Choking On Saliva: What Causes And What To Do?

83 comments
choking on saliva

Choking one’s saliva is quite a usual experience. While this can happen to the majority of people at some point of their lives, it should not be considered a major health concern. People who choke their own saliva are often diagnosed with hypersalivation (also known as sialorrhea or ptyalism), a condition characterized by overproduction of saliva, which can cause few health issues like drooling, difficulty in swallowing etc. In addition to talking too fast or swallowing too quickly, there are many causes of choking one’s saliva, and ways to prevent drowning on it.




What Causes?


  • Too much saliva. A single person produces up to 4 pints of saliva daily. The major function of saliva is to help the digestion process and breakdown of food. However, for unknown reason, our mouth sometimes excessively secretes saliva as a result of environmental triggers. At times, these environmental signals are misread or misinterpreted leading to extreme saliva production.
  • Lying down. People especially those who excessively produce saliva tend to have their saliva pooled at the back of the mouth resulting in choking or gagging. Eating while lying also increase the choking incidence.
  • Lesions on throat. Injury or trauma in the throat leads to swallowing problems. Similarly, people diagnosed with throat tumor are also prone to choking on their own saliva. Moreover, people with more serious health conditions such as ALS experience problem on swallowing. Hence, they are also susceptible to this problem.
  • A sign of disease. Excessive saliva production can be caused by a respiratory infection, nasal allergy, tonsillitis and/or sore throat. People with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease experience paralysis of muscles leading to choking on their own saliva.
  • Heavy alcohol drinking. People who drink alcohol uncontrollably sometimes go through temporary loss of consciousness which can lead to pooling of saliva in the back of their throats.
  • Pregnancy. Due to erratic surge of hormones during pregnancy, expectant mothers often suffer from ptyalism especially during the first trimester period. Pregnant mothers who are diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum also have higher predisposition to choke their own saliva compared to mothers who do not have it.

What to do?


  • Avoid sleeping on back - sleep on side instead. Also, you can sleep with head of the bed elevated as well as sleep with bigger pillow or extra pillows under your head.
  • Reduce excessive salivation by sucking on ice chips, avoiding eating candies, foods and beverages (e.g dairy products) rich in sugar, and drinking tea with lemon.
  • To deter pregnant mothers from choking their own saliva, experts advise to suck on few limes and minimize intake of sweets.
  • Cut off alcohol drinking especially during bed time. Alcohol is a depressant and therefore, slows down body’s swallowing mechanism.
  • Place a small quantity of ground coffee under the tongue. It is believed that coffee actually absorbs excessive moisture from overly stimulated salivary glands. Pregnant mothers however should limit intake of daily coffee as it can potentially cause miscarriage.

Is It Dangerous?


Choking on one’s saliva can be dangerous only if it happens in a very consistent pattern. It can be an alarming sign of a serious medical condition. Hence, it is crucial to seek for medical attention when choking on one’s saliva becomes a habitual experience.

Repeated choking can lead to entrance of saliva into the windpipe (or trachea) which can later develop to aspiration pneumonia. When saliva enters the windpipe, anything else can also come in when the person eats or drinks. If the problem is not addressed promptly, cough reflex is reduced. Thus, more food and drinks go into the lungs.



83 comments:

  1. I have sleep apnea which was diagnosed in 1983. At that time CPAP was not yet available and the treatment was a tracheostomy which I have. In the day time I wear a silicone plug in my stoma which was made for me by the doctor who performed the tracheostomy. At night I replace the plug with a Montgomery tube. Sometimes when I'm at home I go without the plug. I've noticed that when I eat, a lot of saliva seems to drain down my trachea. I cover the tracheostomy with a paper towel and cough it out. This does not seem to happen when I have the plug inserted. However I think the same amount of saliva must be going into my tracheostomy when eating whether I'm wearing the plug or not. I don't notice the need to cough up the extra saliva when wearing the plug. Is this just something that happens to everyone when they eat and the saliva is absorbed or what?

