After the Swallow
Have you
ever been told that you have a loud swallow?
What Happens After the Swallow? Introducing the Glottal Release Sound
by Julie A.Y. Cichero, Ph.D. and Bruce E. Murdoch, Ph.D.
Notes adapted from:
Journal of Medial Speech-Language Pathology, Volume 11, Number 1, pp. 31-41
Before you swallow, you inhale. After
you swallow, you exhale. These actions help to prevent laryngeal penetration
of foods or liquids following the swallow. The swallow sound is distinguishable
from the preswallow sounds. Perceptually the sound after the swallow is like
the release of valved air. The presence of the glottal release sound would indicate
that the laryngeal region had been valved to some degree, which is an important
safety mechanism. Where the oral and pharyngeal phases of the swallow are severely
delayed, the absence of the glottal release sound, and replacement of it with
a rapid inhalation may indicate that the time taken to ingest the bolus is too
extreme for the respiratory system to comfortably accommodate. This information
is helpful in alerting the clinician or client to try compensatory techniques
or to alter the texture of food or viscosity of liquids to see if the person
is able to achieve better swallow-respiratory control.
Don’t be alarmed if you have a noisy swallow. It may be entirely normal.