How to get rid of the gag reflex during. Constant gag reflex

Nausea is terrible unpleasant feeling. In addition, patients with an increased gag reflex must constantly keep the situation under control. For example, when visiting a dentist's office, they have to take medications that can suppress an attack and adhere to a diet so that during the appointment the breakfast they eat does not suddenly come out.

If the patient has a normal gag reflex, this does not cause any problems. On the contrary, regarding natural protective properties body, it helps protect the body from the effects of various toxic substances that enter the digestive system, helps eliminate the consequences of excessive libation alcoholic drinks or eating poor quality food the day before. The gag reflex, starting in the area of the posterior wall of the larynx, also protects against penetration into Airways foreign bodies, “throws out” unwanted objects stuck in the larynx.

But often in some patients this reflex is very exaggerated. When even the faintest touch of the palate or tongue can provoke vomiting, this condition cannot be called normal. And the area of such an increased gag reflex can even extend to the front teeth. This can create problems both at the dentist’s appointment during x-rays, taking impressions, and so on, and with the therapist and other doctors.

This phenomenon must be combated. Currently, there are many techniques that are truly effective in eliminating of this disease. Below we will talk about why this happens and how to get rid of the gag reflex.

Signs

The main symptoms of this phenomenon should be called painful sensations in the stomach, nausea, vomiting itself, etc. They usually appear in the evening hours or in the morning before breakfast. The duration can vary greatly, the duration range can be from two to three minutes to twelve hours. Episodes in most cases can repeat for a week, in some cases up to fourteen days.

Other signs usually include the patient's facial pallor, haggard appearance, and marked apathy. Often the attacks of nausea and vomiting are very strong, and the patient may even lose consciousness. In addition to the above symptoms, outbreaks of the disease may be accompanied by:

increased sensitivity to light;
severe headaches;
diarrhea;
fever;
dizziness;
stomach pains.

In addition, when vomiting occurs increased salivation, and feeling constant desire drink. Water, in turn, provokes a greater amount of vomit, although it has a beneficial effect on reducing the concentration of acid in the stomach, dissolving, thereby reducing painful sensations. Constant vomiting often leads to dehydration, resulting in a water and salt imbalance in the patient.

Constant gag reflex

This phenomenon is characterized by constant nausea and vomiting, this often lasts up to several hours, but usually manifests itself at strictly defined moments. This reflex is mainly characteristic of children, but is not excluded in adult patients.

The connection between the reflex and migraine

It is not yet fully understood, but research in this area indicates its existence. Initially, the presence of a headache and migraine can be detected, then an abdominal migraine appears, causing pain in the abdominal area. After this, a gag reflex occurs, often accompanied by these headaches.

In addition, most of the signs that cause the onset of a gag reflex also give rise to the development of migraine. These triggers are characterized by the presence of factors such as excitement and emotional stress.

And finally, thirdly, as studies show in most children suffering from a gag reflex, one can see the presence of heredity of migraine, or it simply develops with age.

Because of the similarities between the two, gag reflex and migraine, doctors try to prescribe some patients with serious medications, also used for headaches and migraines. Medicines have the ability to extinguish outbreaks of the disease, reduce the frequency and dangerous consequences.

Complications

The gag reflex, which occurs constantly, can cause very Negative consequences. Some of the most basic ones are given below:

Dehydration. As a result of this phenomenon, the patient's body loses a lot of water.
Electrolyte imbalance. The gag reflex is also complicated by the loss of salts, resulting in a disruption of their normal functioning.
Digestive esophagitis. The consequences of the disease negatively affect the esophagus - the tube connecting the stomach and mouth. This occurs as a result of damage caused by the acid produced by the stomach causing the gag reflex.
Hematemesis. It is characterized by vomit mixed with blood due to bleeding of the esophagus due to injuries received.
Esophageal rupture. As a rule, this affects the lower part of this organ, which can rupture if vomiting regularly collides with the stomach.
Dental lesions. Often the reflex leads to damage to the teeth from exposure to the acid contained in the vomit. Acid is known to have a negative effect on enamel.

There may be other equally serious complications.

Causes

To get rid of the gag reflex, you first need to consider the main reasons that can cause it. But first, it should probably be said that sometimes patients themselves are able to determine the factors that provoked vomiting. One of the most common is the consequences of infection. You can also name a reason, which is often found in young patients. It is directly related to emotional stress, anxiety or strong excitement. Colds, allergic reactions, and overuse before going to bed some foods, for example, cheese or chocolate.

As a rule, outbreaks of the gag reflex are divided into:

Physiological.
Psychological.

