Disorders that can affect the gag reflex include stroke, Lou Gehrig's disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome.Īs well, surgical patients and sedated individuals often have sluggish gag reflexes. Certain medical conditions can cause individuals to lose control of their motor skills, often making one more prone to a weak gag reflex. To decrease the activity of a gag reflex, you can apply numbing spray or local anesthetic, available from your local pharmacy, to the back of the throat.īy contrast, an impaired gag reflex can be serious and must be investigated and the consequences addressed. In some cases, it is actually a response to fear. Certain individuals experience an overactive gag reflex, which can be attributed to many factors including an oversensitive palate, illness in general, or learned behaviour. This prevents food and drink from entering improper passageways such as the trachea or the nose.Īn overactive gag reflex is not life-threatening, and it is possible to correct it or at least alleviate some of the discomfort. When the palate is stimulated by an object such as that toothbrush, a sensory message travels to the brain stem where a motor neuron sends a message to raise the palate and cause the throat muscles to contract. Sometimes, however, the reflex is overactive or impaired. The gag reflex is controlled by the brain stem, the part of the brain that prevents choking and aspiration, and ensures normal swallowing. The reaction does not necessarily occur because you are so disgusted that you feel like retching, although this is the common definition of gag and has been infused into North American slang, giving birth to clichéd expressions such as "gag gift" and "gag me."
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