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  2. Oh my goodness....I have had 2 real bad situations of chocking on my saliva. The first time, it shocked me terribly that I literally could not breathe. Freaked out, having my 18 month old grand-daughter glued to the preschool station on TV, I calmly put myself into priority mode. Don't alarm the baby, call 911 and go out on the frontdoor leaving the front door open so baby could walk around outside and somebody would see her. I knew it would be a easier way to die, I will just pass out & then my life would end. I got the phone, dialed 911 and wouldn't you know it, it said the number I dialed was........I hung up and called again, she answered "911 what's your emergency?" then of course, I couldn't answer her & she said in a rude voice, "911 WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY"? and finally, right about that time my throat started calming down and I started coughing. Oh so scary! Then they sent 2 ambulances with 4 EMT's even though I said I was ok now.
    Then around 2 yrs later, while inthe bank drive through at the window, I did it again. This time with my baby grand-son in the back seat. I looked at the teller like a deer in headlights. I was not at all calm like the first time, I guess because I was in public. I got out of my car in panic and once again I over came the chocking. They had already called the ambulance so they asked me to stay until they could check me over. Since then I have had several "almosts" and each and every none of them scare me.

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    1. Very interesting …. I have had this problem for about 2 years now and it's very scary. Interesting how one of the
      'What to do is sucking on ice chips' - and the fact that Pregnancy can be a factor. I crave ice chips currently…and did during one of my pregnancy, where I was found to be borderline anemic - so that leaves me to wonder if an Iron Deficiency might be in the mix. I am going to have my blood drawn and check my iron levels BEFORE I start on an iron supplement - it will be interesting to see if that helps rid me of these dreaded experience.

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    2. omg, honey. I am cracking up in bed right now, laughing my butt off at your post!!!! Jesus! This just happened to my son, and it freaked me out! I know it isn't funny when its happening! But your post just made me feel so much better. <3

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    3. Sorry Cherie....Like Brenda (above)...laughing so hard BUT it's because I'm a grandmother also and can relate. I've had choking spells many times...so horrible. I swear I will never eat or drink again after each episode. I now NEVER breathe through my mouth while eating. Also avoid dressings with vinegar. Waking up choking on saliva is HORRIBLE. I just hope it never happens when I have a stopped up nose.

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    4. at night i had a bad episode of chocking. thought by drinking water would help... big mistake.. not being gross but it was so bad i peed all over the place feeling like i would never catch my breath, it was the worste episode i have had yet. my throat hurts like hell this morning from trying to cough

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  3. Why has this ot been answered? I have this situation and can find very few references to it anywhere. Weird. Like a conspiracy to stop me knowing what the hell to do.

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  4. I have also had this happen to me twice in the last month or so. I do tend to eat fast and occurred when I was eating. I don't know that I have an over production of saliva or not. Don't have medical insurance so I can't go and get checked out. I heard somewhere to drink salted water when this happens as well. Freaked my family out and me of course as I could not get my breath for between 1 to 2 minutes, but felt like longer than that.

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  5. What does environmental signals mean?

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  6. I had another experience of this last night. I was cutting up pizza that I had handmade.I had put some spicy mixture on it. I was tasting a small piece when I got a bad pepper shock in my throat. It was just too hot, I spit it all out, then could not catch my breathe. My son was home and was trying to help and do the hymlic on me which doesn't help as there is nothing there to come up. I made him stop and told him to pound on my back. I started drinking water, which is hard when you can't breathe, then it let up some and I could catch a breathe and was fine after about a couple of seconds. Damn this makes me so mad. I am now afraid of eating anything with substance. I am about to only drink/eat smoothies I am so freaked out and drink a lot of salt water. Help! Does anyone know about this.

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    1. Was this an allergic response to the hot pepper?do you think your throat swelled shut and that air could go in but no air out and you might have made a squeaking noise?

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    2. Just now, I had a serious episode. I am 65 years old and I have a partial denture that tends to produce excessive saliva while not eating or drinking.
      My experience was internal locking of throat, as if my brain had no control over the muscles responsible for that area in the throat. It does n't simply open up! Perhaps it is be cause of a shift in thought process and the brain region which controls automatically gets shut off, it seems.
      Solution lies in not panicking. Tell yourself that.
      Then breath out slowly looking down. Keep on trying breathing out without fear. I got good results by this method, though it was very very scary. Thanks for reading. Try and let everyone know others experience too.

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  7. They say that people who are more extroverted and love to talk, tend to produce more saliva than someone who does not. I seem to go through these things quite regularly, especially while i'm at work and am talking to customers. It gets to a point sometimes where I have had to breathe through the choking just to get around it...and by this point tears are streaming down my face because of the sudden strangulation this has. In saying this...I've also had these experiences in the middle of sleep...I woke up choking, luckily this has only happened once so far.

    I might try the lemons and limes because it really is too much when your own normal body functions...something that you shouldn't have to worry about, tries to kill you.

