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.

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world and is the fastest-growing neurological condition worldwide. Its classic hallmarks - resting tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity usually lead to diagnosis only after extensive dopaminergic neuronal loss has already happened. Newer research, however, highlights a prodromal window that might open decades earlier. There’s an increasing theory that pathological changes of the nervous system could start in a person’s 20s. This means that early detection is not just desirable but could be transformative for clinical outcomes.

Individuals with PD at prodromal and early motor stages alike report symptoms in multiple domains, including behavioral, cognitive, autonomic, sensory, sleep-related, and activities of daily living. Most of these symptoms are subtle and overlap with common conditions, so they aren’t often recognized or are mistaken for ageing, stress or other lifestyle factors. So, identifying consistent patterns amid daily behavioral variations is crucial for improving early PD detection.

Sleep Disturbances: An Early Warning Sign

One of the most robust prodromal markers is REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). People who are affected have sleep disruption, physically act out their dreams during REM phase (acting out dreams), and vivid dream life and some through sleepwalking — all of them worthy substrates for signals of early brainstem pathology.

Loss of Smell May Appear Years Before Diagnosis

Anosmia, a partial or complete loss of the sense of smell, could be PD’s earliest recognizable sign, occurring as much as 10 years before motor signs become apparent. In practice, this means being unable to easily perceive familiar smells like food or coffee. Because this symptom manifests so early and appears so unrelated to the health of the brain, it is rarely taken seriously in clinical practice.

Gut Changes and the Brain Connection

Chronic constipation is a common prodromal symptom indicating reduced gut motility that can predate motor symptoms by years. This observation is consistent with the gut–brain axis hypothesis: gut microbiota dysbiosis disrupts gastrointestinal motility, permeability and inflammation, which may facilitate a prion-like transmission of misformed alpha-synuclein (α-syn) from gut to brain through the enteric nervous system.1 further underscoring the biomarker potential of gastrointestinal symptoms with clinical relevance.

Subtle Changes in Movement and Mood

Before tremors are apparent, there can be subtle changes in fine motor control. Trouble with tasks such as handwriting, using electronic devices or manipulating small objects, along with uncharacteristic anxiety or a low mood, can serve as signals of the preclinical stage. Micrographia (progressively smaller and cramped handwriting) is a particularly telling sign from daily life that deserves a neurological workup when it appears without an obvious cause.

Fatigue and Autonomic Symptoms Can Precede Motor Signs

Fatigue that never seems to get better with rest affects work performance, social engagement and daily motivation, and can occur long before an official diagnosis. More than half of all PD patients develop at least one form of autonomic dysfunction, which can precede motor symptoms by four years or more, and is now being recognized as a key prognostic biomarker for prodromal PD. Cardiovascular instability, orthostatic hypotension, and urinary irregularities further influence how individuals navigate everyday environments long before a definitive diagnosis is made.

Recognizing Early Signals Can Transform Care

The evidence reviewed here collectively supports a paradigm shift: Parkinson's disease is best defined as systemic, progressive, and with recognizable signals in daily life long before motor signs of decline. Disrupted sleep, anosmia, gastrointestinal changes, fine motor difficulties and chronic fatigue are not complaints in a vacuum; they are potential early signs of a neurological process left unsupervised and now in motion. Incorporating routine clinical assessment of these behavioural precursors and pre-motor signs would allow us to meaningfully extend the opportunity for therapeutic intervention, which could in turn improve patient outcomes across a broad range of CNS disorders.

World Zoonoses Day is being observed today amid growing concerns over the rising threat of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola, Marburg and Nipah. More than 60% of human pathogens are zoonotic, while nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals.

According to the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), spillover events—where pathogens jump from animals to humans—have tripled since the 1980s, fueled by deforestation, wildlife trade, industrial farming and climate change.

In an interview with HealthandMe, Dr Nivedita Gupta, Scientist and Head of the Communicable Diseases Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), outlined the key measures policymakers should prioritize to reduce the risk of future pandemics and strengthen global health security.

Dr Gupta stressed that preventing the next pandemic requires a proactive approach built on integrated surveillance, coordinated data sharing, community participation and stronger indigenous research and development.

Strengthening Surveillance

According to Dr Gupta, the first priority should be strengthening surveillance across all sectors—across humans, animals and the environment.

"I think first part is that surveillance should be strengthened in all domains, whether it is human surveillance, animal surveillance, wildlife surveillance, as well as environmental surveillance. So, we really need to do integrated surveillance and strengthen all aspects."

She said early detection is critical to identifying emerging pathogens before they become larger public health threats.

"Unless we are able to detect what is happening at various interfaces, we will never come to know that a certain pathogen or a disease is emerging."

Also read: World Zoonoses Day 2026: Next Pandemic Very Likely, And The World Is Still Underprepared, Says WHO Scientist

Human And Animal Health Data

The second major priority, she said, is ensuring that surveillance data across sectors is connected.

"If I'm seeing unusual bird or animal deaths, if I'm sitting in human sector, I should also know about it and I should be able to act very timely to understand whether there are any implications on humans and vice versa."

