Why It Feels Like You Can't Swallow When You Have Anxiety

Anxiety can strike at any time. Maybe it flares when you're blindsided by a huge medical bill. For others, it ramps up during traffic jams or long checkout lines—especially when they're already running late. Sometimes, it's not even an event that triggers it. Certain substances, like medications or caffeine, can set it off. And in some cases, anxiety sneaks in without a clear reason at all. Your own self-talk can be enough to spark restlessness, sweating, and a racing heart (read how anxiety affects your body).

Public speaking is a common source of nerves, but for some people, anxiety in that moment can make it hard to swallow. According to Counseling in Melbourne, anxiety activates your sympathetic nervous system, tightening the 40 muscles in your throat. It can feel like there's a lump lodged there, and this difficulty swallowing is called dysphagia.

The trouble is, noticing that tightness can make things worse. Worrying about not being able to swallow can heighten your anxiety, triggering even more symptoms and making swallowing feel even harder. While difficulty swallowing during bouts of anxiety is common, if it happens frequently, it could point to another underlying condition worth checking out.

A sore throat can make swallowing uncomfortable, but if that pain or difficulty lingers, it could signal a more serious problem. Dysphagia can stem from conditions affecting the brain or nervous system. For example, mild dysphagia can be an early symptom of Parkinson's disease, sometimes showing up as coughing during meals, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. Left unchecked, this can lead to weight loss, nutrient deficiencies, and dehydration. It can also cause food to get stuck in the throat and slip into the lungs, which is a leading cause of death in people with Parkinson's. Other neurological conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and dementia, can also contribute to dysphagia.

Sometimes dysphagia results from a physical blockage in the throat or esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause this by allowing stomach acid to flow upward, irritating the esophagus and throat. A tumor in the esophagus or head can also interfere with swallowing.

In other cases, the problem lies with the muscles themselves. Conditions like muscular dystrophy or certain autoimmune disorders can weaken the muscles in the throat or trigger spasms in the esophagus, making swallowing difficult.

If you know your dysphagia is linked to anxiety or a stressful situation, Counseling in Melbourne offers some practical ways to ease the tension in your throat. While distractions can be unhelpful when you need to focus, they can work in your favor here by pulling your attention away from the sensation of difficulty swallowing. Try listening to music, or even better, sing your favorite song (even if you sing out of tune). Singing engages your throat muscles in a different task, which can help them relax. In fact, a 2023 review in Frontiers in Medicine found that singing, humming, and breathing exercises have been used to help older adults keep their swallowing muscles strong.

Progressive muscle relaxation is another tool for calming stress while taking your mind off swallowing. The beauty of it is that you can use it discreetly, without anyone noticing. Traditionally, progressive muscle relaxation involves setting aside about 20 minutes in a quiet space to focus on releasing tension from different areas of your body.

But when anxiety strikes, you may not have that luxury. In those moments where you're already tense, you can try a different version called passive muscle relaxation. Take a few deep breaths, sighing gently as you exhale. Choose a tense area such as your forehead, neck, or jaw, and simply notice the sensation without trying to fight it. Keep breathing, imagining the tension melting away. Once that area feels looser, move on to another part of your body that's holding stress.