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  8. This has happened to me several times but in my sleep. Each time I'm dreaming I'm drowning and in reality I am drowning, literally. Fortunately, I wake up but I'm still choking on my spit. It takes a lot of coughing, gasping, and once throwing up before I felt I wasn't drowning any more

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    1. I too dream I am drowning. I tell myself to just let do, breathe slowly and soon I can get enough air to cough it out a bit. It's very scary. Tired all the time. I think it's time for a sleep study for me.

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  9. I have had this condition for about 2 years. My father and his mother had it also. It seems as though not only can I not breathe, but I have a sensation of having a bowling ball stuck in my chest, and then when I finally have some relief I have much burping. I will try the salt water. Thanks...

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  10. No one has even hinted at what may be causing this.

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    1. i heard it has something to do with the tiroyd gland , but i am not sure.

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    2. Google "Esophagus Stricture". I'm going in to the Dr to have a scope of my Esophagus soon.
      I choke easily, on nothing usually, I have a persistent dry cough as well.
      It could be caused by several things. When you Google it, there's more info.

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    3. Mine started after having full dentures, my dentist called it "Laryngeal Spasm".

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  11. Wow I have this problem too, I can be talking, or not. Eating, or not. Drinking, or not. sitting up or lying down. Just sitting here, I felt some saliva just slip onto my trachea and it took over a minute of choking just to get a breath in me. This is happening more frequently. I have no allergies, no bronchial issues, this is not mucous but saliva. I am otherwise healthy and fit.

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    1. I know exactly what you mean as I had an episode yesterday. I was at Mass, no eating, no drinking, just very sudden saliva that kept me choking for a couple minutes but I have learned to tuck your chin, breathe in thru your nose_ slowly, repeat. For me, no kidding at all, it seems I am dying & when I think that is so, it eases up slowly but strongly. SCAREY. Happens less lately. Why, I have no idea!

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  12. I choke on my saliva constantly, at least once a week, and always at the worst possible time (driving, sitting in church, teaching class, eating a meal, etc.) Most of the remedies don't relate to me (not a drinker, not pregnant, don't eat/drink sugary stuff), and there's no way I'm putting coffee grounds under my tongue... I wonder if it's connected to the excess of phlegm in my throat every spring, autumn, winter, and part of the summer,too... it gives me a perpetual feeling of needing to clear my throat...

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    1. I had to answer you because I actually googled "do more people choke on spit at different times of the year?" The weather is changing in my area (getting chillier) and I have done this twice this week. I really think it has something to do with the time of year. Seems more prevalent.

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  13. I've had all the symptoms that all of you have posted: unable to breath, non stop coughing, wakes me from my sleep, do have sleep apena, very very scary sleeping right next to my special needs daughter. As gross as it sounds, when I spit up I have a non stop long string of phlegm coming out of my throat that feels like its coming up from deep in my system. I am frighten to hear it can be throat cancer or other similar dangerous patterns. I am very low income so insurance is medicaid; when they can see me they will. It may be next month or in three to four months. These episodes are not daily, but when they happen it's difficult to attempt to lay back down. Someone please help us.

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    1. When this happens to me, I find that a sudden shock will help. The last one (today) I was alone. Nothing worked until I slapped my face hard. Each slap relaxed my throat more. Took four slaps.

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  14. Had this happen at work today, it was so embarrassing. I had just finished a lifesaver candy when the syrupy saliva made me start to choke. Usually if that happens I can get small breaths and a sip of water and it will calm down. Today however I couldn't get any intakes of air and my coworkers thought I was choking. They performed the heimlich and I think it actually helped. No I didn't have anything lodged in my throat but I believe it helped to push air out enough that it opened my airways and I was able to breath in again. It definitely freaked me out in the moment, didn't do to much for my coworkers though either. So anyways I had to google it to see if others have had this issue and I it was difficult to find any answers as to of the heimlich really helps in that situation, but I really felt that it did.

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    1. You're the only one here who has mentioned using the heimlich. I've had several choking episodes throughout my life starting at 15 through my mid 40's. If it happens when my wife is present, she has done the heimlich and it has absolutely been effective. Like you, I think it is pushing some air, even if just a little, up and pushing the saliva or liquid out of the windpipe. The other times, I struggle pulling in the tiniest amount of air (all while making the most embarrassing sound) and finally get enough to breath. It is always terribly scary.