Dr Gupta said data from human, animal and wildlife surveillance systems should "talk to each other" to detect zoonotic diseases at an early stage.

She also highlighted the importance of recognizing reverse zoonosis.

"It's not only that we get infections from animals, birds, and wildlife, but animals also get infected from humans. So, that is known as reverse zoonosis. So, it is both ways."

According to her, anything occurring in the human sector should raise equal alarm in the non-human sectors, and vice versa.

Communities Should Become 'Eyes And Ears'

Also read: Natural Origin or Lab Leak? Gabbard Reignites COVID Origins Debate, Claims Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research

Dr Gupta said community participation is another critical pillar of pandemic preparedness.

"I think we really need massive community sensitization. And community should be our eyes and ears because there are many people who live in remote areas, who live in forest fringes, and they might be seeing many unusual things happening like sudden deaths among animals, carcasses."

She noted that there is currently no system to help people recognize unusual events or report them to the authorities.

"I think those systems wherein our community can be our eyes and ears is something that we really need to develop in our country so that any unusual occurrence which happens within domestic animals or forest fringes or in birds or poultry farms can be immediately reported to the relevant authorities and a timely action can be taken."

Strengthen Indigenous R&D

Dr Gupta also stressed the need to strengthen the research ecosystem and also work in collaboration with the industry. She said academia and industry currently work in separate silos, making it difficult to rapidly translate research into products.

It is important "to align academia and industry so that industry gets ready-made products which align with the priorities of the country."

The expert added that stronger industry-academia partnerships would help develop products that serve national priorities.

What Can Individuals Do?

On the role of citizens, Dr Gupta said individuals can contribute by reporting unusual events involving animals or wildlife.

"If I see any unusual thing happening in my domestic settings or around me or if I'm a person residing at forest fringes or in bird sanctuaries, I see unusual deaths, I should be able to report them."

However, she pointed out that governments must first establish a reporting mechanism. "So, currently, even if I want to report today, I don't know where to go."

She said people need to be informed about what constitutes an unusual event and how to report it.

"I think that community sensitization telling them what is unusual, what has to be taken up with a pinch of salt, what has to be reported to the authorities really needs to be told to the people of the country so that they start reporting and they become our sentinels."

Mumbaikars are currently being forced to wade through waterlogged streets, as the city has been receiving heavy rainfall for the last few days.

Floodwater often gets mixed with harmful contaminants like animal waste, animal feces, waste from human settlements, industrial pollutants, and harmful microorganisms, which can lead to serious monsoon infections.

Also Read: Vagus Nerve Implant Shows Promise for Lasting Relief in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Study

Here’s how one can stay safe after getting exposed to floodwater:

Precautionary Measures After Walking Through Floodwater

HealthandMe spoke to Dr. Murtaza S Bagwala, Head of Emergency Medical Services, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, about how to keep infections at bay after coming in contact with filthy floodwater.

Pay Close Attention To Your Feet And Legs, Even If They Don't Hurt

When you are in floodwater, there may be sharp objects like broken glass, nails, stones and metal debris around you. You are more likely to come in contact with these objects unintentionally.

Dr. Bagwala recommends, “Small cuts, blisters, or punctures may not be noticed but can lead to infection if bacteria get into the skin. If you see any injury, clean it well, brush on antiseptics and consult a doctor for advice if the wound is deep or dirty.”

Also read: World Zoonoses Day 2026: Monsoon Season And The Rise Of Zoonotic Diseases

Don't Overlook Body Aches Or Fever In The Following Days

As the risk of contracting infections is high during monsoon, do not neglect if you develop flu-like symptoms after coming in contact with contaminated floodwater. The expert warns against dangerous monsoon infections like leptospirosis.

He says, “After contact with water contaminated with the urine of an infected animal (usually a rodent), the early symptoms of leptospirosis may include fever, severe muscle pain, headache, vomiting, chills, or redness of the eyes. The symptoms are very similar to those of a viral disease, so prompt medical evaluation is crucial to avoid complications, such as kidney, liver, or lung involvement.”

Don't Ignore Skin Changes

The doctor also says that if your skin’s colour or texture changes after getting exposed to floodwater, do not ignore it. He says that if the area around the feet or legs becomes red, swollen, painful, warm, discharges pus or the itching persists, it should be treated immediately.

These can be signs of bacterial or fungal infections that need to be treated, especially in individuals with diabetes, poor blood flow, or impaired immune function.

Also read: Leptospirosis In Monsoon: Expert Explains Why Early Detection & Prevention Is A Must

Determine If Your Tetanus Shots Are Updated

As you can get cuts and bruises after walking through floodwater, it is important to stay on top of your tetanus shots.

The expert advises, “Seek health care advice if you have a cut or puncture wound, particularly from a sharp object that was submerged in the water, while walking through the water. Early management of wounds can help avoid complications."

Take Precautions When Eating Or Drinking After Exposure

You are also at risk of contracting gastrointestinal infections after coming in contact with floodwater. Contaminated water may enter your mouth and lead to stomach and intestinal infections or may contact food and lead to food poisoning.

Prevent diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration by drinking only clean, safe water, eating only freshly prepared food and practicing good hand hygiene before eating.