The first type in most cases includes the following provoking factors:

nasal breathing problems, various injuries with damage to the septum or inflammatory processes in the sinuses;
the presence of toxicosis, which usually occurs in the early stages of pregnancy;
a consequence of the response to touching certain places in oral cavity;
pathology gastrointestinal tract or other diseases of the intestines and other organs;
the result of extensive intoxication of the body.

If we list psychological problems that cause the urge to vomit, then we can basically boil it all down to various stressful situations, nervous overstrain, as well as many others. At the same time, it is impossible to identify any specific reasons for the gag reflex, taking into account which it would be possible to avoid a repetition of the situation in the future. After all, each new outbreak, as a rule, differs from other previous ones. Moreover, it is typical for outbreaks to occur at the same time of day, last the same period of time and have the same symptoms.

If there is a constant gag reflex, then different ages this phenomenon has its own distinctive features. It is typical for adult patients that episodes of vomiting last longer than in children, but occur less frequently. In addition, the causes of vomiting are much easier to determine in children than in adult patients. For a constant gag reflex there are no age restrictions, it can manifest itself at any age, however, in children this most often happens in the age range from three to seven years.

A few words should also be said about the episodes themselves. They are sometimes very difficult, so severe that the patient cannot get out of bed for several days. Currently, there are no accurate statistics on the number of people suffering from this disease, however, some medical researchers believe that there are quite a lot of such patients. The difficulty in determining the exact figure is that there are many common diseases that can also cause vomiting. A large number of patients are given a definite diagnosis without taking into account the fact that the main disease here is precisely the constant gag reflex.

Phases of the gag reflex

There are several of them. Below are the four main ones:

Symptom phase. It is a precursor to the gag reflex and signals the imminent onset of the next episode of the disease. This phase is quite often characterized by severe abdominal pain; its duration can vary dramatically and take either several minutes or hours. In some cases, when taking medications during the early phase of symptoms, the gag reflex may stop. It should be noted here that sometimes this phase may be absent altogether: the patient begins to vomit immediately after waking up.
Flash phase. Actually, it speaks for itself and is characterized directly by nausea and vomiting; the patient feels extremely unsatisfactory, he lacks the desire and ability not only to eat and drink, but even to use medicines from vomiting. The patient has a pale face, exhaustion, and is drawn to sleep.
Recovery phase. It begins after the outbreak phase has stopped, that is, when the patient no longer feels sick or vomits. It is characterized by the return to the face of a healthy natural color, appetite and energy.
Interval phase. Its name also explains the essence of the process, which is a period when there are no symptoms between episodes.

How to suppress the gag reflex

It is believed that this disease cannot be completely cured. Of course, treatment can alleviate suffering to some extent. First of all, experts advise devoting more time to night rest and not overworking yourself physically and emotionally. And, of course, follow recommendations that help prevent outbreaks of the disease, stop them, and reduce the number of symptoms.

During the next episode of illness, you must continue to lie in bed, the room should be quiet and dark. If the patient is suffering severe nausea and vomiting may require hospitalization for internal fluid infusion. This will help prevent dehydration. Sedatives can be of great help.

In some cases, when initial stage vomiting is completely prevented. For example, patients who experience severe pain before the onset of an episode can take ibuprofen after first consulting with their doctor. There are also effective means to calm the stomach, for example, omeprazole, it reduces acidity.

To restore salt and water imbalance, it is very important to drink water and products to replace lost electrolytes, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Here it must be taken into account that the symptoms of the disease may change during the recovery phase, therefore, even if the patient detects a return of appetite, one should not immediately consume solid food, but should initially drink only water.

For patients who suffer prolonged and severe episodes of the disease, treatment should be given in between episodes to make them less intense. Among medicines that can eliminate headaches and migraines include, for example, Panadol and amitriptyline. They should be taken at intervals, but it must be taken into account that they are not always effective for every patient. To understand their effectiveness, sometimes such medicines should be taken for one or two weeks.

In addition, the last phase deserves special attention. It is considered precisely the time when it is possible to establish the cause of the disease. For example, if the patient is aware that during the intermediate stage he suffers from severe anxiety or stress, then he should pay attention to the condition nervous system. When he has an exacerbation of sinus problems or an allergy appears, then this is what should be under special attention.