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  15. This happens to me about twice a year. it's been going on for years. It just happened to me last week in the movie theatre. The method I always use to keep myself calm, ask God to help me, and breathe through the nose, not mouth. I hope that tip helps :)

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    1. AMEN Vanessa F it's happened to me my whole life since I could remember. But it's been more constant for about a month now. Last night when I was getting home from night class a little before I turned on the block i started to try to swallow and when i tried to breath it i would panic its like something kept getting stuck to be able to breath i started singing to the Lord and tried calming down I will try to make an app tomorrow i need to get this checked out!

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  16. this happens to me like 3 to 4 times a year, a sudden amount of saliva going in my trachea at the same time i try to breath, i choke completely, for almost a minute i lay down on the floor with my head down until i eventually start breathing , very little air at the beginning until 2 minutes later i can breath more, i suppose due to the lack of oxygen , i lose the ability to speak (brain shutting down???) it takes me like 4 minutes to be able to start speaking again, each time this happens i feel im going to die. don't know what causes this, started happening around when i was 35, i am 40 now. i guess i feel good to know i am not alone. best wishes to everyone

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  17. I am a Head & Neck Cancer survivor. I am blessed to have some salvia. 2 days ago I was producing and extreme amount of salvia for what reason I don't know. Yesterday I choked on one of my pills. This in turn made a dam for all that saliva. I have not been that scared since my initial diagnosis of cancer 6 yrs ago. Until it happens to you one doesn't even come close to how frightening this is. It seemed to go on forever. It wasn't until the pill was dislodged that the rest of my airways were working. It took a toll on my body as well, still feeling weak and drained. I do not to ever go through that again...............

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  18. Believe it or not if you go blow your nose it will help in about 10 to 15 seconds.

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    1. Will certainly remember this. Thank You!!

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    2. Wow, that is sure worth remembering,a swallowing (speech &swallowing therapist) that showed me the tuck your chin & breathe in slowly thru your nose, out thru your mouth! It feels like I am just about to die, the in comes a tiny bit of air! Thanks for your tip!!

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    3. Thank you Kathy I will try this. I started choking on my saliva today, it was sooooo scary, felt I might die. I kept calm, and started pounding on my back, it eventually dislodged the saliva. I was making horendous choking sounds. My face started to go shockingly white, and I felt weak, still do a bit hours and hours later.

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  19. The blowing your nose part works with when you swallow air or Slava but not on choking on something I have never had that one to happen but it works every time with the other

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    1. So you're saying to try to blow, even though you feel like you have no air inside to blow out? Just trying to figure out how this is possible, while panicking due to not taking any air in.

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  20. This happens to me occasionally. I had a friend remind that when you are chocking don't forget you can still breath through your nose. This had helped me tremendously as I no longer go into a panic mode when I'm chocking as I force a deep breath through my nose and it helps calm me down and for me to cough up the saliva or swallow it.

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    1. When this happens to me(severe choking on saliva), I cannot breathe in through my mouth or nose. I am making a strange sound, gasping loudly, whistly noise, blocked airway. It is called stridor. I can not speak when this occurs either. Seems like forever, but likely 20-30 secs. I think I am going to die.

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    2. I'm with you there.
      I just had the longest episode of choking and this time I really taught that I was going to suffocate. My Larynx just closed up and no air could go in.... I was really panicking

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  21. Yes, a scary thing to have happen to you. I find the most helpful is to try to remain calm, don't get into panic mode - that seems to tighten the air passage. Remaining calm, tilting the head up a little to open air passages, raise up your arms, also move into a cooler room. Breathing in slowing and calling out Jesus. It is not easy to remain calm, but that helps a lot. This happens to me maybe once a year or two, over the past 40 years. It feels like my lungs are a vacuum just sucking down the saliva out of my throat. I have no control over it but feel it happening.

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  22. I get this every now and then. Often in my sleep, sometimes when I am eating (inability to swallow my food properly) and sometimes while just sat up while working on the laptop as just happened now (and why I find myself here). It's as though your throat becomes suddenly blocked and you can't breath through your mouth, and then the panic sets in. After the initial shock panic (which lasts a few seconds) I just breath calmly through the nose while coughing to clear the throat.
    I go through periods where it happens quite often, then it wont happen for months. In my case its never been longer than 15-20 seconds before I can start to get my breath back again, and I calm down. It is scary when it happens though.

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  23. I have stage 4 esophageal cancer and the tumor in my esophagus is so big i can't swallow even my saliva which leads me to choke on it..this started happening to me recently and I go through it every 10 to 15 minutes..please help.

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    1. What were your symptoms prior to learning you had cancer of the Esophagus?

