Choking on saliva while sleeping

It often happens that food ends up in the wrong throat, but in most cases, a simple cough is enough to deal with the problem. However, there are situations when basic carelessness can cost a person his life . We are convinced that everyone, without exception, should have first aid skills: both adults and children. After reading our article, you will no longer pat your friend on the back if he chokes. And that's why…

We will teach you invaluable first aid skills for choking, because perhaps someday you will have the opportunity to save a human life.

Choking on saliva: What are the causes and how to prevent it

Although choking on saliva happens to everyone from time to time, repeatedly choking on saliva can indicate an underlying health problem or bad habit.
Here's what you need to know about choking on saliva, including causes and prevention. Choking on saliva can occur if the muscles involved in swallowing weaken or stop functioning properly due to other health problems. Swallowing and coughing when you have not drunk or have a symptom of choking on saliva. You may also experience the following:

Sometimes choking on saliva may not be a cause for concern. But if it happens frequently, identifying the causes may prevent future occurrences. Possible causes of choking on saliva include:

Acid reflux

Heartburn can also irritate the lining of the esophagus. This can make swallowing difficult and allow saliva to pool in the back of the mouth, causing choking.

Other symptoms of acid reflux include:

Sleep associated with abnormal swallowing

This is a condition in which saliva accumulates in the mouth during sleep and then enters the lungs, leading to aspiration and suffocation. You may wake up gasping for air and choking on your saliva.

Lesions or tumors in the throat

Benign or malignant lesions or tumors in the throat can narrow the esophagus and make it difficult to swallow saliva, causing choking.

Poorly fitting dentures

Saliva production may slow down as your body adjusts to the dentures. If not, consult a doctor. Your dentures may be too high for your mouth or may not fit properly into your bite.

Neurological disorders

Treatment depends on the neurological disorder. Your doctor may prescribe medication to reduce saliva production and teaching techniques to improve swallowing. Medicines to reduce saliva secretion include glycopyrrolate (Robinul) and scopolamine, also known as hyoscine.

alcohol abuse

Choking on saliva can also occur after using heavy alcohol. Alcohol is a sedative. Consuming too much alcohol can slow down muscle response. Being unconscious or incapacitated from drinking too much alcohol can cause saliva to pool in the back of the mouth rather than flow down the throat. Sleeping with your head elevated can improve saliva flow and prevent choking.

Talking excessively

Saliva production continues as you say. If you talk a lot and don't stop swallowing, saliva can move down your trachea into your respiratory system and cause choking. To prevent choking, speak slowly and swallow between phrases and sentences.

Allergies or breathing problems

Other symptoms of an allergy or respiratory issue include:

9. Hypersalivation during pregnancy

This problem may gradually improve. There is no cure, but drinking water can help flush excess saliva from the mouth.

Drug-induced drooling

Some medications may also cause increased saliva production. These include:

You may also experience drooling, difficulty swallowing, and the urge to spit.

Talk to your doctor if producing too much saliva is causing you to choke. Your doctor may switch medications, change the dosage, or prescribe medications to reduce saliva production.

Source

Increased salivation: causes in adults, symptoms and treatment

Hypersalivation is a pathological condition characterized by increased secretion of the salivary glands.
Thus, in children under six months of age, such increased salivation is considered normal and does not require any special treatment.

On the other hand, hypersalivation in adults is a rather serious disease, which not only worsens the quality of life, but also brings discomfort. In this article we will look at this pathology in more detail.

general information

Salivation is known to be a normal process. Thus, approximately 2 mg of saliva is released every 10 minutes. However, in some cases, so-called hypersalivation may occur.

This pathology is popularly known as increased salivation. The causes in adults can be very different, ranging from oral diseases to serious neurological disorders.

It is also important to note that some patients perceive a normal amount of saliva as increased. Most often this occurs due to impaired swallowing function. In this case, a person simply cannot swallow saliva completely, and it constantly accumulates in the oral cavity. In fact, there is no need to talk about serious pathology here. Doctors call this hypersalivation false.

Primary symptoms

Saliva is constantly produced by special glands. The therapeutic norm is the production of liquid in the amount of 2 ml in approximately ten minutes. Increased salivation in adults can only be alarming when volumes exceed the 5 ml mark. In this case, there is too much liquid in the mouth, so there is a reflexive desire to swallow it.

Quite often, doctors associate this kind of problem with an inflammatory process in the oral cavity and various injuries to the tongue. In this case, the feeling of an abundance of fluid is false, since salivation is within normal limits.

The same sensations, not justified by dysfunction of the glands in the oral cavity, can occur in patients suffering not from neurological or dental problems, but susceptible to so-called obsessive states.

Quite rarely, hypersalivation is accompanied by a change in taste sensations (too strong or weak sensitivity). Some patients experience increased salivation and nausea at the same time.

Why does this pathology occur?

In a healthy person, saliva is secreted as a response to the aroma of food; taste analyzers also have nerve endings on the oral mucosa. Maximum irritation causes, accordingly, profuse salivation. For example, the more pleasant the smell, the faster your appetite flares up. The gastrointestinal tract thus communicates that it is ready to “work.”

The salivary glands are known to function constantly. They are designed to moisturize the oral cavity and protect the tongue, tonsils and nasopharynx from drying out. In just one day, about two liters of liquid are produced. A decrease in these volumes is usually observed during sleep, during dehydration and during stress.

