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.

Quitting smoking may give your lungs a chance to recover, but not all damage can be reversed. On World Lung Day, doctors explain the healing process in all kinds of smokers, from those who have one cigarette per week to those who went through ten packs a day.

Find out why former smokers cough more after quitting, and when lung damage becomes irreversible.

Every cigarette exposes the lungs to a mixture of toxic chemicals that can cause inflammation of the airways, deteriorate their natural cleaning system and, over time, damage the lung tissue itself.

Some effects of smoking can improve substantially after quitting. Airway inflammation may settle down, excess mucus can decrease, the cilia that clear particles from the respiratory tract can regain function, and symptoms such as cough and breathlessness may improve. Quitting also stops the continued exposure responsible for the accelerated loss of lung function.

But when smoking has already destroyed lung tissue, particularly in emphysema, the damage cannot simply be reversed.

“Smoking-related lung damage is not an all or none phenomenon,” Dr Swapneel Mehta, Sr. Consultant, Pulmonology, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai told HealthandMe.

“The lungs do begin to recover after the last cigarette, although the extent of recovery depends on how much damage has already occurred.”

The Recovery Process Starts Soon

Although different parts of the respiratory system recover at different rates and speed, the body starts responding after you quit smoking almost immediately.

In a conversation with HealthandMe, Dr Tejveer Singh, HOD, Respiratory, Sleep Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology, Bhagwan Mahavir Manipal Hospital, Ranchi, said carbon monoxide levels in the blood start falling within hours of quitting. This allows oxygen to be transported more effectively.

Over the following days and weeks, irritation and inflammation in the airways can gradually decrease. Cough, phlegm and breathing difficulties may subsequently improve.

Dr Prasanna Kumar T, HOD & Consultant, Respiratory Medicine, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, told HealthandMe about the changes in the lungs' mucociliary clearance system, which helps remove mucus and inhaled particles from the airways. He said studies have found measurable improvement in mucociliary clearance after smoking cessation, with some research reporting significant improvement within the first month and further gains over longer periods.

He said, “Ciliary and mucociliary functioning, the recovery starts and there are certain studies that were published shows that nasal mucociliary escalator or clearance which may return to normal range by day 15 post stopping smoking with benefit sustained to up to 180 days, that is 6 months. Well, there are other studies which also show that 63% of the people who quit smoking showed significant improvement in this mucociliary clearance at end of one month raising up to 85% at the end of 12 months.”

He added, “So, there is definitely a measurable gain in the lung function which is measured by spirometry and there is reductions in the cough and the breathlessness which is actually the basic symptomatology which will typically emerge over 2 weeks to 3 months as there is evolution of airway inflammation and bronchospasm can also subside.”

Also read: FDA To Speed Up Approval Process For Vapes & Nicotine Pouches: Does It Mean They Are Safer Than Cigarettes?

Quitting Can Make You Cough More At First

The lungs have their own cleaning system. Mucus traps dust, microorganisms and other inhaled particles, while microscopic hair-like structures called cilia move that mucus upwards, allowing it to be coughed out or swallowed. Smoking damages this system, reducing the effectiveness of ciliary movement.

Once smoking stops, ciliary function can gradually recover. As the airways become better at moving accumulated mucus and particles out, coughing and sputum production can temporarily increase. Dr Singh said this is an important distinction for people who have recently quit.

He said, “After smoking stops, ciliary function can gradually improve, helping the lungs clear mucus and trapped particles more effectively. This is one reason some people cough more during the initial period after quitting.”

Dr Kumar explained that different parts of the airway immune system recover at different speeds. Ciliary function can improve earlier, while changes in the physical properties of mucus may take considerably longer. Over time, better airway clearance can contribute to fewer respiratory symptoms and may reduce chances of respiratory infections.

Also read: It’s Not Just Tobacco: The Hidden Oral Cancer Risks We Rarely Talk About

Occasional Smoking Versus Years Of Chain Smoking

The amount and duration of smoking matter because smoking-related lung damage accumulates over time. Doctors often quantify exposure using pack-years, which takes into account both the number of cigarettes smoked and the number of years a person has smoked.

