When you suffer from anxiety many of the symptoms can be physical. Some people experience a wide range of physical symptoms including anything from headaches to heart palpitations. In this series we will explore the many ways that anxiety can manifest in both physical and mental symptoms and what you can do about it. I thought we would start off this series by discussing the symptom of gagging.
Over the years we have received multiple questions about this particular symptom from members wondering what they can do about their anxiety induced gagging. For example, member Jacob asks, “How can I stop gagging?”
My "full-blown" panic attacks involve gagging and dry-heaving. When I start to get nervous, I can tell it's about to happen (a panic attack) and I start gagging uncontrollably. It's ruining my life!!
And member Michael wrote in to tell us, “I feel like, and do gag when I get nervous.” He goes on to describe how difficult it is to do things like go to the dentist:
Today I have to go to the dentist, and just the thought of going there and placing those x-ray things in my mouth makes me gag. If I'm around certain people, at times I do the same thing. Is there anything I can do? I have never seen a doctor to discuss this, and feel quite abnormal, even embarrassed.
Judging by the number of follow up comments it is clear to see that Jacob and Michael are not alone in dealing with this gagging problem. In researching this symptom I have found people who write on a variety of forums including those for ears, nose and throat, gastrointestinal, and anxiety health sites looking for some sort of remedy. It can be a very difficult symptom to deal with and especially you are not sure what is causing it in the first place.
What is the gag reflex?
The gag reflex is actually very beneficial to our survival as it helps to prevent us from choking or ingesting harmful substances. When the gag reflex is triggered, the muscles of the back of the throat start to contract in order to repel the toxic substance or prevent us from swallowing something which could impair our breathing. Gagging, dry heaves, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting can all be considered nervous system defensive behaviors, having the same purpose of getting rid of potentially harmful substances from our body.
With some people, this gag reflex is considered to be hyperactive and is set off by something other than the normal environmental triggers. One of the possible triggers for an over-reactive gag reflex can be anxiety as stress can fire off chemical signals to stimulate nervous system reactions including gagging or dry heaves.
Are there medical conditions which can cause the symptom of gagging?
If you are dealing with the feeling of chronic gagging, you really need to get this symptom checked out by a doctor first. Anxiety could be exacerbating an already existing medical condition which has been left untreated. It is always wise to rule out any medical cause for physical symptoms you may be experiencing so that the appropriate treatment is given.
