# OK, what IS this gurgle in my throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396 "2011-01-12T23:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/1 "2011-01-12T23:02:44Z")
When I take a drink of water, very often after I swallow there’s a gurgling sound in my throat. It’s not the water itself going down - there’s a very definite upward sensation - and I don’t like carbonation so I’m not ingesting any CO2 bubbles, just still water. It also doesn’t happen every single time - just frequently. Googling around reveals that a lot of other people have this as well but I couldn’t find a reason for it. Is it air from my stomach being displaced by the water I just drank? If so, why doesn’t it happen each time I drink? (I do have issues with gulping air into my stomach, so it’s possible I have more air in that organ than your average Joe.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/2 "2011-01-13T21:06:55Z")
- gurgle \* Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It comes from right behind what would be my Adam’s apple if I was a dude. High up in the throat. Does that help? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/3 "2011-01-13T21:46:43Z")
Swallowed a murloc? …which you’ll get if you play World of Warcraft and won’t at all if you don’t… ---
**Author:** ![heavyarms553](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@heavyarms553](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavyarms553)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/4 "2011-01-13T22:11:52Z")
Zenker’s diverticulum? Can’t really tell from your description. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/5 "2011-01-13T23:28:51Z")
I have no idea but your op cracked me the hell up! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/6 "2011-01-14T17:01:59Z")
> [@Omegaman](#): > > I have no idea but your op cracked me the hell up! 😕 I wasn’t trying to be funny … 😕 (If you heard me, however, you might crack up again. It’s kind of a funny sound.) I thought **heavyarms** was messing with me but a little [research](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenker's_diverticulum)shows otherwise. However, the article says one of the symptoms is “involuntary gurgling noises when swallowing,” which I take to mean _during,_ and the gurgle for me manifests itself about 1-3 seconds after I’ve swallowed. As another data point: the gurgle will also happen if I’m horizontal. I keep water by my bed, and early this morning I woke, took a big gulp of water, and _immediately_ lay back down. About a second later, **grrggggle.** ---
**Author:** ![MollieS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@MollieS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MollieS)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/7 "2012-08-07T13:24:13Z")
Hi. Have you found a solution yet? I have exactly the same problem but haven’t found something yet… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/8 "2012-08-07T14:08:02Z")
I get this too. I always assumed it’s just a little bit of air (from inside my mouth) that I swallowed with the water bubbling its way back up. I sometimes get it even when I’m swallowing nothing other than saliva. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/9 "2012-08-07T14:41:01Z")
Are you a Gargoyle who was adopted by humans? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/10 "2012-08-07T18:06:57Z")
For me, it seems to be related to my gastric reflux. When I was struggling with that, I would get that gurgling every night - like little bubbles once or twice a minute all night long. I have been off the medication and symptom free for a couple of years now, and rarely notice it anymore. Might be worth checking with a doctor, then. ---
**Author:** ![BigDog1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/34f0e0/32.png) [@BigDog1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDog1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/11 "2012-08-07T21:24:37Z")
My vote is for a Zenker’s diverticulum. I had one and I had a diverticulectomy. Good as new now. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/12 "2012-08-09T02:53:34Z")
Yeah, my first thought was totally that your diverticulum is acting up. Yup, totally that. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/13 "2012-08-09T03:35:32Z")
This happens to me all the time, and not just when I drink something. I have really bad acid reflux, if that gives anyone any clues. My theory, made up right now on the spot, is that since the sphincter on the top of my stomach doesn’t work at all, air escapes when I move around. It isn’t anything like a burp though. ---
**Author:** ![Ajk417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/da6949/32.png) [@Ajk417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ajk417)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-is-this-gurgle-in-my-throat/567396/14 "2020-04-23T21:31:00Z")
purple, did you ever figure this out? I have exactly the same thing…