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  24. This happens all the time to me but is usually after an episode with digestion. If I just have soup 24/7 I'm fine.

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  25. I don't know if you guys will all see this comment, but it started happening to me while I was pregnant. To be honest, I was a smoker and I switched to vaping zero nicotine ejuice. My now ex vapes at high voltage which means higher heat and more... steam I guess. He got me to try his on several occasions to taste the flavour and WHAM!!! Throat snapped shut and I'm looking at him wide eyed and in a panic. I quickly learned calming down was one step in getting over it. So I'm vaping in my car maybe a week later, by myself, going through the car wash... WHAM!!! Throat snapped shut and I'm certain I'm about to die in the car wash alone haha!!! Scary as shit, but I laughed about it later. Well I got scared to vape and was certain it was from this... nope. I had the baby and a week later I'm at home alone and put her tiny little self down on my high up queen size bed and changed her then took a sip of water... tiny sip... WHAM!!! Throat snapped shut and I couldn't even make a sound for what felt like ever and I'm certain I'm going to die... my eyes filled with tears looking at my little baby lying there all sweet and innocent knowing I could die right on the floor next to her and she could be lying there crying for hours or maybe somehow roll of the bed and injure herself while my dead body lay there. My first priority was dial 911, but I couldn't see my phone anywhere... I needed to get a message out at least GOD she'll be here all alone with my dead body!!! I remembered.. calmmmmm... ok... I tried a slow breath in... NOPE... ok... slow breath out... very slow and careful, I breathed out slowly and I could feel them relax and open... I gently breathed a tiny bit in, but mostly eased the breath out. This seems to work when I don't forget to stay CALMMMM. Panic and it gets worse. So... calm and slow breath out. Well that was the scariest and most emotional time of my life. After I started to breath, I sobbed and held my baby... drenching her face in my tears. I think about that a lot now as I'm a single mom and live alone with my now 1 year old. She's NOT old enough to call 911, and I CANNOT die and leave her alone. I did quite a shit load of research on the matter as it WAS hard to find anything. I had to plug SO much crap into google before figuring it out finally. I learned the term and what was actually happening, but I just did more googling and found THIS awesome tidbit that indicates HEARTBURN among a few factors that cause this. My heartburn started while pregnant and I STILL get it bad even after, but I don't really bother to take care of it.

    Laryngospasm

    Your vocal chords, being agitated, become extra sensitive to stimuli and SNAP shut at the slightest touch of fluid. Blah blah blah... here's the link. Sorry for the long drawn out way of telling you, but the whole thing was jarring for me and I also found it interesting reading your experiences... I can relate! Haha

    http://www.m.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/laryngospasm-causes-symptoms-and-treatments

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    1. Yes, keeping calm is essential. I also tell myself to keep calm and breath through my nose.
      The most embarrassing moment for me when I was at a small wedding, very small and cozy church with no more but 50 people attending. Everything was going by the book. The priest started asking the man and BOOM my throat snaps shut and I find the urge to cough! Now I actually had to hold my breath on purpose just so that I don't ruin the wedding as my cough will be louder than the couples' "I do"! I was so embarrassed! But I survived and they are still married almost 20 year later :-)

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    2. Thanks4the info! I really need to figure out why this happens. It's so frightening when it's happening and I wish there was some kind of cure. =/

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    3. I am a severe asthmatic. I have almost died multiple times. I also found out I have vocal cord dysfunction which can mimic an asthma attack but once you pass out, you start breathing again because VCD relaxes. If you have an attack and believe it's vocal chord dysfunction there is an exercise that fixes it. Two quick breaths thru your nose and exhale thru your mouth. It's the first thing I do when I have an attack to ensure it is my asthma and not my vcd. It works every time! I hope this helps someone. BTW, asthma meds cause heartburn which trigger more asthma attacks and vcd attacks. I sleep propped up on my side in a very cool room even in winter. It helps my breathing. Also, my mother and grandmother, who do not have asthma, had to get their esophagus' stretched for the same reason of coming on saliva and food.

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    4. thank you so much for putting the website so I could read about this condition...this is exactly what I have...the doctor seemed to think I was having panic attacks, but that just didn't make sense to me...now I am going to print this article out and take it to him...thank you again...

