Has this ever happened to you? You’re drinking soda, milk, or any beverage when your friend makes a joke, and suddenly you find your favorite drink forced out of your nostrils. Don’t be alarmed, this is a natural thing that can happen to anyone. In fact, it’s one of many ways that show how connected your nose and throat are to each other.

IN THIS ARTICLE...

1. How are your nose and throat connected?
2. How does food go from the throat to the nose?
3. Can food and liquid coming out of your nose be dangerous?
4. What is velopharyngeal insufficiency?

How are your nose and throat connected?

Your nose and throat are both part of an important group of organs, tissues, and muscles in your body known as the respiratory system. When you breathe through your nose, air passes from your nasal cavities to the pharynx in the back of throat. This continues to the larynx and your windpipe (trachea) until it reaches the lungs via the bronchial tubes.

How does food go from the throat to the nose?

Normally when you eat, the soft palate and uvula in the back of the mouth elevates and closes the nasal openings in the throat to prevent food from traveling up. However, heavy breathing, especially from spontaneous laughter, can cause the soft palate and uvula to move into their natural breathing positions, causing your nasal passages to momentarily open while you are swallowing. As a result, the food and drink that you were consuming might find itself coming out of your nose (nasal regurgitation) and not headed downwards into your digestive tract.

Can food and liquid coming out of your nose be dangerous?

Dr. Darrel Klotz, a CEENTA otolaryngologist and voice and swallowing specialist who practices out of our SouthPark office, has some words of caution regarding nasal regurgitation. “While the internet is full of funny nose tricks (such as passing a noodle through your nose and pulling it out your mouth), having food come out your nose unintentionally when eating can be embarrassing and generally not a good ‘party trick’”. Although this situation can happen to anyone, the severity of it mainly depends on what type of food or beverage you were having when it occurred. Water or mild drinks can be a nuisance, but carbonated sodas, spicy food, or harsher ingredients can irritate the nasal cavities and cause a painful sensation. Doing a nasal rinse or lavage with a balanced saline solution can help to alleviate this temporary discomfort.

What is velopharyngeal insufficiency?

As mentioned, drinks coming out of your nose can happen unexpectedly but rarely if you laugh while eating. For some people, this can happen as a result of a condition called velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). This swallowing disorder is also the result of the soft palate and uvula not closing properly but is caused by a medical condition such as weak throat muscles or by a structural (tissue) deficit after some surgeries such as adenoidectomy or cleft palate repair. If you are dealing with nasal regurgitation on a regular basis, your physician may recommend a combination of speech therapy to strengthen the muscles in the throat or surgical intervention.

Drinks coming out of your nose may be a funny moment, but your ear, nose, and throat care is no laughing matter. That’s why CEENTA offers a wide spectrum of ENT services to our patients in the Carolinas, including allergy treatments, sinus infection care, hearing tests, and more. Schedule your next appointment with Dr. Klotz at our SouthPark office today so you can enjoy the laughs safely.

This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your doctor. New patients can make appointments online with our ENT doctors in North and South Carolina. Current patients can also make appointments through myCEENTAchart with physicians they have already seen.