Along with therapy, there are things you can do to make swallowing easier:
- Sit upright at a 90-degree angle, tilt your head slightly forward, or stay sitting or standing upright for 45 to 60 minutes after you eat.
- Stay focused on the tasks of eating and drinking. Keep distractions away. Don’t talk with food in your mouth.
- Go slowly. Aim to eat about 1/2 teaspoon of your food at a time.
- You may need to swallow two or three times per bite or sip. If food or liquid catches in your throat, cough gently or clear your throat, and swallow again before you take a breath.
- Concentrate on swallowing often. Try alternating a bite of food with a sip of liquid.
- Try different temperatures and textures of liquids. For example, you can make drinks colder or try carbonated beverages.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Suck on popsicles, ice chips, or lemon-flavored water to get your mouth to make more saliva, which will help you swallow more often.
- If chewing is hard for you, stay away from foods that need a lot of jaw power.
- If thin liquids make you cough, try thickening them. You can also substitute thin liquids with thicker ones -- nectars for juices and cream soups for plain broths, for instance.
- When you take medication, crush your pills and mix them with applesauce or pudding. Ask your pharmacist to let you know which pills you shouldn’t crush and which medicines you can buy in a liquid form.