Why is salivation increased in adults? Main reasons

Intoxication of the body. It is poisoning that is most often the main provoking factor causing the development of this pathology. In this case, the patient's age does not play a special role. Poisoning can be from food, alcohol or medication.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Acute gastritis, cholecystitis, stomach ulcers - these are the ailments that are fundamental factors in the appearance of such a problem as increased salivation.
The reasons for the development of this type of pathology in adults often lie in the intake of certain groups of medications. There are many substances in medications that lead to hypersalivation. To exclude this cause, it is necessary to adjust the dose of the drug or select another remedy.
Regular stressful situations, central nervous system diseases, mental disorders. In this case, there is a weakening of the muscles involved in the swallowing process. As a result, fluid constantly accumulates in the oral cavity.
Vascular pathologies.
Worms.
Oral diseases (ulcerative stomatitis).
Foreign bodies in the oral cavity (improperly installed dentures, braces, chewing gum). All these objects constantly irritate the nerve endings of the oral mucosa, causing increased salivation.
Symptoms of this pathology very often appear in endocrine diseases. For example, diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases, tumors - all these problems cause increased secretion of the salivary glands.
Smoking. Active smokers actually very often have to deal with this pathology. Due to constant irritation of the oral cavity by nicotine, the salivary glands begin to reflexively produce more secretion.

What is the cause of hypersalivation in children?

It should be noted that in the first year of a child’s life, this pathology is not considered a serious disease requiring treatment. Increased salivation in a baby is a normal process. In this case, the so-called unconditional reflex factor comes to the fore.

When the very first teeth erupt, excessive salivation is also not considered a disease and does not require surgical intervention.

It is important to note that older children should not suffer from hypersalivation. If a problem still exists, it is extremely important to consult a specialist.

At about three months, the baby's salivary glands begin to work. It is at this time that parents usually notice severe drooling. However, there is no need to panic for no reason, as it takes a baby some time to learn to swallow on its own.

Hypersalivation in children is often part of the work of the defense system. The thing is that along with the fluid that flows out of the mouth, various bacteria are removed.

Quite rarely, increased salivation is a sign of damage directly to the brain itself, which could have occurred in the perinatal period.

Types of disease

Drug hypersalivation. Most medications (for example, Nitrazepam) that affect salivation provoke the development of xerostomia.
A psychogenic type of disease, which also entails increased salivation. The reasons for the development of this pathology in adults remain unknown. Sometimes drooling becomes so profuse that patients have to constantly carry a handkerchief with them.
Hypersalivation in bulbar or pseudobulbar syndrome. Saliva is usually thick, and its volume can be up to 900 ml per day.
Excessive drooling in patients with cerebral palsy is explained by dysfunction of the oral muscles.

Increased salivation during pregnancy

As you know, a woman’s body undergoes various changes during pregnancy, including at the hormonal level. According to experts, it is in the early stages that many women notice the primary signs of hypersalivation.

Most often, this problem accompanies toxicosis. It is important to note that in some cases, hypersalivation is not associated with actual activation of the salivary glands. The thing is that a woman is constantly trying to suppress attacks of nausea and vomiting, thereby she begins to involuntarily swallow less often. As a result, there is a feeling that there is actually more saliva than there should be.

Often, increased salivation during pregnancy is somewhat aggravated by attacks of heartburn. In this case, the body conditionally receives a signal to soften the acid with saliva, which, due to its high bicarbonate content, is classified as an alkaline environment.

Sometimes hypersalivation occurs due to the same factors as in ordinary adults. In this kind of situation, pregnant women are advised to inform their doctor about this in order to rule out obvious causes of the problem.

Severe nocturnal hypersalivation

During sleep, as is known, the work of the glands responsible for the production of saliva slows down somewhat. However, it also happens that the secret begins to be produced before the person finally wakes up. All this entails spontaneous drainage of liquid from the mouth of a sleeping person.

If such cases are rare, then there is no reason to worry. However, regular recurrence of this problem requires consultation with a specialist.

Doctors note that in some cases, during sleep, the body loses control over reflexes. This also leads to increased salivation.

Hypersalivation can occur due to certain diseases that cause nasal congestion (ARVI, influenza). As a rule, increased salivation disappears after the final disappearance of the main cause - difficulty breathing.

Diagnostic measures

Diagnostics in this case involves the following steps:

Collecting a complete medical history (when the primary symptoms appeared, the presence of concomitant diseases, etc.).
Life activity analysis. The thing is that the hereditary factor often plays a primary role in the occurrence of such a pathology as increased salivation. The causes in adults often lie in the abuse of bad habits (for example, smoking).
A detailed examination of the oral cavity for ulcers or other lesions of the mucous membrane.
Enzymatic analysis of saliva itself.
Additional examination by a dentist, psychiatrist and neurologist to identify possible indirect causes.

What should the treatment be?

We can talk about prescribing therapy only after the final identification of the cause that led to the development of hypersalivation. First of all, you need to seek advice from a therapist. After examination and medical history, he will be able to recommend a specialist.

Depending on the root cause, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment. In this case, it is not the hypersalivation itself that is eliminated, but the main factor that provoked its development. This may be dental, neurological or gastroenterological treatment.

How to get rid of increased salivation? In particularly critical situations, as a rule, specific therapy is prescribed that acts directly on salivation itself, namely:

Taking anticholinergic drugs (Riabal, Scopolamine, Platifillin). These drugs suppress excessive saliva secretion.
Removal of glands (this method often entails disruption of the functioning of the facial nerves).
For neurological disorders, facial massage and exercise therapy are prescribed.
Radiation therapy.
Cryotherapy (cold treatment).
To block excessive saliva production for a period of time (up to one year), Botox injections are performed.

In addition to all of the above medications, homeopathic options are often used. However, they are prescribed only after consultation with a doctor.

Useful tips

If the diagnostic examination does not reveal any significant abnormalities, you can try to use the recommendations below.

First of all, it is necessary to exclude all spicy, fatty and salty foods from the diet, as they provoke irritation of the oral mucosa. The thing is that many people complain of increased salivation after eating. These kinds of restrictions can help solve this problem.