Effective remedies

As mentioned above, to get rid of the gag reflex, doctors recommend omeprazole, which instantly reduces acidity and can protect against vomiting and nausea, as well as heartburn, and ibuprofen. In addition, there are many effective ways that will help suppress the urge to vomit almost instantly after they appear:

saline solution. To do this you will need one teaspoon of salt and a glass of water. Stir all this and rinse your mouth. You can also use baking soda for these purposes. But you need to take into account that it will dry out the mucous membranes, which will bring some discomfort;
dental spray. This remedy, as well as a gel of similar properties, will cause numbness in the mouth;
sea water. It is necessary for nasal rinsing procedures. This will help ease nasal breathing, and this is the first step towards overcoming the suppression of the reflex. Also, for this purpose, you can use both the saline solution already mentioned above, and a set of special drops, freely sold in pharmacies.
clenching your fingers tightly into a fist. If you need to quickly eliminate the urge to vomit, you can use this method. This method has been tested numerous times and is considered very effective.

There are times when the reflex occurs when brushing your teeth. In such situations, perhaps. The best solution It will be to consult a specialist for advice. It is possible that the cause of this circumstance will be an allergic reaction to some ingredient in the toothpaste.

By the way, for those who are afraid of visiting the dentist due to a gag reflex, and these fears are justified, it is advisable to make an appointment after lunch. Research shows that the reflex is more sensitive in the morning. Therefore, you need to prepare for this thoroughly and try not to eat any food at least three hours before the visit. It would be a good idea to take antiemetics; they will perfectly help cope with unwanted urges when examining the oral cavity.

When there is an urge associated with psychological factors, it is advisable to include various types of activities in your daily routine breathing exercises. This could be special gymnastics, yoga, or other techniques that are useful in this situation. They will help you master the practice of relaxation and teach you to control yourself in difficult situations.

Important: you can try to master the technique of taming this reflex yourself. For this purpose, it is only necessary to do special irritation of different areas of the oral cavity every night, thereby making them less sensitive. This technique is considered quite effective, since it makes it possible not just to stop the urge once, but to achieve a complete and final solution to the problems.

Exercises at home

To treat the gag reflex at home, keep a diary in which you reflect the results of your observations: in what situations does a gag attack most often occur, where, at what time. Below are simple but effective recipes to get rid of the disease:

Breathing exercises. You need to breathe and breathe! If you feel even a slight approach of the reflex, try to take rhythmic breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. The principle is that the gag reflex cannot occur at the same time as breathing, just as it is impossible to swallow food and breathe at the same time.
Exercises with sounds. To prevent the reflex, you can try making humming sounds, as well as humming sounds, which will ensure a constant flow of air.
Physical exercise. They should be performed in a sitting or supine position. Having taken one of the positions, you should raise your legs. After this, tighten your abdominal muscles. This exercise will help you suppress the urge to vomit.
Reflex exercises. In order to “retrain” this phenomenon, you need to train areas of the oral cavity day by day so that touching them with a toothbrush or teaspoon does not cause a gag reflex. These objects need to be placed further and further, pressing them in the area of the front teeth to the palate, step by step moving deeper. Ten to fourteen days are often enough to forget about this illness forever.
Relaxation exercises. You need to be able to relax. As mentioned above, the main reasons increased reflex There may be physiological and psychological disorders. Perhaps you have already had a not entirely pleasant experience when, in certain situations, for example, while at the dentist, you experienced this problem. Talk to your doctor, share the results of previous treatment, when the reflex manifests itself, what contributes to this. All this will make the relationship trusting and will help in further treatment. Exercises to relax the nervous system, which are based on proper regulation of breathing, as well as meditation, can only be beneficial. In more complex situations, it would be a good idea to contact a hypnologist.

If after completing one or another course of exercises, the gag reflex was suppressed, but then returned again, do not despair and try again therapeutic exercises. If you do everything correctly and persistently, the disease will certainly recede. As they say, our health is in our hands!

The gag reflex begins to periodically bother us from a very early age. It occurs quite often in children, and adults can also encounter this unpleasant phenomenon. What is he like? Why does it appear? How to get rid of the gag reflex? We will look at these and some other questions in detail.

Whatever one may say, the gag reflex is one of the protective mechanisms of our body. It is a response to many problems. For example, often the gag reflex helps protect our body from hazardous substances. How does it work? The mechanism of its action is well studied. It starts, like other reflexes of our body, in the brain. When the vomiting center begins to be excited in it, the urge to vomit begins. This center is located in the region medulla oblongata. What is vomiting? Vomiting is a reflex act in which the contents of the stomach are expelled through the esophagus, then it enters the pharynx, oral cavity and nasal passages. We think it's quite simple. But the mechanism of this reflex refers to complex reactions to stimuli. It was developed during evolution long time. But the question of how to suppress the gag reflex remains relevant at any time. After all, nausea and vomiting bring a lot of torment and discomfort.