Someone who has smoked occasionally is less likely to have developed extensive structural damage. If smoking is stopped before substantial lung-function loss occurs, there is greater scope for recovery and preservation of remaining lung function.

Repeated exposure can cause chronic airway inflammation, thickening and remodelling of the airway walls, destruction of the attachments around the alveoli and progressive airflow limitation. Dr Kumar described this as a dose-response relationship rather than simply a question of how many years someone has smoked.

“The message here is by quitting smoking, there would be some changes that can be seen as a trajectory moving forward at any stage of stopping the smoking,” he said. “But what you should understand is that it does not reset the starting point in long-term smokers.”

The classic Fletcher-Peto curve is often used to illustrate this concept. Lung function naturally declines with age, but in smokers the decline can become much faster.

Dr Mehta explains, “With prolonged and heavy smoking, however, the risk of COPD, emphysema and irreversible loss of lung tissue increases. The classic Fletcher Peto curve helps explain this. Lung function, measured by FEV₁, normally declines gradually with age. In susceptible smokers, this decline can become much steeper.”

He added, “The earlier someone quits, ideally before significant loss of FEV₁ has occurred, the greater the opportunity to preserve the lung function they still have. At the same time, it is important to remember that the Fletcher Peto curve is a conceptual model and that individual rates of lung function decline can vary considerably.”

Also read: Never Smoked, Still Got Lung Cancer? Rare Gene Mutation Linked To Over 60x Risk

What Can Actually Reverse, and What Cannot?

Lung recovery can be explained by understanding functional and inflammatory changes from smoking-related destruction. According to the doctors, changes that can improve after quitting include:

• Airway inflammation
• Excess mucus production
• Poor mucus clearance
• Ciliary dysfunction
• Some amount of airflow limitation
• Cough, phlegm and breathlessness

Structural destruction of the lungs includes emphysema. In emphysema, the walls of the alveoli, the tiny air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged, are destroyed. Those damaged air sacs do not simply grow back after a person quits smoking. Established fibrosis, airway remodelling and fixed airflow limitation can also become permanent.

Dr Mehta put it simply, “This is where it is important to understand the difference between inflammation and actual structural damage. Airway inflammation, excess mucus production and impaired mucus clearance can improve after quitting. Lung function may also improve to some extent,” he said. “However, when emphysema has destroyed the walls of the alveoli, those air sacs do not regenerate.”

Dr Kumar similarly pointed to the distinction between reversible airway changes and established lung parenchymal damage. “The 2026 GOLD report explicitly points out that once there is lung parenchymal damage in COPD, lung function rarely recovers fully,” he said.

The 2026 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) report is the current evidence-based strategy document for COPD prevention, diagnosis, and management.

Also read: 9/11: US CDC To Launch Health Study Of Exposed Children By 2027

Feeling Better Does Not Mean Lungs Have Fully Recovered

One of the more deceptive aspects of smoking-related lung disease is that symptoms and lung damage do not always move together. A person may stop smoking, notice that their cough has disappeared and find that they can climb stairs without feeling breathless. That is good news, but it does not necessarily mean that every underlying damage from smoking has reversed.

“The lungs have considerable functional reserve, so early airflow limitations or structural changes may remain unnoticed until a substantial amount of function has been affected,” Dr Singh said.

Dr Mehta similarly cautioned that symptoms are not always a reliable indicator of early lung injury. “Feeling well does not necessarily mean that the lungs are completely healthy,” he said.

This is where testing becomes important for people with a significant smoking history or relevant symptoms. Doctors use various types tests to measure how much air a person can breathe out and how quickly they can do it, helping doctors identify airflow obstruction.

Spirometry is one of the key tests. Depending on the clinical situation, doctors may also consider:

• Diffusing capacity testing (DLCO): can provide information about how efficiently gases move from the lungs into the blood.
• Chest imaging: can identify structural abnormalities that may not be apparent from symptoms alone.
• Oxygen or gas-exchange assessment: may be used when clinically indicated.
• Low-dose CT: may have a role in selected people at high risk of lung cancer and can also reveal structural abnormalities.