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  26. Oh yes, and it STILL happens every now and then. Just happened a week ago while alone with my daughter again, so I've been thinking and worrying which is why I googled again to see how many it happens to and found all of you! Then I found that link in the search I did just now. Well, I'm going to the docs to get a proper prescription to treat my acid reflux. I'm certain this HAS to help stop this nightmare. I don't think it's fatal to us adults; however, the article states it can be fatal to babies and may even be the cause of some SIDS cases... gawd, I hope she doesn't have GERD and I don't know it 😑😑😑😑😑

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  27. I'm back... I found this!

    METHOD 1: Breathing Technique

    As soon as one feels an attack coming, SLOWLY breath in through the NOSE. DO NOT BREATH IN THROUGH THE MOUTH! ...
    More quickly exhale out the mouth with pursed lips.
    Continue slow nasal inhalation, and quick mouth exhalation with pursed lips until the episode passes.

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  28. This does not happen to me, however it does happen to my son. Food sensitivities run in my family and when he accidentally eats these foods, he chokes on his saliva. Food sensitivities will cause an excess amount of saliva in the mouth and mucus in the back of the throat. Getting a blood test done to see if you have any food sensitivities would be a great start since everyone seems to be very confused as to why no one gets diagnosed. You will most likely need to see a naturopathic doctor to get the test done.

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  29. This has happened to me twice in the last three years, the last being recently, I was alone standing in front of the bathroom mirror, not doing anything but trying to get some air in, anyway I could. My fear was if I faint over this, I will die for sure. Does it happen that people faint and die over a single drop of saliva choke? Obviously none of us who are writing. I never knew this could happen to healthy people.

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    1. I have lost consciousness before. Last night, it in fact for the first time. I have had dozens of attacks before but tonight was the worst. I was throwing up, I do every time I have a drink now, and saliva got lodged in my windpipe. After a minute or so I decided to run outside in the street so at least someone would find me and I made it halfway down my stairs before I passed out. I'm not sure if falling down my stairs dislodged or if just relaxing helped but I slowly regained consciousness while gasping for the next 10-15 minutes. I have no doubt this is how I will die someday.

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    2. Ben, I too know that this is the way I am going to die. This happens to me about 6 times a year. I've dealt with this for several years. Sometimes while asleep others doing normal things. Today was the worst yet. I was sitting at my computer when it hit. Breathe and swallow at the same time and then PANIC. I have a special needs son and he would not know what is happening. So I try not to alarm him. This time it was longer to breathe and at one point I actually could not see. I lost complete control of my bladder. That happened once before but only a little. I knew this was it - I am going to die today. That was 6 hours ago and I am still not fully recovered. I am weak and shaky and my breathing is a little labored. I am calling my PCP on Monday for an appointment. If nothing else - to have it on record so that when I die suddenly someone will know why. I am going to try to remember to tuck me chin and inhale through my nose. It's very hard to stay calm and remember these tips when you are freaking out because you are going to die. ;o)

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    3. I had an appointment with my PCP this week. I explained that I have this problem and he asked "Which is it? Is it choking on unable to breathe as they are 2 separate things". WHAT A JERK! He did not even listen to me. He referred me to a Pulmonologist since I could not get air in. Time for a new PCP!

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  30. Yes, it happens to me as well. Actually both conditions...choking on my own saliva - and the spasms that suddenly and completely cut off your breath. I have found that very tart, acidic foods (ie, vinegar, etc) will make my throat go into a spasm stopping my breathing temporarily. I used to could eat cut up cucumbers and onions in vinegar water (half n half) and refrigerated for several hours (yum!), but the cucumbers started causing spasms due to the vinegar they soaked up, and I had to stop eating them...bummer! What is being described here in this blog are actually several diff conditions, but I have never tried the breathing thru your nose or blowing your nose treatments. Thanks for the GREAT advice, and good luck to all of you! One thing we all seem to agree on...those episodes scare the +#&@! out of you!!!

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  31. Happens to me with food and spit about 3 times a day for over a year now... Had pneumonia 3 times in that span.. never put the 2 and 2 together till now... guess i better make a doc app

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  32. I'm glad that I found an answer to my problem. Thus happen to me today at work. It was just myself and one other coworker. I swallowed my saliva wrong and started choking. I tried to breath through my nose, but I started to panic and was making strange gasping noises. I couldn't talk or yell for help, I put my hands over my neck and she could tell that I couldn't breathe. She called 911. I sat down and started to catch my breath by breathing through my nose. I started coughing, but still had difficulty breathing. As I write this, I am still coughing and clearing my throat. Very scary, I thought I was going to die.

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  33. happened to me today.. what is this condition called ? its so scary.....
    any ways of preventing this ?