We often feel nauseous before we start vomiting. Nausea is a rather painful and unpleasant sensation, which is a sure signal that vomiting is possible. It is often accompanied by discomfort in the epigastric region and all sorts of additional symptoms. A person may feel weakness, “lightheadedness,” dizziness, increased sweating, and increased salivation. These symptoms often appear when the vomiting center is not stimulated strongly enough and vomiting itself does not occur. This is the so-called subthreshold stimulation of the vomiting area.

It does not necessarily happen that an attack of nausea is followed by an attack of vomiting. In general, sometimes it happens that vomiting and nausea occur independently and do not always depend on each other. But most often they are interconnected. Of course, vomiting causes us a lot of inconvenience and considerable discomfort. But it is irreplaceable, very important protective function body. It is triggered when toxins enter the stomach. The main purpose of vomiting is to quickly rid the body of harmful substances and prevent their further penetration into the blood. Thanks to this protective mechanism, all hazardous substances are quickly removed from the gastrointestinal tract

It happens that vomiting becomes protracted, happens quite often and takes on an almost chronic form. Such a persistent violent reaction may signal that a disease of the gastrointestinal tract or nervous system has begun. Also, such vomiting can accompany renal colic, and even myocardial infarction. In these cases, it is important to get emergency medical help immediately!

How does the vomiting center work?

The vomiting center is located in the medulla oblongata, in its reticular formation. It is very close to the centers of salivation and respiration. The main task of this center is to quickly respond to possible danger. At the first signal he begins to coordinate motor functions organs that are involved in the process of vomiting. The first signal that triggers the activation mechanism of the vomiting center comes from the so-called chemoreceptors. These unique receptors react very violently when dangerous substances and toxins enter the body. Chemoreceptors also respond to stimulation of a neurogenic nature, as well as toxins that penetrate the systemic circulation. These may be drugs or metabolites.

What is the mechanism of stimulation of the vomiting center? It is stimulated by sympathetic afferent nerve impulses. They can come from different organs: Gastrointestinal tract, kidneys (with renal colic), from chest cavity(in case of a heart attack, and if it is involved back wall in the left ventricle, vomiting occurs more often).

Surprisingly, vomiting can also occur in response to stimuli of a psychogenic nature. Our brain has corticobulbar pathways. Their task is to provide stable stimulation in the vomiting center, as well as the gag reflex. This occurs, among other things, as a response to various psychogenic stimuli. Simply put, it could be a reaction to bad smell or certain visual images. In this case, fibers of the so-called vagus nerve. They are the ones who must change motor skills small intestine, stomach and esophagus. They are also joined by fibers of the spinal and phrenic nerves. They are responsible for ensuring that the muscles of the abdominal wall and diaphragm begin to actively contract.

It is important not to confuse vomiting with the process of regurgitation. For example, babies burp quite often. There is no need to be intimidated by this process. This is due to the fact that they digestive system is still in its formation stage. Often babies burp immediately after eating or after a short time. At the same time they burp a small amount of food. But if a baby’s food practically flies out like a fountain, then we are talking about vomiting. In fact, during the regurgitation process, food simply returns from the stomach or esophagus to the mouth. At the same time, the muscles of the abdominal wall and diaphragm do not contract. There is no nausea before regurgitation.

Reasons that can cause vomiting

Among the reasons why vomiting occurs, there may be completely different factors:

Gag reflex of central origin. Occurs if a hypertensive crisis begins, if cerebral circulation, meningitis, migraine, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, if increased intracranial pressure, and also if the labyrinthine apparatus is affected.
Habitual vomiting of psychogenic origin. It can develop in the case of psychopathy, neuroses and worries a person throughout for long years. Most often it is accompanied not by pain in the abdomen, but by headaches and dizziness. Such vomiting is usually quite scanty, unproductive and does not bring the desired relief.
Vomiting is hematogenous-toxic. This is the body's response to intoxication of an endogenous nature. Nicotine, alcohol, and medications can lead to such intoxication. It can also be provoked renal failure (chronic form), diabetic ketoacidosis, thyrotoxic crisis, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, radiation sickness and toxicosis during pregnancy (first half).
Visceral origin of vomiting. This is the result of irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Most often, chemicals or toxins can cause such irritation. bacterial origin. Chemical substances can be produced if food sits for too long. In this case, the body begins to poison its decay products. This type of vomiting can be caused by many diseases of the digestive system. Among them: peptic ulcer, duodenostasis, gastritis, stomach cancer, post-gastroresection disorder. It can also be caused by diseases of the peritoneum, intestines, pancreas, and gall bladder.

