Have you ever been in such a deep slip and ended up waking coughing? Chances are, you choked on your own saliva. Yes, it is very much possible. Saliva is a clear liquid produced by your salivary glands that play a crucial role in digestion and oral health. This is because it washes away bacteria and food particles. The body on an average produces about 1 to 2 litres of saliva daily, and a lot of it is swallowed unconsciously. However, when saliva does not flow smoothly down the throat, it can lead to choking, which can be uncomfortable.

Here's all that you need to know about what causes it, and how can you prevent it.

How to recognize the symptoms of choking on saliva?

This happens when the muscles that are responsible for swallowing weaken or malfunction due to health issues and the symptoms may include:

• Gagging and coughing without eating or drinking
• Gasping for air
• Inability to breathe or speak
• Waking up coughing or gagging

What are the common reasons? Why does it happen?

Some of the common reasons include:

Acid Reflux

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid travels back into the esophagus and mouth, irritating the esophagus and increasing saliva production to neutralize the acid. This buildup of saliva can lead to choking.

Other symptoms of acid reflux:

• Heartburn
• Chest pain
• Nausea

Diagnosis and Treatment:

Acid reflux can be diagnosed via endoscopy or X-rays. Treatment includes antacids to reduce stomach acid.

Sleep-related Swallowing Disorders

When you are sleeping, some abnormal swallowing can occur during that time and it may cause saliva to pool in the mouth and flow into the lungs. This is what leads to choking. This condition is often linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which causes breathing to pause during sleep.

What are the treatment options?

CPAP machines to provide continuous airflow

Oral mouth guards to keep the airway open

Lesions or Tumors in the Throat

Growths in the throat, whether benign or cancerous, can narrow the esophagus and impede swallowing.

Symptoms to Watch For:

• Visible lump in the throat
• Hoarseness
• Sore throat

Treatment:

Treatment may involve surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, depending on the nature of the growth.

Dentures That Don't Fit

Dentures can confuse the brain into perceiving them as food and it may trigger excess saliva production and cause choking. The best way to work this out is by consulting a dentist for proper fitting and adjustment of dentures.

Neurological Disorders

Conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ALS can impair the nerves that control swallowing.

Additional Symptoms:

• Muscle weakness or spasms
• Difficulty speaking

Treatment:

Doctors may prescribe medication to reduce saliva production or teach swallowing techniques.

Heavy Alcohol Use

Excessive alcohol consumption can relax throat muscles, allowing saliva to pool and cause choking.

Prevention Tip:

Moderate alcohol intake and sleep with your head elevated.

Talking Excessively

Speaking continuously without pausing to swallow can lead to saliva entering the windpipe.

Prevention:

Take pauses to swallow while talking.

Allergies or Respiratory Problems

Thickened saliva or mucus due to allergies or infections can obstruct the throat, especially during sleep.

Additional Symptoms:

• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Sneezing

Treatment:

Antihistamines, cold medication, or antibiotics may be prescribed, depending on the underlying cause.

How can you prevent choking from saliva?

In case of sleep apnea, sleep with your head elevated or on your side. You can also try and avoid lying flat right after eating and eat smaller meals to prevent acid reflux. It is also important that you sip water throughout the day to clear any saliva buildup. In severe cases, use over-the-counter medicines for allergies or consult a healthcare provider.

More women in the US and UK are seeking testosterone to manage menopause symptoms, with some turning to online pharmacies without a prescription, according to media reports.

There are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved testosterone products specifically indicated for women. Australia has approved a low-dose testosterone product for postmenopausal women, while the UK and New Zealand permit some female-dosed formulations, although availability varies.

What’s Happening In The US?

Reuters reported that off-label testosterone use is rising in the US, mainly to treat persistently low sexual desire associated with menopause. Some clinicians are also prescribing testosterone for symptoms such as fatigue and loss of muscle strength, despite a lack of medical guidance supporting these uses.

Prescriptions for low sexual desire reportedly rose 146% between January 2023 and July 2026. However, many pharmacies and health insurers continue to deny these prescriptions.

Also read: US Congress To Hold First-ever Menopause Hearing: Why It Matters For Women

Why Are UK Women Turning To Testosterone?

The BBC reported that some women in Wales are posing as men to buy testosterone from online pharmacies because of difficulties accessing NHS prescriptions.

There has also been a “very sharp increase” in testosterone referrals to the NHS for postmenopausal women.

Menopause specialist Dr Michelle Olver said she had seen women with testosterone levels up to 12 times the safe level after buying the hormone online, putting them at risk of permanent side effects.

Why Is Testosterone Gaining Attention?

Also read: ‘I Was Vocal About Cancer But Silent About Menopause Out Of Shame’, Says Actress Lisa Ray

Although testosterone is often called a male hormone, women also produce it, primarily through the ovaries and adrenal glands. Levels generally decline with age.

Some women are prescribed testosterone for distressing loss of sexual desire. Others are seeking it for fatigue, impaired thinking, low mood and loss of muscle strength.

The FDA is set to hold a public workshop on September 17 to examine testosterone use in menopausal women. The agency says off-label use is growing, while questions remain about its effects on sexual function, mood, cognition, muscle and bone health, as well as long-term cardiovascular and breast cancer safety.

What Does The Evidence Say?

Menopause does not automatically mean a woman has a “testosterone deficiency.”

Notably, there is no established testosterone level below which an otherwise healthy woman is diagnosed as testosterone deficient. A blood test alone also cannot determine whether low testosterone is responsible for symptoms such as fatigue, low mood or loss of sexual desire.

