4 Causes of swollen lips when you wake up

Have you ever been surprised when you look in the mirror because of swollen lips, even though you clearly just woke up? If so, you are not alone. Waking up with swollen lips can indeed be worrying, especially if previously the lips were still in good condition. Actually, what is the cause of this condition?

Why do lips get swollen when you wake up?

The most common cause that usually makes your lips look bigger when you wake up in the morning is due to a buildup of fluid. A number of fluid that has collected so that it accumulates in the lip tissue which then makes the lips look as if they are swollen or enlarged.

Before you conclude yourself, you should find out more about this. Here are various causes of swollen lips when you just wake up:

1. Allergic reactions

Try to remember again, what foods and drinks did you consume a day or a few days before? The reason is, allergies to anything related to the body can trigger swollen lips in the morning. Whether it's food, drink, medicine, or insect stings.

Various types of food and drinks that usually cause allergies such as eggs, seafood, nuts, milk, and so on. Or sometimes, allergies can also be caused by the body not being able to eat foods that contain spices.

Includes celery, coriander, parsley, to chilies. Because they are so sensitive, you will usually feel a burning sensation around your mouth which causes your lips to swell when you wake up. This can happen if you eat these spices the night before.

Meanwhile, several types of drugs that are prone to causing allergies such as penicillin and other antibiotics. If it is true that the swelling of the lips that you are experiencing is due to allergies, there are various other symptoms that will also appear.

• Itching and redness of the skin
• Cough
• Wheezing or soft breathing

2. Chapped lips

If your swollen lips in the morning are accompanied by chapped lips, it is likely due to the weather. Normally, everyone who spends a lot of time in the hot sun is prone to dry lips.

Whether you realize it or not, you then get used to licking your lips to prevent them from staying moist. Whereas quite the opposite. Instead of moisturizing your lips, licking your lips too often can actually dry out your lips and make them crack even more.

This is because saliva easily evaporates when it comes into direct contact with air, thus keeping lips dry. Because it is too dry, cracked, and peeling, it is not uncommon for the lips to become swollen when you wake up.

To prevent this, here's what you can do:

• Apply a moisturizer containing petroleum jelly
• Use lip products that contain sunscreen
• As much as possible avoid the habit of licking lips
• Avoid the habit of peeling dry lips

3. Skin infection problems

The appearance of problems such as pimples around the lips can make the lips swell and enlarge, which may become more noticeable when you wake up. In addition, having a herpes infection in the area around the mouth also results in swelling of the lips.

Symptoms of a herpes infection can easily appear overnight, even though the virus has been in the body before.

4. Injury

Sometimes, you may unconsciously do something that makes the lips hurt. For example, biting or chewing food is too strong, so that the lips are also bitten and eventually wound.

This condition causes the lips to be injured, so that they immediately become enlarged and swollen in just one night. Swollen lips when you wake up from an injury can include the appearance of cuts, bruises, or just scratches.

In addition, accustomed to sleeping on your side can unconsciously press the surface of the lips. This is what later causes swelling of the lips while you sleep.

How to deal with swollen lips when you wake up?

No need to worry, mild cases of swollen lips when you wake up can actually go away on their own. However, if you want to speed up the healing, applying home and medical remedies can help with these swollen lips.

Medical treatment

If your swollen lips are caused by inflammation, the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is usually recommended. For example, ibuprofen (Advil) or corticosteroids.

Not only that, they can also help if you have another injury that triggers swelling of the lips.

Home remedies

Meanwhile, for home remedies, you can use ice cubes that have been wrapped in a towel or cloth. Then use the ice to compress the swollen and inflamed part of the lips. On the other hand, avoid applying the ice directly to your skin, as this could lead to more serious problems.

Using aloe vera gel can also help restore swollen lips when you wake up, especially if this condition is caused by sun exposure.

To restore the moisture of the swollen lips accompanied by chapped lips, you can use a lip balm with a soft texture.