|
Our readers are invited to email us with their questions!
Q: Why do I wake up with a wet patch on my pillow? (Andrea P.) A: Drooling (or sialorrhea) while sleeping is quite common. It’s not your fault and it’s not caused by dreams of chocolate cake. Saliva can build up in your mouth and, because you’re lying flat, it doesn’t collect at the back of your throat, which would normally trigger a natural swallowing response. That cold wet spot on pillow is the result of saliva trickling out of the corner of your mouth. Unpleasant, yet harmless. --------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Will a full moon disrupt my sleep? (Peter B,) A: It sure does. Though you might not be howling at the moon, you may experience a more disrupted and shorter sleep (by about 20 minutes) and take a bit longer to get to sleep. The bad news is not that this occurs during the full moon itself and for a few days before and after the phase. Older adults are less affected by it, while younger ones (ages 20 to 31) feel it more, according to a study by the University of Basel in Switzerland. | 
