I’ve heard swallowing problems can be related to jaw problems like TMJ and gastro problems like reflux too.
And Adderall.
Swallowing function and dry mouth is also related to certain psych meds.
This. I’ve been diagnosed with Tourette’s, a bit of OCD and ADHD-I, FWIW. My doc suggested Focalin, and I noticed losing the ability to swallow for a few seconds only every so often, which would of course trigger a mild panic attack. And I’d just have to breathe for a sec, relax, then I seemed normal again.
Kinda freaky, to say the least. I think he started me on too high a dosage.
OpalCat, I have often had this problem too. I think it’s worse when I’m stressed, and I think it’s worse when I focus on it and goes away when I am doing something important that distracts me.
In my experience your description of “forgetting how” seems perfect. It is not as though the muscles stop working - it is as though I can’t remember what signals to send to them.
Odd coincidence. Today at work a conversation started up about one of the guys loudly slurping when he drinks tea or coffee. He, and the woman cruel enough to mention it, were both roundly mocked. It was all in good spirits and no feelings were hurt but it reminded me of something that had happened to me once, so I told the story.
I was working as a Psychiatric Nurse. One night on night duty I was sitting in the ward office with the one other nurse, the ward totally quiet, having a cup of tea. I took a sip and as I swallowed it seemed to me that I made an enormous “gulping” sound, as though I were swallowing a whole hard boiled egg.
I tried again and the same thing happened. I was sure the other nurse must be able to hear it. Another go but try to swallow more slowly. I paid attention as I did it and could fell it going down - and now it felt like a whole hard boiled egg.
And that was it. I became so self-conscious about the noises I was making and so focused on the details of swallowing that I couldn’t effortlessly swallow for a million dollars. Every attempt to stop myself made it worse and in the end I gave up having cups of tea.
Never happened again but funnily enough I’m sure it’s the same thing as “choking” in sports - you start to pay conscious attention to an unconscious act - and your conscious mind doesn’t know how to get you through it.
So I think the trick is distraction. Send your mind off on another tangent and your reflexes will look after themselves. I’ll bet you find that these incidents don’t happen when you are totally caught up in things outside yourself.
Do you experience heartburn (or GERD)? You may have Shakzki’s Rings. I too had occasions when I could not physically swallow. I could get food out of my mouth, but it would not reach my stomach.
Acid irritation at the lower end of my esophagus caused fibrous bands (the afore mentioned rings) to form, essentially stiffening the muscles…stopping the progression of peristalsis. A gastroenterologist can stretch out the rings, which helps for a while. The real fix is to get rid of the acid irritation. Meds or, in my case, an experimental implant (Medtronic Gatekeeper).
If you have acid reflux, check that out.