The cause you often choke on your own saliva plus how to deal with it

Cause you often choke on your saliva

Saliva is produced by exocrine glands. The point is to help digest food and maintain oral hygiene from bacteria.

Every day the body produces about 1 to 2 liters of saliva which is then swallowed. However, sometimes saliva doesn't drain down the throat properly.

As a result, you choke and have difficulty breathing. This usually happens when you eat or chew while talking.

Even though it is common, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be suspicious if things happen to you very often. It could be, there are health problems or bad habits could be the cause.

Here are some of the reasons you frequently drool yourself.

1. Dysphagia

The most common cause of a person choking on their saliva is difficulty swallowing. In medical language, this condition is known as dysphagia.

Dysphagia is not a disease, but a symptom that can occur in other conditions as well. Various health problems that can cause dysphagia include:

Damage to the cranial nerves of the brain that interferes with the transmission of swallowing signals to the throat (oropharyngeal dysphagia)
The formation of scar tissue, tumors, or infection in the back of the throat (esophageal dysphagia)
Have a cleft mouth condition

2. Sleep disturbances

Choking doesn't just happen when you eat or drink. Some people have felt it even when they were fast asleep.

Frequent choking on saliva during sleep may be caused by sleep disturbances, such as sleep apnea obstructive.

Choking during sleep occurs when saliva collects in the mouth and then flows into the lungs, causing obstruction of the airway.

3. Lung problems

Disruption of the airway can indeed cause a person to choke on saliva frequently. This occurs due to the production of mucus and saliva that builds up in the respiratory tract.

Not only choking on one's own saliva, this condition also makes a person cough and has difficulty swallowing.

This buildup of mucus and saliva in the respiratory tract is usually caused by several diseases, namely:

Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs)
Bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial tubes)
Emphysema (alveolar sac damage)
Cystic fibrosis (a genetic problem that causes mucus and sticky saliva to build up in the lungs)

4. Problems with muscles and nerves

The movement of swallowing food and water is certainly closely related to muscles and nerves. If a person has problems with muscles and nerves, they are more likely to have difficulty swallowing as well as frequent choking on food, drink, and saliva.

Some neurological diseases that cause frequent choking include stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and people with brain or spinal cord injuries.

Meanwhile, muscle problems that cause similar symptoms, namely muscular dystrophy.

5. Gastric acid reflux

People with acid reflux usually experience dysphagia. This occurs when excess stomach acid flows into the throat and stimulates more saliva.

Apart from dysphagia, reflux of stomach acid also causes various symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea, and chest pain.

6. Wear dentures

Wearing ill-fitting dentures can actually cause you to choke a lot. This is because the brain thinks the dentures are foreign objects. As a result, the production of saliva will be reproduced.

This amount of saliva then increases your risk of choking on your saliva more often.

But, you dont have to worry. This condition usually occurs at the beginning. Over time, the body will adjust to the presence of these dentures.

7. Drinking too much alcohol

Drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause muscle response to slow down. This results in the saliva that should be pushed by the tongue muscles to go down the throat to build up, making you prone to choking.

8. Other causes

Choking on saliva usually occurs as a result of producing too much water (hypersaliva). This condition usually occurs in pregnant women due to hormonal changes.

In addition, people who have a habit of speaking quickly also have a higher amount of saliva, so it's easy to choke on their saliva.

So, how to overcome and prevent it?

Actually, choking on saliva is not a serious problem. However, you still shouldn't underestimate it, especially if this happens a lot.

Consult a doctor to get an exact diagnosis of the cause. Your doctor will provide treatment advice if your condition is caused by certain diseases.

Apart from that, you can also follow the following tips:

Apply good habits when eating, such as spooning enough food and eating slowly.
Avoid sleeping after eating and eating while talking.
Sleep with your head higher on your side.
Cut down on alcohol consumption and chew sugar-free gum.
Use other drugs whose side effects do not cause excessive saliva production. Remember, consult your doctor first before changing the medicine you usually take.