It is extremely important to stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. As a preventive measure, you can rinse your mouth with a decoction of chamomile or oak bark. These agents act as an antiseptic and prevent the development of this pathology.

Source: https://FB.ru/article/163610/povyishennoe-slyunootdelenie-prichinyi-u-vzroslyih-simptomyi-i-lechenie

I constantly choke on my saliva for reasons. Choking on saliva - is it dangerous and how to help?

3. If the above measures are ineffective, tilt the victim upside down and knock 5 more times between the shoulder blades. 4. As a last resort, use the Heimlich method. This will clear the airways of fluid. To do this, you need to stand behind the choking person and wrap your arms around him, one should be clenched into a fist and located just below the chest. Then you need to, as it were, pull the choking person towards you with a strong push of your fist. Repeat everything until the person begins to cough heavily, this indicates that the saliva is leaving. 5. Call an ambulance.

What to do if you choked

Sudden suffocation, or asphyxia, occurs as a result of obstruction of the respiratory tract by a foreign object. If you do not take emergency measures , you can miss precious minutes, which will cost the victim his health, and sometimes his life.

The pulse rapidly weakens, the person loses consciousness, without access to oxygen, after just 3 minutes irreversible changes begin in the brain cells, and after another minute death occurs. It sounds terrifying. The main thing in such a situation is not to get confused. Basic first aid skills will reflexively work at the right moment, and you will be able to provide the victim with the necessary assistance before the ambulance arrives.

Often, if a person is choking, those around them pat the poor fellow on the back in an effort to help. And this is actually deadly ! Due to basic ignorance, the persistent “rescuer” only moves the foreign body further along the respiratory tract, but does not help the victim in any way.

The first thing you need to understand is whether a person is breathing or not. If the victim is breathing and coughing, the cough is often enough for a small foreign body to leave the respiratory tract on its own. If within 30 seconds the signs of asphyxia only increase, it is necessary to call an ambulance and immediately apply the Heimlich method .

If the victim is conscious, stand behind him and grab his torso with both hands. Clench one hand into a fist and place the side of the hand where the thumb is located in the victim’s epigastric region (below the chest, but above the navel). Place the palm of your other hand on top of your fist. With a quick push, press your fist into the victim’s stomach, sharply bending your elbows.

The victim’s chest should not be compressed. If necessary, repeat this technique several times until the airways are clear. If a foreign body has cleared the trachea, the person’s breathing will be restored and the complexion will return to normal.

In case of suffocation in a woman in late pregnancy, you should press your fist not on the stomach, but on the middle of the sternum, using extreme caution.

If a person is unconscious or cannot be approached from behind, you must proceed as follows. Lay the victim on his back, sitting astride his thighs, facing his head. The victim's head should not be turned to the side! Place the heel of your palm in the epigastric region, and place your second hand on top of the first. Using your own body weight, vigorously push the victim's abdomen upward toward the diaphragm.

Repeat this push several times until the foreign body clears the airways. Even a child can be taught this technique! A child who knows in advance will be able to help the injured parent if there are no adults nearby.

If you still want to pat the victim on the back, do it right! If the patient is conscious, it is necessary to tilt his body parallel to the floor or place his stomach on his knees (if the victim is not particularly large). Place the heel of your palm on your back in the area between your shoulder blades. Make several vigorous knocking movements towards the head. This technique will help the foreign body leave the respiratory tract.

If all efforts are in vain and the person does not regain consciousness, cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be started immediately. In the first moments after loss of consciousness, it is necessary to cover the patient’s head with something cold. This could be a cold water bottle, ice or frozen vegetables. This technique will help increase the life expectancy of the cerebral cortex in case of disruption of vital functions.

You can also apply the Heimlich method to yourself. If an accident happens when no one is nearby , you need to place your hands in the epigastric region as if someone else is helping.

Push your fist in and up quickly and rhythmically. If necessary, repeat this technique several times. All means are good in providing self-help: with the right place in the abdomen you can press on a horizontal object (the edge of a table, the back of a chair) and make several strong pushes in the upward direction.

Well, we’ve already talked about what to do if a child is choking, but we strongly recommend that you study this useful information again!

The safety rules and etiquette that our parents taught us are the best prevention against choking. Don't talk with your mouth full, don't laugh while eating, chew food thoroughly and know first aid methods - that's all the rules. People wisely say: “When I eat, I am deaf and dumb!”

We hope you learn first aid techniques for choking!

Source: sovet-ok.ru

Emergency help for choking on saliva

Parents often wonder whether a baby can choke on saliva and why this happens. This is really possible if the baby sleeps in a supine position. Also, a sleeping baby may choke when burping. To prevent this from happening, after feeding you should keep the baby in an upright position for about 15 minutes and only then put it in the crib.

Emergency help may be needed if:

In these cases, parents must act correctly so as not to harm the baby.

If parents see that the child is choking on saliva, they need to give the baby an upright position as soon as possible. A baby after six months who can sit can be placed on pillows to sleep in this position; Children up to two to three months are placed on their stomach. If the baby cannot breathe, you need to take him by the legs, turn him head down and hold him in this position until he spits out mucus or a foreign body. This must be done quickly.

What not to do

When a child is choking and cannot clear his throat, parents should not be nervous, because anxiety always interferes with the correct action. Also, you should not slap the baby sharply on the back - this can push the mucus even further into the respiratory tract. If the baby screams loudly, you should not interfere with this - with a scream, he can get rid of the abundance of saliva on his own.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Dental treatment according to the lunar calendar: favorable days according to the horoscope for visiting the dentist

Attention! You should not give your baby bagels or dryers instead of a teether. The baby may bite off a small piece and choke. All rattles with small parts inside that the baby takes into his mouth must be securely closed.

