Can You Swallow Your Tongue From a Seizure or Sleep Apnea?

While it’s not physically possible to swallow your own tongue (the tongue is an attached muscle), you can bite or even choke on your own tongue. This most often occurs during a seizure, while being unconscious, or while sleeping if you have sleep apnea. 

During a seizure, a person might bite their own tongue, and it can sound like choking. It is a common (and dangerous) myth that bystanders should put something in someone’s mouth as they are having a seizure to prevent them from swallowing their tongue. Do not do this.  If someone is unconscious or struggling while sleeping with sleep apnea, the tongue can fall back into the back of the mouth and block the airway. Make sure the person is not laying on their back to help prevent this.

Common Myths Around Swallowing Your Tongue

An old wives’ tale says that you can swallow your tongue during a seizure, but this is not actually the case. Outdated information tells you to place a spoon or another object into someone’s mouth when they are having a seizure to prevent them from swallowing their tongue. Again, this is a physically impossible thing to do.

Your tongue is a muscle, and it is securely connected to the back of your mouth. The tissue called the frenulum linguae connects your tongue solidly to the bottom of your mouth and prevents you from being able to swallow it. The tongue can fall into the back of the mouth when you are unconscious or suffer from sleep apnea, which can make it difficult to breathe properly.

First Aid for Someone During a Seizure

If you’re close by when someone is having a seizure, there are several things you can do to keep them safe until the seizure passes. A grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure typically lasts one to three minutes and has two parts. 

During the tonic activity, a person loses consciousness and can fall down. They can appear to struggle to breathe, as the air is forced from their lungs and stiff chest muscles can cause impaired breathing. They can foam at the mouth and potentially bite their tongue. 

The clonic activity phase can cause jerking motions. The seizure should pass within one to three minutes.

During a seizure, you can help to protect a person by taking these steps:

• Help them to the floor gently.

• Clear the nearby area of furniture and objects.

• Move them into the recovery position on their side carefully.

• Place something soft under their head to minimize head injury.

• Time the seizure.

After the seizure is over, reassure the person. Then, contact their doctor.

What Not To Do When Someone Is Having a Seizure

When witnessing a seizure, it can be difficult to know what to do in the moment, especially as you may have heard misinformation about things you can do to help. 

Even when trying to come to a person’s aid, some actions that a bystander might take to help could cause harm and even be dangerous. 

Just as important as what you should do, is what you should not do. 

If someone is having a seizure, you should not do these things:

• Do not try to hold them in place.

• Do not try to put something in their mouth to stop them from choking on their tongue.

• Do not do mouth-to-mouth breathing or CPR.

• Do not offer food and drink during the seizure.

Choking on Your Tongue With Sleep Apnea

While you cannot actually swallow your tongue, it can fall to the back of your mouth and block your airway if you have obstructive sleep apnea. This is when air is physically blocked from getting to your lungs while you sleep.

It generally happens when a person is sleeping on their back. As the muscles relax, the tongue can fall back to the rear of your mouth.

There are multiple methods for treating obstructive sleep apnea, ranging from surgical interventions and oral appliances to positive airway pressure (PAP) devices. A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine can be worn as a mask at night while sleeping. This will deliver constant positive airway pressure to stabilize the upper airway. It is considered the gold standard of care.

Talk to your doctor about methods for treating obstructive sleep apnea to ensure that you do not choke on your tongue.