Vomiting may also be associated with ongoing painful coughing and pain. They are able to reflexively trigger the vomiting process.

There are criteria by which it is easy to distinguish different types nausea and vomiting:

If vomiting started suddenly. Pi did not precede her headache. This development of the situation is typical for cases when intracranial pressure increases.
If body weight decreases and obvious dehydration is observed, this is a signal that a pathology of organic origin is developing.
If nausea and vomiting occur more often in the morning, then this is a sure sign of pregnancy. This condition is called toxicosis. Most often it is observed in the first trimester, but can also occur in the first half of the second. Early toxicosis is most often not treated. It is associated with hormonal changes in the body and soon goes away on its own. But in severe cases, treatment is possible. Also, morning vomiting can be associated with gastritis of alcoholic origin, with uremia (when the amount of urea in the blood increases), after the stomach is removed (post-gastroresection syndrome).
Vomiting, which occurs 1.5 - 2 hours after a person has eaten. This type signals that stenosis has begun in the outlet section of the stomach. This is the result peptic ulcer or malignant tumor.
If a large volume of vomit appears, which is stained with bile, then this is a sign of intestinal obstruction.
If there is an admixture of blood in the vomit that is not changed, this is a sign of bleeding in the esophagus (with varicose veins his veins) or Mallory-Weiss syndrome. If altered blood is visible in the vomit (it visually resembles coffee grounds), then this is a sign that a stomach ulcer has opened or duodenum. A similar phenomenon occurs with erosive gastritis.
If there is feces in the vomit, this is a signal that an anastomosis of the stomach and colon has occurred.
It happens that vomiting is of infectious origin. For example, a disease such as giardiasis is signaled only by nausea and vomiting.
Vomiting also occurs when a person is lactose intolerant. By the way, in adulthood many cannot tolerate cow's milk, which may cause vomiting.
Some medications may cause vomiting.
Nausea and vomiting may occur due to disorders of psychogenic origin.

The exact origin of vomiting, and therefore how to eliminate it, should be determined exclusively by a doctor. This often requires laboratory research blood, urine. If this turns out to be not enough, then an ultrasound scan of the organs that are located in the abdominal cavity, as well as examination of the patient’s neurological condition.

Sometimes attacks of vomiting can occur even when trying to brush your teeth, as well as when visiting a dentist or having your throat examined. Eating certain foods can lead to it. Everything is purely individual.

In children under 7 years of age, the gag reflex is observed very often. It also occurs in adults, of course. Vomiting can be very intense. Because of it, the patient may even spend several days in bed.

Causes of the gag reflex

There is no data on what percentage of patients suffer from the gag reflex. But according to recent research by scientists, it turns out that it causes inconvenience to many more people than previously thought. There are many diseases that cause vomiting and nausea. But some patients experience an increased degree of gag reflex. Often the reason for this is physiological or psychological characteristics. Common cause This reflex becomes all kinds of infection.

Sometimes even a cold or flu can cause nausea and vomiting. They can also be caused by allergies or inflammation. maxillary sinuses. A frequent cause of vomiting and nausea is a severe, painful migraine. If we talk about children, then they can start vomiting even from strong excitement, emotional stress or fear. And often in childhood The gag reflex is triggered for no apparent reason at all.

How does this pathology manifest itself?

Most often it all starts with discomfort in the stomach. Then nausea begins, which may end in vomiting. Diarrhea may occur. It is also a defense mechanism of our body. He tries to get rid of toxins as quickly as possible, and uses everything to do this possible ways. Nausea begins either in the evening or in the morning. During the day it occurs less frequently. The nature of the nausea itself may vary. These may be short-lived attacks that last only a few minutes. And nausea may occur, which lasts up to half a day.

In some cases, attacks become especially debilitating. They bother the patient every day for a week or even more. The person becomes lethargic, weak, exhausted, and dehydrated. His skin becomes very pale and loses tone. It becomes difficult for him to live in his usual rhythm of life, he stops eating right, and suffers from sleep disturbances. It is not surprising that in such difficult cases apathy and indifference to oneself and others appear. Life loses its colors and taste. Sometimes there may be a fever, sensitivity even to weak light, diarrhea, dizziness, a headache, and a stomach ache. Occasionally, a person may feel so bad that they begin to lose consciousness. But this happens quite rarely.