Can a baby choke on drool while sleeping: how to avoid the danger

Children under one year of age often experience increased activity of the salivary glands. This can be caused by various reasons: from teething to acute respiratory disease. The main thing is to correctly determine the cause of this condition. In most cases, this problem does not require treatment and goes away on its own.

Baby drooling is a common occurrence.

Causes of increased salivation at night

If a child chokes on saliva in his sleep, he should be moved from a position lying on his back to his side or stomach, then the mucus will not flow into the lungs, causing a cough. The problem is worse at night because:

This condition should not be considered a pathology; it is normal in children under one year of age.

The most common reason for the active formation of saliva is teething. Also, the volume of mucus secreted increases sharply when a child suffers from acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. When the period of recovery begins, this condition passes. The baby begins to choke on saliva because mucus from the mouth constantly gets into the throat, and the baby does not have time to spit it out.

The most likely cause of the problem is active teething

Emergency help for choking on saliva

What to do if the baby's temperature is 38 degrees

Emergency help may be needed if:

In these cases, parents must act correctly so as not to harm the baby.

If a baby chokes

If parents see that the child is choking on saliva, they need to give the baby an upright position as soon as possible.

A baby after six months who can sit can be placed on pillows to sleep in this position; Children up to two to three months are placed on their stomach.

If the baby cannot breathe, you need to take him by the legs, turn him head down and hold him in this position until he spits out mucus or a foreign body. This must be done quickly.

What not to do

If the baby screams loudly, you should not interfere with this - with a scream, he can get rid of the abundance of saliva on his own. If there is increased salivation, the baby cannot be limited in liquid; on the contrary, he should drink as much as possible.

Acidic drinks (for example, cranberry juice) should be avoided - they provoke excessive saliva production.

Attention! You should not give your baby bagels or dryers instead of a teether. The baby may bite off a small piece and choke. All rattles with small parts inside that the baby takes into his mouth must be securely closed.

First aid must be provided quickly and correctly

When you need a doctor's help

Cough to the point of vomiting in a child - what to do if a baby is vomiting

If a child chokes on saliva in his sleep due to a runny nose, the snot flows down his throat and interferes with sleep. In this case, you should contact your pediatrician to prescribe antiviral drugs and vasoconstrictor nasal drops. You also need medical help if:

Typically, an infant begins a period of active drooling after six months, when the first milk teeth erupt. However, in some cases this time begins much earlier - at three to four months. In this case, it is necessary to bring your baby to the doctor, since premature appearance of teeth may indicate rickets and other diseases.

When the toddler turns one year old, the activity of the baby's salivary glands gradually slows down, but periodically resumes during the appearance of new pairs of milk teeth. At this time (up to 2.5 years), you should be especially attentive to the health and well-being of the baby and make sure that he does not suffocate from increased salivation during sleep.

Possible consequences and complications

What to do if your child is constantly sick

Situations when a child chokes on saliva are most often characteristic of acute respiratory diseases and the period of teething. There are usually no complications; any baby can choke or choke slightly, it’s not scary.

However, if a child chokes on mucus from a runny nose and finds it difficult to breathe, self-medication or improper treatment can lead to bronchitis (pneumonia). In this case, treatment with antibiotics will be required. If your baby starts coughing, you need to pay attention to this.

Constant contact of saliva on the chin of a newborn can lead to skin irritation: redness, itching, and discomfort.

In this case, it is recommended to lubricate the affected area with any moisturizing baby cream containing panthenol. Also, do not rub irritated skin with a towel.

If your baby begins to drool a lot, you can only gently blot it with soft cotton pads or a microfiber cloth.

Increased activity of the salivary glands is not a disease, but a normal physiological condition

Symptoms

When a person choke on saliva, he begins to cough. This is a good way to open the openings of the larynx and trachea. The cough may not be severe, but to clear the airways it is important that the process of expectoration of liquid begins. When a person begins to choke on saliva, his complexion changes - from pale to bluish.

Sometimes a person who is choking may not cough, but rather hiss. This indicates that the situation is critical and you need to call an ambulance. While waiting, immediately apply the Heimlich method.

Consequences

If someone chokes on saliva, measures must be taken to eliminate it from the respiratory tract. After this there will be no serious consequences. The only thing is that mild pain may occur.

There is no recovery period as such. After 1-3 hours, all unpleasant sensations will go away on their own. If your throat hurts after the incident, you just need to use sprays and aerosols. You should limit the consumption of spicy, salty, hot and cold foods for a period of 1 to 5 days. If nothing bothers you, then restrictions are not needed.

Hello! I am 27 years old. I have been experiencing bouts of drooling during sleep for a month now. Every night, as soon as I doze off, I wake up choking on my saliva. This is accompanied by a sore throat and nausea. At the same time, a lot of saliva is released (it just flows like a stream), I just don’t have time to swallow it. Usually the attack passes within 10 minutes (I try to breathe deeply and quickly swallow saliva), after which I calmly fall asleep until the next attack. Usually 1-2 attacks occur per night. A similar thing happened to me a few years ago, but it quickly passed. I recently suffered from an acute respiratory infection with a cough, and I have chronic tonsillitis (if that matters). What could it be and where to start the examination? Which doctor should I contact? Thank you in advance!

Not clear, do you wake up from a bout of drooling? Is nausea and sore throat only during an attack? Does heartburn bother you? What medications are you taking?

Yes, I wake up from suffocation caused by an attack of drooling (as if I was choking on saliva). Nausea and sore throat only during an attack; heartburn does not bother me. As for medications, I irrigate my tonsils and throat with miramistin, took Ascoril a couple of times, but the attacks started before that. Thank you for your attention to my problem!