Dr Kumar said the practical message for people with a substantial smoking history is straightforward - “Feeling better is not the same as being cleared.”

Other Factors That Slow Down Lung Recovery

Former smokers may continue to encounter second-hand smoke, air pollution, biomass smoke, construction dust, industrial fumes and other occupational irritants. These exposures can sustain airway inflammation and aggravate respiratory conditions. Dr Kumar described recovery as something that can be affected when the airways remain under chronic irritation.

“Recovery is not a one-way door if the airway remains under chronic assault,” he said.

Dr. Singh cautions similarly, saying that these exposures can irritate the airways, worsen inflammation, and aggravate conditions like asthma or COPD. He said, “For someone whose lungs have already been affected by smoking, repeated exposure can further compromise respiratory health.”

He advised that former smokers should avoid second-hand tobacco smoke, minimise exposure during periods of severe air pollution where practical and use appropriate protective equipment when occupational exposure to dust or fumes cannot be avoided.

He added, “Persistent cough, wheezing, breathlessness, recurrent chest infections, blood in sputum or an unexplained decline in exercise capacity should not be dismissed simply because a person has stopped smoking; these symptoms warrant medical evaluation.”

Conclusion

For someone who smoked occasionally or for a shorter period and stops before significant structural damage develops, there may be substantial recovery of airway function and symptoms. For a long-term heavy smoker, quitting can still produce important benefits, including slowing further loss of lung function and improving symptoms, but it cannot always return the lungs to their original state.

“The good news is that quitting smoking benefits the lungs at any age, regardless of how long or how heavily a person has smoked,” Dr Mehta said.

The lungs may not be able to erase every scar left by years of tobacco exposure, but stopping the exposure gives them the opportunity to recover where recovery is possible and, just as importantly, protects the lung function that has not yet been lost.

“Every smoke-free day means less exposure to the lungs and a better opportunity to preserve the lung function you still have,” Dr Mehta said.

A new study has revealed an alarming trend in stroke cases in the past three decades. Strokes have often been associated as an age-related disease. But according to a study published in Neurology, the rate of stroke among adults aged 20 to 54 has nearly doubled between 1993-94 and 2020.

Researchers examined data from the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Stroke Study and identified 2,076 first-time strokes among people in this age group.

The rate of stroke rose from 33.9 cases per 100,000 person-years in 1993-94 to 62.2 in 2020. The increase was largely driven by ischemic stroke, which happens when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked.

The study points towards an alarming pattern, especially among younger age groups. It raises the question of why are strokes are occurring earlier in life?

High Blood Pressure, Diabetes And Other Risks

The researchers found that several risk factors of stroke became more common among younger people. These included lifestyle disorders like high blood pressure, diabetes and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can increase the risk of blood clots.

Apart from lifestyle diseases, researchers also saw an increase in substance use. Among younger adults who had suffered a stroke, substance use rose from 4.6% in 1993-94 to 40.2% in 2020. Much of this increase was linked to marijuana use.

However, the study does not prove that these factors caused the overall rise in stroke rates. Researchers did not have comparable information from people who had not suffered a stroke, making it impossible to determine whether the changing risk factors directly explain the surge in cases.

According to the study, the increase was concentrated mainly in ischemic strokes. The rate of ischemic stroke among 20- to 54-year-olds rose from 23.8 to 47.3 cases per 100,000 person-years during the study period.

Researchers did not observe a similar increase in intracerebral haemorrhage, which involves bleeding within the brain, or subarachnoid haemorrhage, which involves bleeding around the brain.

Also read: Can A Roller Coaster Cause A Brain Bleed? What Sudden Acceleration And Deceleration Does To The Brain

What Is An Ischemic Stroke?

An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying part of the brain becomes blocked, cutting off oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells can start dying within minutes, which is why stroke treatment is highly time-sensitive.