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  34. I started choking on my saliva in the early hours of the morning in bed. It turned out that my pillow was tilting my head too far forward and impeding the movement of saliva into my esophagus and welling up in the back of my throat.I had to cough every few minutes to clear my throat. I now use a 6 inch diameter"bolster" cushion/pillow ($10 from Spotlight) that lets my head and neck lay straight and I have stopped choking and coughing.

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  35. I have chocked on my saliva twice and both times were really scary but fortunately there was someone with me both times. I have been so scared of choking while alone. I am now really reassured. Next time it happens l will try to keep calm, breath through the nose and to cough. Thanks a lot.

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  36. I have had this happen to me several times, in particular when chewing gum, which when you first put that piece of gum in your mouth---- you produce a lot of saliva. I swallowed my saliva the wrong way from chewing the gum and it caused me to choke and then it cuts off the airways and you can't speak, breathe at all. Here is what you should do... my step dad was an EMT, and I had an episode infront of him and my mom once. I couldn't breathe and I was making a strange noise. I lifted my arms over my head, in a complete panic.... but my step father said, "Bend over and put your hands on your knees, and remain calm" and suddenly, the airways start to open and I am able to start coughing. It's very scary for sure, but, while your bent over--- and feeling your airways opening up, breathe slowly... as it starts to open up for you. This is the only solution that I have found that helps!

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    Replies
    1. When you are bended over and trying to breath, do you have to breath through your mouth or nose??

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  37. Last night I had gone very bad experienced of choking on saliva , was deep sleep as went to bed late and after few hours of deep sleep , didnt not understand what exacting going on around but i was self thrown on floor and standing and jumping while sleep and was fighting for my breath , I had experienced such repeated incident before but those were simple compare to this, this time it took my life risk, i saw my wife was screaming next to me , but i jumped all over living room , through out corridor to kitchen , was telling her to call hotline but was unable to say clearly , almost 1 and half minute hard fight for breath , could be saliva inside windpipe , practically no breath , could not cough to take the saliva out , all i did was trying to breath normal which was not possible at all. today I am going to see an ENT Doctor straight away... thanks for reading and sharing your experiences ....May God bless you all... Regards - Sutha

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  38. For no apparent reason, I choked on my saliva while browsing the web two days back. This was not the first time. But this time, it felt scary. The air passageway is like partially blocked and I'm not getting enough oxygen. Feels like dying in slow motion.

    Since I've been practicing breath control and meditation in daily life, I went into repair mode. I breathe in consciously, slowly and deeply, circulating air into the lungs. At this time I felt detached, as if nothing matters, except the breathe of life. I felt every breath counts.

    I felt like I could move the breath through every fine capillaries in my lungs which began to relax. Then I breathe deep into the lower abdomen. Gradually everything becomes normal. The breathing encounter was a surreal experience. But it did taught me the value of life. At that time, I was able to let go of stuff that aren't important, to overcome many emotional blockages and negativity.

    After googling for answers, I am beginning to think the cause of the choking is due to nerve damage around the medulla oblongata (impairment of function of the cranial nerves arising from a lower motor neuron lesion in the medulla oblongata or from lesions of the lower cranial nerves outside the brainstem).

    I sustained some injury on the neck some four decades back. But it is only for the last few years I’ve been getting chronic neck pain. But then lately, the chronic pain has been significantly reduced and managed by some very rare and powerful antioxidants derived from wild plants minerals, accompanied and aided by special qigong practice focusing on the medulla area.

    Understanding the cause of my problem is the first step to solving it, I believe.

    The next step is to devise a solution to resolve it. For me it will be enhanced qigong therapy to the brain stem and medulla oblongata (neck).

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  39. I've been producing copious amounts of salvia for the past few years. At first it was because I was nauseous and I had a fear related eat disorder so I restricted food. I got over it for some time but now, every second of the day I have a lot of salvia in my mouth. I have to spit it out probably over 200 times a day (while outside, in the shower, in the trash, in a bottle). I can fill up a Gatorade bottle at night with saliva. Lately while trying not to drool in my sleep, I've been waking up panicked and choking cause my drool leaks into my trachea. There's no mucous and otherwise I'm pretty much healthy. I have bad allergies and I also struggle to keep weight on despite eating full meals frequently throughout the day and I have low energy. Swallowing is difficult and when I have to do it it makes my stomach cramp up and hurt and then I get diarrhea later. I cough at night only a bit when I wake up. I have a benign pituitary brain tumor. I get throat burning feelings occasionally and random chest pains (rarely) as well as upper abdominal pain. I'm gassy every now and then too but not to a problematic extent. But mostly I just produce way too much saliva and swallowing it isn't painful at all, just difficult cause no one wants to swallow a large amount of saliva often during the day. It isn't pleasant. I've had to spit over 20 times while writing this. I think I might call my doctor tomorrow.