The most likely cause of hypersalivation is gastroesophageal reflux. Another possible reason is helminthiasis. Contact a gastroenterologist.

Helminths manifest themselves as salivation. I thought it was a myth, just like gnashing of teeth in a dream...

Hypersalivation can be observed with trichuriasis (trichocephalosis). It is not typical for other invasions. The causative agent of this disease, whipworm, is very difficult to detect by stool analysis due to the low egg production characteristic of this species.

Drooling in pregnant women is excluded??

Nastydoc, pregnancy is excluded.

Could such symptoms be caused by an exacerbation of chronic disease? tonsillitis?

Increased salivation can occur with dysfunction of the jaw joints. Have you had any dental problems in the coming year?

Sergey, my wisdom teeth are actively coming out (2 have come out just in the last year, the 3rd is on the way), but I haven’t gone to the dentist about it. One of the dental concerns that concerns me is pain in the gums in the place where the protruding wisdom tooth “moved” the neighboring tooth to the place of the removed one (the 8th moved the 7th, which is now in the place of the removed 6th, upper jaw, on the left). My entire jaw aches from time to time, but I chalked it up to my wisdom teeth...

Sergey, my wisdom teeth are actively cutting in (2 have come out just in the last year, the 3rd is on the way)… Even without dysfunction, this can increase salivation. ...pain in the gum in the place where the protruding wisdom tooth “moved” the neighboring tooth to the place of the removed one (the 8th moved the 7th, which is now in the place of the removed 6th, upper jaw, on the left)…. It seems that this is called Hodon’s symptom... ...The whole jaw aches from time to time, but I chalked it up to wisdom teeth... I would strongly advise you to visit a dentist. And look at the dental section of this forum: Search there: TMJ.

Do you have increased salivation during the day? At night, when you have bouts of salivation, what do you do with the saliva: swallow, spit? If you spit, how much saliva is collected per night (by volume)? Do you have problems swallowing (at night or during the day) saliva, solid food, or water? Is there a nasal voice? Have you had a traumatic brain injury or encephalitis?

Diagnosis of signs of suffocation during sleep

If a person says that sometimes I suffocate in my sleep, then in order to eliminate or prevent the occurrence of unpleasant pathologies that may be associated with attacks of suffocation at night, it is necessary to carry out a competent diagnosis. A timely study will allow, under the supervision of a doctor, to get rid of the unpleasant consequences of such a pathology, and will also prevent its occurrence.

To establish a diagnosis, it is important to consult a doctor immediately after the first attack occurs. Some serious diseases, such as bronchial asthma, may be accompanied by such attacks at night.

If a person begins to choke in his sleep, before the ambulance arrives, you can help him by opening all the windows for ventilation, and also try to calm him down so that panic does not develop. Depending on the reason for its appearance, it is necessary to give the appropriate drug.

If a person has difficulty breathing due to heart failure, nitroglycerin should be given. If the cause is high blood pressure, you should give pills that lower it. If the cause is an allergic reaction, then the right remedy is to use any type of antihistamine. Asthmatics usually have tools in their arsenal to help them cope with attacks.

When choking has occurred, the person should not be given anything to drink, since his throat is under tension and this can only worsen the situation. It is best to move from a lying position to a sitting position.

I choke on saliva in my sleep

What causes salivation during sleep and what can you do about it? This is worth paying attention to!

Very often, the cause of increased salivation can be illness. This is how our body gives signals that something is going wrong. It would seem like a small thing, but it’s not entirely true.

Runny nose

Let's start with the simple and obvious. Very often drooling is due to a runny nose. At night, the nose gets stuffy, breathing becomes difficult and the person opens his mouth. This is where increased salivation begins. This problem will resolve itself when the runny nose goes away.

Infections in the mouth

Drooling occurs due to diseases of the oral cavity: inflammation of the mucous membrane, gums, caries or periodontal disease. Reproducing bacteria provoke the production, and therefore the release, of an increased amount of saliva. Always remember to take good care of your dental health.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Inflammation, increased acidity, flatulence - all this leads to excessive salivation at night. In such diseases, salivation works as a protective measure: saliva dilutes gastric juice and reduces acidity. These symptoms should not be ignored so as not to lead to cholecystitis or pancreatitis.

Helminthiasis

Yes, that’s right, it’s not a myth at all. Of course, drooling while you sleep is not a 100% guarantee of the presence of worms, but they may well be there. Worms cause a change in acidity, which, as we have already said, leads to excessive salivation. There is a reason to get checked, get tested or carry out preventive measures.

Nervous system diseases

The symptom may occur during cerebrovascular accident, during Parkinson's disease or with trigeminal neuralgia. The same phenomenon is typical for syringobulbia, polio, vascular pathologies and even oncology.

Endocrine system diseases

Excessive salivation may be a peculiar reaction of the neuroendocrine system to some irritant. It can occur as a result of stress or endocrine diseases (thyroid gland, pituitary gland, hypothalamus). Sometimes observed in diabetes mellitus.

Very often, nighttime drooling occurs due to bad habits. People who use drugs or smokers very often suffer from this unpleasant symptom. There is only one recipe - it's time to give up bad habits.

ADVICE

So what can you do to get rid of nighttime drooling? To begin with, we recommend understanding the reason for its occurrence. If there are no visible reasons, then this is a serious reason to go to the doctor.

To prevent nighttime drooling, you can try changing your sleeping position. If you fall asleep on your side, try to retrain yourself and start falling asleep on your back. If this does not help, you can try placing the pillow higher. Then the head will rise and the mouth will not open.

