What is Cottonmouth?

Have you ever smoked some marijuana, then had a dry mouth after? Nobody likes it, yet none can avoid it. Most smokers have gone through this before, actually many times before. There is a specific name for it, though: it’s called cottonmouth.

What Cottonmouth Is

Cottonmouth is that feeling that you get when your mouth gets dry after smoking marijuana. Sometimes, it kicks in before you even finish smoking! You may have even been drinking water prior to smoking, but then realized that after your smoke session, you have a dry mouth. That is a case of cottonmouth.

Ever notice how after smoking marijuana (usually at least a gram) it is hard to spit? This may only be a problem for males (since females tend to not spit as much), but spitting does become difficult. Saliva becomes harder to generate once dry mouth has kicked in. Also, for a certain reason, saliva becomes more sticky. So, not only is it harder to spit when dry mouth sets in, but the spit is also sticky.

As it may sound, cottonmouth is not a good thing. It can not only lead to a really dry mouth and sticky saliva, but also bad breath. So why would someone want to get dry mouth? Well, nobody actually wants it, the problem is that it justs happens. Smoking marijuana is one way to receive dry mouth, however.

How To Get It

There are many ways to get cottonmouth. Technically, to get dry mouth all you need is a dry mouth, and there are dozens of ways to get that. But, since this is a site all about cannabis, we’ll stick to the type of cottonmouth that you get from smoking weed.

Certain ways of smoking weed can cause you to get cottonmouth quicker than others. These ways may include smoking a blunt, smoking out of a pipe, or others. Smoking marijuana raw (or smoking without water filtration), usually gives off dry mouth faster than smoking marijuana out of a bong, bubbler, rig, or other piece that includes filtration.

Smoking wax, on the other hand, may not give off cottonmouth as much as smoking weed would. So if you prefer to smoke wax, then you may not have to worry about it that much. It is not impossible for you to get cottonmouth from smoking wax, however; it can still happen.

Knowing which ways of smoking marijuana cause cottonmouth quicker helps by allowing you to choose which way you want to smoke and possibly not get cottonmouth. Despite that, no matter which way you pick, you’ll always have the potential of receiving cottonmouth. Luckily, if you do happen to get it, there are methods to fixing it.

How To Fix It

If you do happen to get cottonmouth after smoking marijuana (which is common), then there are ways to fix it. Following the steps below can get rid of cottonmouth, and in some cases even prevent it!

Drink Water

Personally, I always carry around a bottle of water with me everytime I go smoke marijuana. Not only is it nice to quench your thirst with, but it can also relieve cottonmouth. Drinking water always helps out with a dry mouth!

Don’t Spit

Even though it is mentioned above that it is hard to spit when you have cottonmouth, you should not attempt to spit when you do have dry mouth. Spitting only releases the remaining amounts of saliva in a dry mouth, making it only drier.

Exhale Through The Nose

Whenever you have cottonmouth and you are still smoking, exhale the smoke through your nose instead of your mouth. Still hit the marijuana normally with your mouth, but after you inhale it, exhale through your nose to let out all the smoke. If you exhale through your nose instead of your mouth, less smoke will enter your mouth, which will decrease your chances of getting dry mouth.

That’s all you need to know about cottonmouth. If you have any further questions (or comments), drop a comment below. Happy smoking!

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Evan Weston

Evan Weston is a contributor to Reefer Posts, a growing community for exploring the developing market of Cannabis and CBD-related products. He spends a lot of time researching the development of health-related products that utilize Cannabis and CBD oils. He also keeps tabs on the developing legal environment regarding medical, recreational cannabis use, and production.

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