Note! Due to fluid loss during vomiting and diarrhea, the water-salt balance in the body is disrupted. It is very important for the normal functioning of all organs and systems. Therefore, you need to try to restore it as soon as possible. The patient should drink more often, but drink little fluids so that vomiting does not return. To relieve stomach pain, you need to reduce acidity. Plain water will do the job perfectly. If vomiting appears even after a very small amount of liquid drunk, then an urgent need to call ambulance. In the hospital, such patients are immediately given an IV.

How to get rid

In some cases, as soon as a person feels that an attack is coming, the vomiting itself can be prevented. If you feel characteristic discomfort in your stomach or intestines, you can take one tablet of Ibuprofen. Omeprazole or Zantac may also help. These drugs can quickly reduce acidity and calm the stomach. But it's better to see a doctor. He will find out the cause of this condition and recommend the medicine that will bring maximum effect.

Sometimes the gag reflex can provoke high sensitivity areas of the soft palate. It can be reduced with anesthetics used by dentists. These are gels, sprays, a solution of novocaine or icecaine. These anesthetics are useful if you are undergoing an examination of the mouth, throat, or dental treatment. It is enough to simply lubricate the area of the soft palate with one of the listed drugs. After this simple procedure, a visit to the office doctor will be held smoothly and without unpleasant surprises.

If the gag reflex is the result of psychological problems, then it is important to find out its cause. Perhaps as a child you experienced extreme stress when visiting the dentist. Therefore, even as an adult you may experience very severe discomfort every time you go to the dentist. And sometimes another attack occurs because a person is simply panicky afraid of its onset. Like this chain reaction. In such cases, it is important to learn to relax as much as possible. Yoga and breathing exercises can help. You can also seek help from a psychologist.

You can try to train the soft palate to make it less sensitive. To do this, it is important that mechanical irritation becomes familiar to him. This way you can get rid of attacks for a long time. Try mechanically influencing it more often. To do this, you can simply click on soft sky toothbrush or spoon. If an attack of nausea begins, try to cope with it. These simple exercises require quite a lot of effort and time, but they are quite effective.

Special physical training is also useful. Sit on the floor and begin to raise your legs so that your abdominal muscles become more tense. Another exercise is to clench your left hand into a fist.

When nausea occurs, a salt solution helps. Dissolve 1 tsp in a glass of warm water. salt.

The gag reflex may be a result allergic reaction on the components of toothpaste or even shower gel. In this case, nausea and vomiting occur when brushing teeth or when a person washes. In these cases, it is better to visit an allergist.

Vomiting while brushing teeth

If vomiting occurs while brushing your teeth, this may be a warning sign. We have already mentioned above that the body may be allergic to some component of the toothpaste.

If it is established that there is no allergy, and vomiting periodically bothers you when brushing your teeth, then try the following steps:

Before you start brushing, run the toothbrush from the tip of your tongue towards the root of your tongue. Listen to your feelings and try to determine exactly where on the tongue the brush is at the moment when the gag reflex makes itself felt.
If you find such a place, you need to actively massage it with a brush for ten seconds.
To reduce sensitivity, repeat this simple and effective procedure daily.
Over time, you should move further and master new areas closer to the root of the tongue. After a month, this unpleasant reflex should noticeably decrease.

If you do everything correctly, then you will not be afraid of not only brushing your teeth every day, but even having your throat examined by a doctor and swallowing pills. To make this massage as effective as possible, try to do it regularly and also increase the duration over time. How comfortable you will feel later will depend on you.

So, we tried to understand in detail the problem of the gag reflex, found out the reasons for its occurrence, types, and methods of elimination. You cannot underestimate the signals that your body sends you. If the gag reflex makes itself felt regularly and becomes painful, taking away strength, then it is important to listen to your body. If you suffer from frequent gag reflex and painful vomiting, be sure to consult a doctor! He should help you determine the cause and assign effective treatment. Do not try to solve this difficult problem yourself!

Few of us have not experienced a feeling of nausea, few have not experienced the urge to vomit and unpleasant moments vomiting. Most are lucky; vomiting and nausea are not a frequent companion of their lives, just a symptom of some kind of illness that quickly passes or the body’s reaction to some kind of poisoning, which is also more often treatable.

But there is a small percentage of people who have an increased gag reflex, so to speak, or a pathology in the body that causes frequent nausea and even vomiting.

Increased gag reflex

It should be noted that an increased gag reflex occurs more often in children, already adolescence it fades away, but there is a group of people who suffer from it even in adulthood, which brings a lot of inconvenience, especially when they need to have their teeth treated.