Possible reasons why food and liquid often end up in the windpipe

Hello Tatiana! Despite the fact that foreign bodies in the respiratory tract are most often observed in children, we can also observe a similar picture in adults. Most often, in the case of adults, food ends up in the “wrong throat” when talking while eating or with diseases of the epiglottis, when the entrance to the larynx is not tightly closed at the time of swallowing. Perhaps these problems are associated with impaired innervation of the soft palate. Maybe this is a manifestation of esophageal diseases. For example, with dysphagia (swallowing disorder), conditions are observed in which it is impossible to take a sip, or the movement of food in the pharynx and through the esophagus is disrupted. Unpleasant sensations may also occur due to food retention in these organs. With the so-called oropharyngeal dysphagia, paresis of some muscle groups that are involved in the act of swallowing, or discoordination in their work, is observed. In these cases, food, especially liquid food, can enter the respiratory tract and nasopharynx. At the same time, a person naturally starts coughing, sneezing, or choking. Conditions similar to this are found in the outcome of poliomyelitis, diphtheria, syringomyelia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, parkinsonism, bulbar palsy, encephalitis, botulism, myasthenia gravis, strokes, lesions of the glossopharyngeal nerve, etc.

Causes

The most common neurological causes of choking lie in damage to the vagus nerve (bulbar system) in any part of it (including the central nuclei), while the innervation of the laryngeal muscles stops or decreases, which causes weakness of the laryngeal muscles and prevents its lumen from narrowing during meals. Of course, the causes of choking may not be neurological diseases: hiatal hernia, damage to the thyroid gland, reflux esophagitis and others, then it is necessary to visit a therapist if this symptom is present.

The causes of damage to the bulbar system can be very diverse:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (choking even on liquid food occurs in almost all patients).
Myasthenia gravis (generalized forms lead to this symptom in about half of the cases).
Stroke with lesions predominantly in the vertebrobasilar region.
Syringobulbia and syringomyelia.
Various forms of amyotrophy.
Traumatic injury to the brain and/or vagus nerve.

You should also always be aware of non-neurological causes of choking. These include neoplasms that can lead to dysfunction of the laryngeal muscles, large hiatal hernias leading to food reflux, hereditary abnormalities in the development of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. In children, choking can also be caused by perinatal pathology and improper feeding technique.

First aid for choking

You should always call a doctor. It is necessary to calm the patient to eliminate panic. Help sit down and provide fresh air.

During an attack of bronchial asthma, when breathing stops during sleep, it is recommended to put mustard plasters on the chest, apply a heating pad to the legs, and give the patient Euphilin.

If you have difficulty breathing during sleep due to allergic swelling of the larynx, you must take a solution of calcium chloride and any antihistamine that you have at home (Diphenhydramine, Fenkarol, Clarotadine, Diazolin).

In case of heart failure syndrome, the patient needs to be given a semi-sitting position, given Nitroglycerin or Validol, make a warm foot bath, apply mustard plasters to the calves, and adjust the pressure.

With diphtheria, sleep apnea in adults and children occurs due to blockage of the airway lumen by a fibrinous film. The patient needs to be given a sitting position and his legs warmed.

Moderate attacks of choking in the throat occur in children with sore throat and pharyngitis. The child must be woken up and calmed down. In an upright position, the work of the muscles involved in breathing is facilitated.

If a person does not breathe in a dream, it is necessary to force him to wake up, help him take a vertical position, and force him to breathe through his nose. Late pregnant women may choke in their sleep when the fetus puts pressure on the diaphragm. A pregnant woman may experience severe shortness of breath. If an attack of suffocation occurs in a dream, it is necessary to open the window and sit the woman on a chair. It is advisable to have an oxygen inhaler at home.

Don't let us drink. The pharynx and throat are tense. A sip of water can provoke a new attack of suffocation. Make sure that the patient's tongue does not sink.

Make sure that the patient's tongue does not sink. Relatives should know about the disease and have medications on hand to help. Breathing can stop with an overdose of drugs, gas poisoning, depression, and metabolic disorders. If you wake up at night because you are suffocating in your sleep, contact a specialist.

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A person may begin to choke in their sleep, regardless of age and other factors. At night, attacks of suffocation are especially dangerous because the person has not yet fully recovered from sleep and sometimes does not understand what is happening to him. The reasons for their appearance can be not only diseases, but also psychological problems.

During an attack, a person is overcome by severe fear, he experiences stress, his nervous system is tense, and therefore the attacks may repeat another time. In this case, a person may experience insomnia because his subconscious has remembered the negative experience in a dream, and the person is afraid of repeating it.

I often choke on saliva reasons – Oral health

The main factor in the unpleasant situation is a violation of the process of chewing and swallowing. From the mouth, food enters the esophagus, which is located next to the pharynx.

In this area there is the epiglottis, which acts as a damper.

When a piece of food is swallowed, it blocks the lumen in the trachea, and when breathing, it prevents air from entering the upper digestive tract.

Swallowing process.

If a child or another person chokes while eating, it means that precautions were not followed. This can happen when talking while eating or taking intense breaths. In this case, the epiglottis does not completely close the tracheal lumen.

Even a small crumb triggers a protective mechanism - a reflex cough. With sharp exhalations, foreign elements come out without additional help.

But there are situations when they choke, but there is no cough effect and the person begins to choke.

I choked on food - what should I do?

Pike and seagulls swallow food in huge chunks. But everything inside them is adapted for this process, while in humans the throat and esophagus are quite narrow, allowing only carefully crushed food to pass through without consequences. This is why poor chewing most often causes a person to choke on food.

People choke when they are heavily intoxicated, when self-control is partially lost, and their tongue flutters non-stop while eating. There are many sayings, the meaning of which is that you should neither talk nor laugh while eating. But there are situations when, without following these basic rules, a person chokes on pieces of food or fish bones.

If such a situation suddenly occurs, of course, it is necessary to immediately help and provide first aid.

