An old myth says, “You can swallow your tongue.” The phrase is often heard while telling a funny story, in emergency sessions, and during TV show episodes. But what does it mean, and can an individual press on with actually swallowing their tongue and ask Can you swallow your tongue? The answer is short: No! But let us discuss why this persists and what veritable facts are surrounding it.
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What Does “Swallowing Your Tongue” Mean?
To start, let’s first define exactly what we are discussing. “Swallow your tongue” has been a very common phrase describing a scenario in which a person is choking or having a seizure, and it appears the tongue is blocking the airway, thereby making it difficult to breathe. Needless to say, there is also the notion that the tongue somehow slips back into the throat and blocks the airway, causing suffocation.
The phrase “swallowing your tongue” creates quite a chilling picture. The picture goes around saying that the tongue, which sits in the mouth and is bound by muscles and tissues to the floor of the mouth, detaches somehow from its place and slips into the throat. Though this may seem like a scary picture, the truth is your tongue is anatomically designed to be kept exactly in that place.
Can You Swallow Your Tongue?
To understand whether can you swallow your tongue, we need to discuss a bit of anatomy. The tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth by a structure called the frenulum. The frenulum is a band of tissue connecting the underside of the tongue with the floor of the mouth. This attachment is very strong and ensures that the tongue remains fixed in place so that it would not be physically possible for the tongue to just slide backwards and occlude the airway.
The tongue is also connected to several muscles of the jaw and throat that control its movement and prevent it from moving too far into the throat. Upon swallowing, the tongue moves in coordination with the rest of the mouth and throat so that food, liquid, or saliva descends into the oesophagus and stomach. At no point does the tongue rear far enough back into the throat and pose a risk of choking or suffocation.
Why Does the Myth Persist?
The myth about can you swallow your tongue, for a few reasons was mainly because people misinterpret medical situations, especially in an emergency.
- Seizures and Tongue Biting: One of the common situations in which people fear that somebody is “swallowing their tongue” is during a seizure. People having a seizure lose control of their bodies, and uncontrollable spasms occur somewhere in the muscles, including those of the tongue. This may lead to the tongue being bitten, and consequently, there is a belief that the tongue has been somehow swallowed. The truth is that during seizures, the tongue may just fall backwards into the mouth and obstruct the airway, but it does not go down the throat.
- Choking and Airway Obstruction: At other times, choking does occur when something blocks the airway; food or pizza or a piece of jewellery or anything. These events may see the tongue shifting backwards into the mouth. However, it is the obstruction caused mainly by the food or other foreign objects blocking the airway, not the tongue. Hence, one may errantly blame the tongue for doing the blockage when, in reality, the blockage is done by an external object in the airway.
- Media & Pop Culture: The myth of “swallowing your tongue” has been propagated in movies, television, and, one would assume, medical dramas that portray people as choking or having a seizure and “swallowing their tongue.” Such dramatisations feed into the misconception that the tongue could ever block the airway in that fashion. Thus, fears are often exaggerated by media representation; hence, these myths enter public consciousness.
- Lack of Medical Knowledge: First and foremost, most people do not know how the body works. As someone has a seizure, or is choking, wrongly searching for a cause seems natural, and tongue swallowing seems a plausible one. The moment an explanation is offered, it becomes apparent that it is not the tongue causing the problem.
What Happens During a Seizure?
Seizures are among the most common circumstances under which someone mentions that a person is “swallowing their tongue.” During a seizure, especially a generalised tonic-clonic seizure, the body muscles will contract and relax in an uncoordinated fashion. This may also lead to some involuntary movements in the mouth and jaw, including biting the tongue. This can seem very alarming, but the person is not swallowing their tongue. Biting the tongue is a very common side effect of the seizure, but it does not pose any choking hazards, at least not in the way that the majority of people imagine.
The airway can be compromised when the mouth is clenched tightly, or a person falls in such a position that his or her breathing is blocked, but the tongue is not the culprit for that occlusion, and there is no chance of the tongue slipping down the throat. The number one thing to keep in mind as somebody has a seizure is not to attempt to save their tongue but to make sure they are in a safe position, away from hard objects, and with their airway clear.
What Happens During Choking?
Another potential scenario that confuses people about how one could swallow one’s tongue is choking. During choking, some object or food blocks the airway, and the victim struggles for breath. When this happens, the tongue may be pushed back into the mouth, but it is not the tongue creating the blockage of the airway. The tongue cannot move so far back into the throat to completely block the airway unless, of course, the person is unconscious or unresponsive and choking in a rather specific position.
Such blocking of the airway is usually caused by some foreign object, e.g., maybe a piece of food or a small toy. At this point, it is very natural for the person to cough and try to get rid of the blockage. However, if it does not help, somebody must perform the Heimlich manoeuvre or call emergency help.
What to Do if Someone Is Choking?
If you see someone choking, it is most important to act quickly and administer proper first aid. Encourage the person to cough if they can. If the person cannot cough, perform the Heimlich manoeuvre, which involves abdominal thrusts, to force the object from the person’s airway.
While a seizure is happening, make sure to keep calm; keep the person safe by moving away any objects; and check the airway of the person. If, after the seizure, the person is unconscious, then place this person in the recovery position so that the airway may be kept open. When necessary, always call for emergency help.
Can You Choke on Your Tongue?
Swallowing your tongue is impossible, but conditions like an unconscious patient, seizures, or being in an abnormal position may result in the tongue obstructing the airway. Here, the tongue loses muscle tone, gets relaxed, and falls into the throat, which might partially block the airway. Given a supine position (being on one’s back), this could mostly occur, but it is different from having one’s tongue swallowed by someone else.
That is why it is crucial that anyone who is unconscious or having seizures be placed in a position that limits the risk of airway obstruction. The recovery position, with the person lying on their side and their head tilted slightly forward, aids in preventing the tongue from blocking their airway, allowing them to breathe more easily.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, can you swallow your tongue? No way; the tongue is very securely affixed within the mouth, having no real path for it to slide down into the throat. The actual thing can rather happen where the tongue falls backwards into the throat and can partly occlude the airway, which is fatal under some medical situations, like during a seizure or an unconscious state. This is not the same thing as “swallowing the tongue,” yet it does emphasise the importance of knowing how the tongue works in the body and responding to emergencies.
The “tongue swallowing” myth has existed for many decades. Once one gets a little knowledge of anatomy and basic first aid, everyone recognises that this fear is largely unfounded. Since myths only serve to confuse and panic people in an emergency, it is better for the public to calmly understand emergencies as far as it is able. Focusing on the facts by learning first aid skills court will allow the public to take care of any situation that does arise related to airway obstruction, and help the victim to be on the proper course on a timely basis.
