrong, as though vital systems are failing.