Our food, before passing from the mouth to the stomach, passes through the esophagus, and the air we breathe passes through the trachea and bronchi into the lungs. Both of these organs are located nearby and begin at the back of the throat.

The human body is designed in such a way that there is an epiglottis in the back of the throat, which acts as a “little door.” At the moment of swallowing food, the epiglottis closes the lumen of the trachea, and during breathing - the esophagus.

If you talk and swallow food at the same time while eating, there is a danger that the epiglottis will not close the airways in time and pieces of food may end up in the trachea. You'll be lucky if it turns out to be small particles of food or bread crumbs.

In this case, the effect of self-preservation will work, a cough begins, during which, with sharp exhalations, foreign bodies from the respiratory tract are released on their own.

But what to do if you cannot cope with this situation on your own? Today we will analyze these situations.

If someone is nearby, you are lucky. Usually in such situations they start hitting on the back with a palm or fist, which is fundamentally wrong. The fact is that when tapping, a piece of food can pass further along the trachea and the symptoms of suffocation will worsen. In this case, without delay, you need to apply the Heimlich maneuver.

Heimlich maneuver

This technique can be used for adults and older children. The essence of the technique is as follows.

The person who provides assistance should stand towards the victim from the back and clasp his hand around the victim’s waist, and he clenches his left hand into a fist and places it just below the chest.

The palm of the other hand covers the fist of the left hand. Then he makes a sharp pressure with his hands on the area of the anterior abdominal wall, while the person providing assistance applies pressure in such a way as if we are pushing the diaphragm upward.

If there is no one nearby who can help you in this situation, you can do this technique yourself. To perform this procedure, you will need a flat surface. You can use the surface of a table or the back of a chair, on which you can lean and apply the Heimlich maneuver, pressing forcefully on the diaphragm area.

The Heimlich maneuver, as stated above, is only applicable to adults or older children. But what to do if an infant chokes? This can happen if a small baby is fed a bottle filled with formula or water while it is held upright. A child may also accidentally push any small object into his mouth or nose and choke.

In such cases, first aid must be provided immediately.

As soon as you see that the child is coughing or he cannot breathe, you need to lift the baby by both legs, head down, press with your finger on the root of his tongue, thereby inducing vomiting.

If these actions do not help, then place the child on your hand on his stomach, as in the picture, and give 5 pats on the back between the shoulder blades.

If a baby chokes during breastfeeding, starts coughing heavily or breathing noisily, the following steps must be taken:

turn the child's back to you,
hug him with your right hand and tilt the child forward a little,
At the same time, press with your right hand in the stomach area,
pat your back between your shoulder blades.

Children over the age of one year are very inquisitive, they study the world around them “by tooth”, as a result of which they can choke on a button, small parts from a Kinder surprise, a pea or even candy.

If you suspect this, the method of pressing on the abdomen is suitable for providing assistance. What are we doing?

Place your baby's back to you, tilt his torso slightly forward,
Place your palm clenched into a fist on the abdominal area between the navel and ribs, clasp your fist with the other palm,
Spread your elbows to the side, press your hands on your stomach 5 times upward, as if pushing the diaphragm upward, alternate pressing with patting the back between the shoulder blades,
Lay the baby on his back so that his head is lower than his body. Place your index and middle fingers under your breastbone and press the sternum 5 times, each time allowing the sternum to straighten.

Perform these actions, alternating them with patting them on the back, until the swallowed object slips out of the mouth and the child breathes freely. Do 2 such cycles (patting on the back and pressing on the chest). Better yet, watch this video.

And this situation also happens quite often. What is the right thing to do in this case? Of course, it is best to avoid such situations. When eating fish, carefully remove all bones from it. Do this especially carefully when giving fish to a child. But if, nevertheless, such a situation happened and you choked on a fish bone, you should under no circumstances panic.

There is a proven folk remedy: eat a piece of bread crust. I've done this myself more than once - it helps. Although experts do not advise doing this because they believe that this way the bone can break off and take root in the wall of the esophagus. Read this article to see what other harm fish can cause.

Doctors recommend eating a small piece of butter in such a situation. If you don’t have it on hand, you can replace it with a teaspoon of sunflower or olive oil. In this situation, the oil will soften the throat and the bone will come out smoothly.
Try clearing your throat. Vibration when coughing can cause the bone to fly out on its own.
After the fish bone has come off, gargle with any antiseptic solution to disinfect the wound from the bone, for example, calendula infusion.
If these actions did not help you in any way, then you should contact an ambulance or an ENT doctor, where they will quickly remove the bone using instruments.

When might you need help?

When the airways are blocked, it is impossible to inhale and exhale, the cough is absent or has insufficient intensity. Such cases require urgent intervention from loved ones, strangers in a public place. When choking on food, the lack of air inevitably leads to oxygen starvation of the human brain.

If a person chokes, then in the event of blackout and cardiac arrest, the rescuer will have only a few minutes to restore respiratory functions.

Why does a dog choke?

When caring for a pet, the owner may encounter such phenomena as the dog choking. In order to provide timely assistance and save the animal’s life, it is necessary to have an idea of the causes of the symptom. Veterinary experts recommend paying attention to the following factors:

The specific structure of the nasal cavity in representatives of brachycephalic breeds is a common reason that the dog chokes. This occurs when the pet takes a deep breath, causing a change in the soft palate.
A collar that is too tight can put pressure on the larynx and cause discomfort. Most often, this problem is faced by owners of puppies and young animals that are not accustomed to wearing equipment. Choking and coughing can be caused by sharp jerks of the leash when executing the “Near” or “No” command.
The presence of parasitic infestation in the organs of the respiratory system can lead to irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, and the pet will try to cough up.
Long bones are one of the common reasons why a dog gags and coughs. These bones are quite easily chewed by the dog’s teeth and have uneven and sharp edges that can injure the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and larynx. Bones often get stuck in the esophagus, leading to swelling of the internal tissues and putting pressure on the trachea. Trouble especially often occurs among greedy individuals.