There are no specific reasons for the appearance of the gag reflex; sometimes you can observe outbreaks of it at the same time almost every day, and last the same period of time and are accompanied by the same symptoms. As already mentioned, children suffer from it more often, most often this occurs between the ages of three and seven, but determining the cause of the reflex is much easier in a child than in an adult, although attacks occur less frequently.

There are four phases of the reflex:

The first is the manifestation of signs, that is, a person begins to feel pain in the abdomen, he feels sick, if it is in this phase that the appropriate medicine is taken, then an attack can be avoided, but sometimes the first phase goes unnoticed, for example: it happened at night, and in the morning, waking up, the person is already starting to vomit, medications won’t help.
The second is directly emetic, when a person feels sick, there is a urge to vomit and vomiting itself, weakness, drowsiness, exhaustion are felt
The third is recovery, when a person begins to experience relief, nausea subsides, vomiting stops, the person returns to appetite and a healthy complexion.
The fourth is the so-called interval when a person feels great between attacks.

Often, over time, people begin to identify certain reasons that cause an attack, for example, anxiety, emotional stress, allergies, etc. Also, certain foods can cause an attack, which some people cannot tolerate homemade milk and cottage cheese, one of their types can give them an attack.

Also reasons may be menstrual cycle, pain, physical exhaustion, motion sickness, seasickness.

Don’t forget about objects in the mouth that easily cause vomiting and prevent a person from carrying out certain medical procedures, which makes it worse general health or aesthetic appearance, for example: some cannot heal their teeth, they either have to walk with bad teeth or go under general anesthesia.

And also about various diseases that can cause nausea and vomiting, for example, diseases of various gastrointestinal organs.

Cerucal - indications for use, instructions

One of the drugs that is designed to help cope with the gag reflex is Cerucal; it is able to block central dopamine receptors.

In general we can say that Cerucal:

will have an antiemetic effect;
can eliminate hiccups and nausea;
contributes to the normalization of functioning;
helps speed up the movement of food through the intestines, which improves gastric emptying.

The drug is available in two forms: injection solution and tablets.

Cerucal - indications for use:

Frequent, repeated urge to vomit;
Presence of pylorospasm, heartburn, reflux esophagitis;
Stomach atony;
For successful probing of the small and duodenal intestines;
For quality X-ray studies gastrointestinal organs.

It is worth noting that Cerucal is contraindicated if a person has:

intestinal obstruction;
epilepsy;
areas of organ bleeding;
motor impairment;
excessive sensitivity to the components of the drug;
prolactin dependent carcinoma.

Cerucal should be taken only with the consent and recommendation of a doctor, based on the patient’s age, symptoms and causes of attacks. The drug can be taken either symptomatically or regularly for several months, always half an hour before meals, and is approved for use by children from two years of age.

Some patients are concerned about the gag reflex during dental treatment - this is an unpleasant phenomenon, so the person begins to think in advance what to do dental office to reduce the intensity of an attack of nausea.

Thinking about the upcoming treatment for many days makes you feel anxious and sometimes causes severe stress, which can further increase the symptoms of nausea. A visit to a competent specialist who knows how to relieve symptoms will create the necessary mood and help you withstand dental treatment.

What is the gag reflex?

An attack of vomiting is expressed in the uncontrolled release of gastric contents. Smooth muscles of the esophagus, stomach, and also take part in the process. small intestine. This phenomenon is controlled by the vomiting center, which is located in the fourth ventricle of the medulla oblongata. Activation of this center occurs through:

visual;
olfactory;
taste buds.

Scientists consider the occurrence of the gag reflex as a defensive function of the body. It is present in both adults and young children.

Vomiting in a child can occur frequently due to unformed structure digestive tract. Regurgitation in a baby does not always indicate the development of the disease. If the process occurs once, the baby is not bothered by other symptoms, then there is no particular cause for concern.
When regurgitation of gastric contents occurs in an adult, this often indicates the development of the disease. When, in addition to food debris, the vomit contains traces of blood, mucus or other pathological inclusions, this is considered a serious reason to contact a therapist or infectious disease specialist.

Causes of an increased gag reflex at a dentist appointment

A strong gag reflex during dental treatment can occur due to mechanical irritation of the walls of the pharynx and the root of the tongue, which is not a sign of any serious disease.