However, the Menopause Society and other medical organizations support testosterone use in menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

“We do not have any evidence in women that it will improve muscle mass or bone density or mood or well-being or really any other metric,” said Dr Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health and medical director of The Menopause Society.

“What testosterone is being touted for in the lay public and on social media is not really what we have data for,” she said.

Are There Any Side Effects?

According to Cleveland Clinic, testosterone treatment generally isn’t recommended for women with cardiovascular disease, liver disease or hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast or uterine cancer.

Excess testosterone can cause acne, increased facial or body hair and scalp hair loss. Higher doses may also lead to voice deepening and clitoral enlargement, some of which can be irreversible.

Testosterone should therefore not be used in higher doses as a way to boost energy, muscle strength or libido.

You've probably seen gallon jugs with stuff like "BORG o'clock somewhere" scrawled on them in Sharpies, often showing up at parties. Well, there's actual research on them now, and it's not great.

The study by Rutgers University, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, surveyed over 100 college students about their BORG habits. The study finds significant health risks.

What Is BORG?

BORG stands for "Blackout Rage Gallon," and it's basically a personal-sized jug loaded with liquor, water, and whatever flavoring you're into. It started gaining traction around 2020 and hasn't slowed down since the hashtag #borg has racked up millions in views on TikTok alone.

Here's the number that stands out, though. A full BORG can pack up to a fifth of liquor. That's about 17 standard drinks. In one jug. And it is meant for one person.

ALSO READ: Alcohol-Linked Cancer Deaths Doubled In US: Colorectal Leads In Men, Breast Leads In Women

The study pointed out that drinking games have always been part of college culture. But BORG drinks might be worse than most, mainly because of how they're made. Mixing hard liquor with sweet flavors can make people drink more without realizing how much alcohol they're actually consuming, and the fact that people often share sips of each other's jugs only adds to the risk.

"Excessive drinking in young adults has been fueled by drinking games for many decades. But the mixing of hard liquor and additive flavorings in BORGs may be particularly harmful given the sweetness of the beverage and the lure of sharing one's BORG and tasting others' concoctions," said lead researcher Andrea King, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, US.

When Can BORG Drinks Go Wrong?

The actual numbers from the study are rough. Almost a third of students said they'd blacked out from a BORG at some point, not just "drunk," actually blacked out, meaning their brain stopped saving memories from that stretch of time.

Nearly 20 percent of students said they threw up, and nearly 6 in 10 admitted to saying or doing something embarrassing. And this is just the students who actually admitted to having done this. The actual count could be much higher. Some cases were serious enough to end in injuries or trips to the emergency room.

According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level or risk-free amount of alcohol consumption that does not affect health.

READ MORE: Exclusive: From IPL To Olympics — How Sport Became A Marketing Tool For Junk Food And Sugary Drinks

BORGs: The ‘Safe Drinking’ Myth

What's even more interesting, however, is how this trend began in the first place. BORGs were initially promoted on social media as the more responsible choice when it came to drinking. The idea was for everyone to bring their own jug instead of sharing cups, so as to avoid the spread of germs during the pandemic.

Some recipes online even threw in electrolytes or caffeine, supposedly to dodge hangovers or keep people from getting too drunk. Students still shared their BORGs constantly, and the added ingredients did nothing to stop the harmful effects of drinking so much alcohol at once.

Even knowing all this, however, a lot of students said they're not planning to stop. That's part of why this study seems to emphasize the fact that awareness matters so much, both for students and for their parents.

As King put it, "There are choice points along the way, ranging from whether to attend a BORG event, and if one does attend, whether to bring a BORG beverage and how much (if any) alcohol to put in the beverage. It doesn't have to be all-or-none, as being aware and mindful to minimize risks can be key."

Alzheimer’s disease is normally seen as a disease of old age, something that starts when memory starts to fail in the 70s or 80s. But science has a totally different narrative. Alzheimer’s is not something you ‘catch’ suddenly in old age. It’s a sluggish, degenerative disorder that develops slowly over decades. When a person begins to forget names, ask the same questions, or have trouble with everyday chores, there may have been damage to the brain for years.

This is why neuroprotection should start much earlier, ideally in our 30s and 40s.

Today, most patients only see the neurologist when the symptoms are obvious. Unfortunately, at this stage the disease process has already progressed and therapy options are limited. Doctors and health professionals need to be more open about prevention, to teach younger folks that brain health is established well before retirement age.

Our modern lifestyle is a silent neurological risk. A busy life is making chronic stress, poor sleep, physical inactivity, bad diets and extended hours of sitting normal. But these common activities may be quietly contributing to inflammation that’s damaging blood arteries and brain cells over time. Studies increasingly connect mid-life problems like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and sleep difficulties to a greater risk of dementia in later life.

Sleep is particularly important for removing such toxic substances from the brain. Constant stress boosts cortisol levels, which may interfere with memory areas. A sedentary lifestyle lowers the blood supply to the brain and undermines cognitive resiliency. Something that seems inconsequential today may be important decades from now.

The good news is that prevention is effective. Regular exercise, good sleep, management of stress, social activity, mental stimulation and regular health checks can all help protect the brain. Neuroprotection is not about fear; it’s about awareness and action.

What we decide to do in our 30s and 40s is not just about our careers or lifestyles; it’s about the health of our brains in our 70s and 80s. We need to change the conversation around Alzheimer’s from late-stage therapy to early-life prevention.

By Dr. Neha Pandita, Senior Consultant Neurology, Fortis Noida