We recommend reading about the signs of a malignant tumor in dogs. From the article you will learn about the causes and manifestations of the disease at different localizations of the tumor process, diagnosis and therapy in animals. And here is more information about the causes and methods of treating inflammation of the salivary glands in dogs.

Source: https://vita-dent.su/zdorove-desen/pochemu-chelovek-davitsya-slyunoj-2.html

The announcer choked on live broadcast, what to do in similar cases

This has happened to almost everyone. Most often - during a conversation. It seems like there is no food or chewing gum in the mouth, but the person suddenly chokes, starts coughing, and tears come to his eyes.

The reason, as Dr. Itay Gal explains on the Ynet website, is that saliva ends up in the wrong throat: in the larynx instead of the esophagus.

The body immediately reacts to the situation, sensing a drop of liquid moving down the trachea and threatening to enter the lungs. It uses mechanisms located near the vocal cords.

The vocal cords contract sharply to prevent further fluid from entering the airways, creating a sensation of suffocation. The cough reflex is activated: the muscles of the diaphragm contract powerfully in a pulsed mode, put pressure on the lungs and cause a cough, which should push fluid into the oral cavity. The result is a clinical picture - an uncontrollable cough and a feeling of suffocation. Speech becomes hoarse and breathing becomes difficult because coughing pushes air out.

Partial and complete suffocation

There are two possible options for sudden suffocation - complete and partial. With partial suffocation, the foreign body narrows the airways, but does not completely clog them, and with complete suffocation, the airways are completely clogged. Typically, a foreign body gets stuck at the height of the vocal cords, leaving a partial entrance to the trachea near the vocal cords, or the foreign body is smaller than the limited opening of the vocal cords and falls into the trachea, partially narrowing its lumen. Complete suffocation occurs when a foreign body is larger than the opening limited by the vocal cords (entrance to the trachea), and, stuck in this place, completely clogs it, in which case air cannot enter or leave the lungs. Thus, a person cannot inhale, exhale, speak, cough, suitable assistance must be provided as quickly as possible, otherwise the victim dies.

Specific cases

Many people probably have a question: what should I do if I choked while alone in the room? Who will help you take all these actions? Or if help needs to be provided to a pregnant woman or a baby - after all, they are more sensitive than everyone else? In such cases, follow these tips.

You are alone in the room

Perform the Heimlich maneuver yourself: place the fist of one hand on the place intended for this technique (on the midline of the abdominal area, above the navel, just below the end of the sternum), then with the other hand grab your fist and quickly press it up. Lean on a nearby stable object, for example, the back of a chair, a sink, and press your whole body against it. Keep in mind that the thing you will lean on should not have a sharp end.

A pregnant woman or an overweight person choked

When applying pressure to a conscious, choking person, place your hands not on the stomach, but on the chest: stand next to him, hug the chest from the back, place your palms clenched into a fist on the middle part of the sternum at the height of the nipples. Perform five presses. The further sequence of actions is standard.

Treatment of excessive salivation with surgery

In particularly severe cases, surgery may be prescribed. In this case, particularly large parotid salivary glands can be removed. The operation is quite complex and can lead to certain consequences. If the facial nerve is damaged, symmetry can be seriously disrupted. The decision on surgical intervention and the advisability of such actions is made only by an experienced and highly qualified specialist.

The operation helps stop excessive drooling for up to 8 months. This is not a radical measure. It is impossible to completely get rid of the disease in this way. Therefore, in any case, you need to start with an examination of the body and its traditional treatment.

Remember that saliva not only interferes with comfortable sleep and rest, but also threatens human life. A sleepy person can easily choke in it. To prevent the consequences of hypersalivation, we recommend that you do not delay and make an appointment with a professional therapist who can find the cause of the malfunction in the body.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Komarovsky believes that cough due to strong salivation is most often caused by the appearance of teeth; this condition does not require treatment. Even a healthy child must cough sometimes to clear the nasopharynx of saliva and mucus. However, if the baby begins to choke, urgent medical attention is needed; self-medication is dangerous.

Attention! If during the period of teething the temperature rises above 38.5 degrees, most likely we can talk about an infection. This happens quite often, because during this period the child’s body becomes especially vulnerable.

The child’s body is particularly vulnerable and increased susceptibility to medications, so it is strictly forbidden to give the baby any medications without prior approval from the attending physician. The dosage should be appropriate to the age and (or) weight of the baby.

Treatment

Treatment of increased salivation at night involves, first of all, diagnosing the causes that caused its occurrence and treating the underlying disease. For diagnosis, you should contact a specialist: gastroenterologist, dentist, endocrinologist, neurologist, therapist. You need to undergo clinical tests and be checked for worms. The specialist prescribes the necessary studies. Therapeutic treatment is selected by the doctor.

In some cases, medications with an anticholinergic effect (riabal, platifilin, scopolamine) are prescribed, which reduces the amount of saliva produced. However, you should not prescribe these drugs yourself, because side effects may occur. In addition, drug therapy is usually short-term. And, of course, it is necessary to completely cure all diseases of the oral cavity. Cryotherapy, a method that allows one to reflexively increase the frequency of swallowing saliva, and homeopathic treatment have proven to be quite effective methods.

In the most difficult cases, with excessive salivation, surgery is performed to remove large salivary glands. However, this is a very complex operation that can cause a number of other problems: for example, if the facial nerves are damaged, the symmetry of the face is disrupted. Injecting botulinum toxin into the parotid glands stops saliva production for up to 8 months.

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