Routine procedures or manipulations performed by a dentist can cause nausea:

examination of wisdom teeth - when examining the lower “eights,” there is a high probability that the doctor will touch the trigger zones, after which the patient may say that he feels sick;
treatment without water cooling - when preparing teeth, a lot of sawdust is formed if the tip does not have a liquid supply. A large amount of dust prevents the patient from breathing fully and can stimulate vomiting;
work without a saliva ejector - if the patient has a tendency to vomiting during dental treatment, then the accumulation of a large volume of saliva and water in the mouth can cause it;
Taking impressions is the most common cause of the gag reflex. Before carrying out orthopedic treatment, the doctor must obtain a negative reflection of the teeth, which is done using a special tray and impression material.

How to eliminate the gag reflex during dental treatment?

There are certain effective techniques for treating teeth with an increased gag reflex. Vomiting often occurs due to severe stress and fear of medical manipulation. If self-hypnosis does not help, try the following:

sedative preparation - doctors advise drinking a decoction of herbs that have a calming effect (St. John's wort, chamomile, valerian, mint) on the eve of the upcoming intervention;
sedatives - taking medications in the evening and on the day of upcoming treatment will help reduce anxiety (Afobazol, Novopassit, Valerian).

Taking medications will help reduce the manifestations of the gag reflex:

Cerucal is a remedy that eliminates nausea. Should be consumed 3-4 times a day before the planned treatment.
Dramamine - drugs that help with the symptoms of motion sickness, are also suitable for combating increased bouts of vomiting.
Motilium plus Metoclopramide - combined use of two drugs for 4-6 days in a low dosage.

The dentist will help you eliminate nausea during the treatment process. Sanitation of the oral cavity in such patients is carried out in a sitting position to prevent excessive saliva and liquid from entering the throat.

In addition, an anesthetic spray is often used to reduce the sensitivity of the oropharynx and reduce the severity of the reflex. Many people recommend chewing mint chewing gum, which will change sensitivity to irritants and make it easier to tolerate treatment.

A pronounced gag reflex is not a reason to refuse dental treatment. Before starting the procedure, you should tell the doctor about the existing problem and discuss options for eliminating the attack.

Video: gag reflex during dental treatment - what to do? Dentist's answer.

The gag reflex is a terribly unpleasant thing. Not only do you constantly feel nauseous, but also at an appointment with a therapist examining your throat for a sore throat, and especially at a dentist, you can completely accidentally move the lunch you just ate onto the floor of the doctor’s office, and then cover it with paint out of shame for your weak body.

In fact, having a healthy gag reflex is a wonderful thing. It protects our body from toxins and helps eliminate the negative effects of drinking alcohol the night before or eating stale food. But when the slightest touch to the palate or tongue causes vomiting, it is difficult to call this condition healthy. Therefore, everyone must fight him possible ways. Existing techniques, which really help, we will describe below.

Causes of vomiting

But first, you still need to list the main reasons why this very reflex occurs. They are usually divided into two types - physiological and psychological. The first most often include:

difficulty breathing through the nose, any damage to the septum or inflammation of the sinuses;
toxicosis that occurs in the first weeks of pregnancy;
response to touch individual areas in the mouth;
diseases of the intestines or other organs of the gastrointestinal tract;
severe intoxication of the body.

Transfer psychological problems, causing the urge to vomit, mainly comes down to stress, severe tension, and fear of the dentist’s manipulations.

Methods for getting rid of the gag reflex that work

So, to get rid of the gag reflex, you can try using medications. The most effective of them is Omeprazole, which almost instantly reduces acidity and saves not only from sudden vomiting and nausea, but also from heartburn, which is a precursor to these conditions. You can also take an Ibuprofen tablet.

In addition, we suggest using a whole collection of methods to overcome the urge to vomit immediately after they appear:

rinsing your mouth with a salt solution (1 tsp per glass). Can you use baking soda? Yes, but remember that it dries out the mucous membranes and can create discomfort;
use dental sprays or gels that completely numb the mouth;
If you need to instantly stop the urge to vomit, clench your fingers tightly into a fist. The technique has been tested many times and helps very well;
If the appearance of the reflex surprisingly coincides with brushing your teeth, consult a doctor. Most likely the reason this phenomenon lies in an allergic reaction to some ingredients of the paste;
need to visit a dentist? Then try not to eat anything three hours before your appointment. It is also advisable to take some antiemetic drugs, which will definitely help the body cope with the urge even during an examination of the oral cavity;
Rinse your nose regularly. For this purpose, you can use either the saline solution already mentioned, or sea water, or any special drops that are sold in pharmacies. The ability to breathe normally through the nose is The best way protection from the annoying reflex.

If the urge to vomit occurs due to psychological reasons, it makes sense to engage in a variety of breathing exercises, yoga, any other techniques that help you learn to relax and control yourself in any situation.