The warning signs of stroke can appear suddenly. They include:

• Facial drooping
• Weakness
• Numbness in an arm or leg
• Difficulty speaking

The commonly used FAST acronym stands for Face, Arm, Speech and Time. If these symptoms appear, emergency medical care should be sought immediately.

Also read: UK Student Nearly Dies After Accidental Paracetamol Overdose: Why It Can Cause Liver Failure

More Young People Are Surviving Stroke

This is another interesting finding. Although stroke became more common among younger adults, the study found that the 30-day death rate declined modestly, from 11.7% in 1993-94 to 9.4% in 2020 after adjusting for age, race and sex.

That means more younger people may be surviving strokes but potentially living with their long-term consequences.

The researchers say the findings highlight the importance of identifying and managing stroke risk factors earlier in adulthood. More research is still required to understand what is behind the changing pattern and how it can be prevented.

A 20-year-old UK student nearly died after accidentally taking two over-the-counter medicines that both contained paracetamol.

Riley Lubas, a first-year University of Bath student, developed a bad cold in March 2025. Days later, he developed severe stomach pain and was found to have serious liver damage.

What Happened?

Doctors initially suspected hepatitis, but Riley's condition rapidly worsened. He became delirious and hallucinated as his liver began to fail. His lungs and kidneys also stopped working, leaving him in multiple organ failure.

He was placed on life support and dialysis before being transferred to King's College Hospital in London, where doctors identified the cause after asking about his paracetamol use.

"It didn't necessarily help with a solution, but it was good to know the cause at last," his father, Chris, said.

Also read: ‘Zombie’ Drug Medetomidine, Spotted In Heroin Supply, Raises Concern As It Could Evade Overdose Antidote

Riley Had To Learn To Walk And Talk Again

Riley was assessed for a liver transplant after his parents were warned that some of the damage could be "irreversible". But his liver began to recover.

"We watched Riley's situation closely for a couple of days, and he continued to improve, until he was taken off dialysis and life support just a week later."

Riley spent six weeks at King's College Hospital and later moved to an ICU in Newport. After a tracheostomy and multiple organ failure, he had to relearn how to speak and walk.

"But just seeing him up and alive again was unbelievable," his father said.

Riley has since recovered and returned to work as a bartender.

"It was mad how quickly it all escalated," he said.

"Because I was already sick, when my stomach hurt I just assumed I'd caught a stomach bug, so I didn't notice the pain in my liver specifically."

"I'm just so grateful that I was able to come out the other end alright."

Why Combining Cold And Flu Medicines Can Be Risky

Read More: Are GLP-1 Drugs Safe for Children? Study Finds Nutritional Deficiency in Nearly 17% Within a Year

Riley's case highlights the risk of taking multiple medicines without realizing they contain the same active ingredient.

Dr Will Mackintosh, a GP and chairman of RCGP Cymru Wales, said accidental paracetamol overdose in young people was "a fairly rare occurrence", but warned that people can inadvertently take two products containing paracetamol, BBC reported.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned that "simple misunderstandings" about medicines can have serious consequences, highlighting the importance of checking the ingredients beforehand.

The Royal College of General Practitioners Cymru Wales also advised people to "read the label carefully" before taking medicines.

How Much Paracetamol Is Safe?

For most adults, the usual dose is 500 mg to 1,000 mg at a time, with at least four hours between doses.

The usual maximum is 4,000 mg in 24 hours, although some people may need a lower dose because of their weight, liver or kidney problems, alcohol use or other health conditions.

The important point is to count paracetamol from all medicines, including cold and flu products.

How Can An Overdose Damage The Liver?

The liver breaks down paracetamol. When too much is taken, a toxic substance can build up and damage liver cells. Severe overdose can lead to liver failure and death.

Early symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, but serious poisoning may not cause obvious symptoms immediately. Later signs can include jaundice, confusion and extreme sleepiness.

What To Do After Taking Too Much

If you think you have taken too much paracetamol — including by combining medicines that contain it — seek urgent medical advice immediately.

Do not wait for symptoms. Early treatment can reduce the risk of serious liver damage.

Always check the active ingredients on painkillers and cold and flu medicines before taking them together.