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  40. This can be due to acid reflux, check you stomach people

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    Replies
    1. I took medication for acid reflux for 3 years. It did nothing for me. And I still had the choking episodes. Never had heartburn until I STOPPED taking the medication. But that's just me. Maybe it will work for others.

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  41. Honestly this happens frequently when I’m eating. I have to throw up until I hit stomach acid or I will just keep choking on saliva and I can’t eat at all. Parents won’t let me go to the doctor for it though.

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    1. Ameliya....this has been a problem with me all my life. What has helped me is to focus on my eating and do NOT swallow with my mouth open but breathe through my nose. SO SCAREY when you choke...I know.

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  42. it happens to me every couple of months or so and like some other commenters have said, I try and stay as calm as possible and breathe through my nose - even though only tiny bits of air are getting in at first and I'm making a very strange sound whilst doing so. The not panicking bit is so important - it is so very scarey but my confidence that it will pass and small amounts of air are getting in helps. I also don't try to talk even as it starts to clear as that can cause a slight restriction again

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  43. I learned this from getting whooping cough at an old age. Try closing your mouth and breathing through your nose then coughing it out. I've had this problem since I had whooping cough and it can be so annoying and so scary, but if I relax and breathe through the nose it works out.

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  44. I am so glad I found this link. This has been happening to me for several years off and on. I am usually stressed out when it occurs, as has been the case for several months. Getting air in through the nose is difficult. This has happened twice this week. I bought a nasal device called Airmax. It inserts in the nose and opens the nasal passages.I realized I needed to keep this on me at all times to insert into nasal passage if needed. Hope I can get it in and I it helps. I thought I was the only one going through this. Reading about the experiences and prevalence of this condition has helped me. I thought that I was losing my sanity. I plan to start taking measures to reduce stress levels with exercise. God bless all of you for sharing your experience. It is so frightening when this happens. Got to keep telling myself remain calm. Bend over with hands on knees. Slowly take in air through the nose (however small amount it is) and out through the mouth. Pray and keep saying I'll be ok. Stay calm. Thanks again to all of you for your help. This has helped me tremdously.

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  45. I’ve had this happen to me randomly my whole life. I was at shopping today when it happened, I threw my arms up as a man was walking by. I made the sign for choking and pointed to my back. Luckily he was able to calm me with telling me to breath through my nose and out my mouth. Kind of embarrassing, but I’m glad to find out it happens to others too. Ugh.....

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  46. I literally just had this happen and it was terrifying. I somehow swallowed saliva down the wrong pipe and my throat closed and was unable to breathe. My heart started racing out of my chest and I felt if I did not die from lack of air I would die of a heart attack. I am still shaken and trying to calm myself down after regaining my airways. Still have lingering feeling of needing to clear saliva out of my lungs or throat like it is still stuck. I felt like I was drowning. I started searching and so glad I stumbled across this. I feel so much better after reading through all the comments and suggestions. I definitely panicked and I am scared this will happen again but feel I have some good techniques to try now. I think this will rattle me for a long time. So very terrifying. Thank you to all who provided experiences!

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  47. I inhaled a small amount of thick saliva this morning. I've been coughing, hacking up saliva, and vomiting in the process and it's been 16 hours since I inhaled it. I still feel saliva coming from my lungs I think. Will I be safe to go to bed without secondhand drowning?

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  48. happens to me all the time. spot slips down i react and them im coughing thinking im going to die. Look up Lyrangaspams. I had one of them too. NOT FUN. started jumping up and down cause there was nothing i could do. got an ambulance on 911. by the time they got here i felt like an idiot sayng i was ok. just happened now. chocked on spit. but i have nodules on thryoid. got to go for biopsy of them in neat future. but i read it could be due to thyroid,,,excess saliva. who knows but it is scary.

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  49. Me too! In my case I have always been an "over-salivater" but after I had full dentures installed now I salivate even more. Inhaling my saliva is what it feels like, and then just can't breathe. Thanks to this group, the last (and my third) time it happened I was able to remain somewhat calm and tuck my chin and try to breathe thru my nose...AND...it was over with quickly and not nearly so bad.

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